Free Singer 500A is a pain
 

Well, sorta. This one was said to have been serviced, then ran for a while then didn't run right and was set back for a long time. I've got it running and stitching. Even got the tensions right pretty quickly. But ..... the controls for the cam stack are giving me fits. The rear vertical rod was set too low so the rear cam follower was one level off.
The front one was loose and rocking back and forth causing the follower to bind on the cam stack and cam.
And along with that the mechanism that rocks the needle bar back and forth is binding.

Lots of Tri-Flow has gone into this thing. Ugh, that's gonna cut into my profit.

Question for Mizkaki, Arcaic Arcane, or whom ever else:
Will the cam control instructions in the 401A manual work for the 500 as well? The parts are identical as far as I can tell. If so that will help a bunch.


This one is gonna take some time. Oh well, that's something I do have a bit of.

Joe

Yes, the 401 instructions will work. The merchandise is the same, only the store fronts are different. :)

Mitch's mom,

Thanks.
"The merchandise is the same, only the store fronts are different. :)" I like that.

I'll dig out my 401 service manual and read through it. Probably just a simple adjustment I don't know about.

Joe

Bring it next time you come to Indy. Don't what ever you do take it apart.

Miriam,

Nope, won't take it apart. Gonna keep pouring the Tri-Flow into the mechanism, and will check for adjustment of the controls when I get back to it.

Joe

I've had some not respond to tre-flow at all - I don't know what they used but if you have one little tiny gummed up spot they just don't want to work right at all. I have learned a lot of places where the gummy stuff lurks. Then again I spent about 8 hours on the last one.

Miriam,

This one had a lot of ambered solidified oil and little else in it. I've got it more free than it was but the controls don't work right.
I'm gonna use my air compressor to help blow out stuff I can't get to with q-tips and Tri-Flow.

The rear vertical shaft for the cams was in too low, I adjusted that up and the controls are working better. But the patterns are not filled out completely. The right side isn't complete.

Joe

You probably missed the little piston below the cam stack

http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...e-t216956.html
you might want to go through this whole thing and glean from the pool of knowledge...

Actually I didn't "miss" it, but I could have just not got it clean enough.

I just finished reading that 16 page drama. Trying to download one of Tammi's videos now.

This machine has been either messed with internally, remember the gal that gave it to us said she had it "serviced" and it didn't work right afterwords, or damaged. Maybe both.

First I found the rear vertical shaft was set too low. The reader as you call it was one cam level below where the knob was set. And I compared the shaft, readers, and controls to my other 500. I adjusted the shaft UP so the readers were the same on both machines, and that fixed the rear cam control problem.
But the front one seems to be tilting towards the cam. In some places the reader will hit the high lobes on the cam stack and refuse to rise above the replaceable cam even with the knob pulled all the way out.
The shaft was loose so I tightened it. That helped some. But I'm worried it might be bent. The other 500 does not have an interference problem between the reader and cam discs and does not bind up.

I'll get it figgured out.

Joe