I have to agree with 10x. I see it a tiny bit bent. I generally use a wrench and sometime two so I can stabilize the part and straighten just where I want BUT be sure to use a thick rag in the jaws of the wrench to avoid getting teeth marks on your parts. Go slow...SEE where you need to straighten the part.

I've tried to unbend them before and they break like Joe said. They are just too brittle. You can try as it won't hurt, but expect the worst. They can also get back in the right position but create a bind in the bearing or have stress fractures in the metal . I had to replace one that was like the one pictured. It was on a 301 that was damaged during shipping. The replacement was bought on eBay for $30 and it was easy to install.

Yes, I would alway tried to unbend it but buy a new part if need be.

Joe does not use the "brute force method", he only referred to it as something not to do.

Agreed that it "looks" bent, and I'd still be super cautious about attempting to bend it. It is a stamped part, but it's the hardest stamped metal I've seen. That part is very similar to the ones on the FWs and they break.

Joe

PLEASE don't bend anything! Don't force anything! Don't even convince anything.

There's adjustment for this problem. It was discussed on the Singer Slant Yahoo group on July 1, 2013. The title of the post was "Excess Play in 301 Take Up Lever"

I won't post the text here, I'll just be censored as usual.

Paraphrasing, this is the info:
There's a set screw accessible from the back of the machine, directly behind the take up lever. Loosen it, adjust and tighten.

Arch is right there is a eccentric screw. it will adjust the height of the lever a little probably plenty to correct the hitting at the bottom.

It's not behind the lever.. take the top off. and at the rear pivot you'll see a set screw on top, Then the pin trough the pivot has a screw slot at it's rear , loosen the set screw. turn the pivot and watch the arm movement.

it's really made this way to take up excess play in that joint but also moves the arm..

Thanks. I looked for a screw that could be accessed from behind and couldn't find one. I will look today after church for the screw accessed from the top.

I have tried to find my way around the yahoo groups and seem to be deficient in that area... I will try again.

two screws hold the top on, with that removed look in the presser bar area , but if it hits the face plate this won't do a thing to solve that.

set/lock screw on top and the pivot pin/screw at the pen tip

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There are some very knowledgeable folks on the following forum:
[email protected]

Let me look when I get a chance, hopefully later today. I haven't had to look for that screw, I only knew about the discussion. It strikes me it was somewhere else though because it reads differently to me than a set screw on top. The post mentions loosening the set screw, moving the takeup lever connection to the right - So I'll say that's away from the handwheel (ETA: Since you're looking at the back of the machine already from the instructions) - then tightening it up. I'll shoot a pic if I can see what they were talking about on the SSS yahoo group.

In your two photos, this makes sense. I see two visual differences between the 2 machines. I think there's a chance that this adjustment will square them both up.

The red circle is probably the "bend" people are talking about - I think it's a mispositioning rather than a bend.
The Blue is a different position of the "Cam" in relation to the needlebar.

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