301 Take-Up Lever Trouble
 

I just had to pick up a second 301 (LBOW) last weekend. It was clean and in perfect condition! (Warning sign?) Made a little noise when tested, but I figured some oil and lube would fix that. (Slightly impatient DH in the background, so not much time to check her out!) She is so pretty!

Her problem is there is "play" in the take up lever. Without thread, she sews smoothly and quietly, like a 301 should! Once threaded, the thread pulls the TUL down so it hits the face plate. There is a dinged spot on the FP where it has hit...probably why the machine was donated to the thrift shop. I can move the TUL up and down with my hand about 1". Anyone had experience with this problem? I put my other 301 next to it and there is no "play" in her TUL. I removed the presser foot bar in order to tighter the first screw but that is tight already. I know they are reverse threaded.No OSMG in my area so hoping to fix it myself!

Mo-rie

No help here, but I'm interested in following how you made out with this problem. Have a couple of 301's and just love them. Good luck with your's.

Mo-rie,

This might not be of any help, but since I have had to do this on some of my machines here is my suggestion.

Set both your 301s side by side with the left ends facing you. Take both face plates off. Then compare the one that has the problem with the one that works right. Something is different and if you study them both it will show itself. The problem might not be in the needle bar area, but hopefully it is.

Joe

Thanks Joe! That is exactly what I have done. They sit side by side. I go back and forth. Just don't what to adjust. In its lowest position, I can move the TUL up and down about 1" whereas my other machine has no play at all. This is the prettiest machine. I just want her to sew like she is supposed to!

Would be worth grabbing the service manual to see if there are adjustments to be made. I bet you'll find something out of spec. It's only 12 pages, technically you could go through and do everything in an hour or so. The only place i know of online to download it is the yahoo group "wefixit"

I saw you got some great advice on the SingerSlantSewing yahoo list. Did it work for you?

Yes, Jim's advice helped with the TUL. There is a secondary (or primary) issue. Once threaded the machine labors to sew. I have to use the handwheel a lot to help it along. The upper thread is getting caught by the hook or something else. I think that could have caused the TUL to bend down? I will mess with it some more later.

I'm looking at my 301 at the moment, and I'm just not seeing what Jim described.
It's me, I know it, because I'm having a highly non-technically minded day. I just don't see the set screw for some reason.

Assuming that the machine is well oiled and greased, the one thing I've found with the 301 is that it's not got the strongest motor. If your tension is too tight, it will labor quickly, long before say a 401 would with the same "tight" tension. The upper motor bearing being somewhat seized will also affect its piercing power, but the tension is really easy to check before you take it to the Singer lady. There's not a lot on this machine that you can't fix yourself (Assuming no bent or broken parts)

Make sure that the tensioner is set correctly - try this post: http://www.archaicarcane.com/fragile...-equal-stress/

One of my 301s was set really wrong (way too tight) and it howled if I tried to sew with it without helping it get started. I set the tension correctly, and it's much easier to get along with. If it's making a good stitch with the upper tension dial at a "normal" number but the test above shows you that it's way too tight, then there's a chance that the bobbin tension is also too tight, hence "balancing" the stitch.

Does the thread get caught with the bobbin case in? What if you hold the thread tails? If it's just with the case out, it's normal. Per your question on the SSS list: I don't think it's a lemon, I think it's been in need of some proper attention for a bit, and possibly someone was tinkering where they shouldn't have been before you got it.

I would still step through the service manual, I think it would do both of you a lot of good. You'd know that the machine was ready to sew, and it would have less to complain about ;)