What have I not tried on the one that sews tunnels?
I've cleaned and adjusted the tension - top and bottom - it feels right and looks good straight stitch but just in case I loosened to no avail. I adjusted the feet pressure thinking it was too tight or too loose - I like where it is right now. The eccentric has been adjusted and I checked for burrs. I also used different fabric - works fine on heavy stuff.

I really don't know, Miriam, but I sure wish you luck with it!

Jeanette

I've been switching off between sewing a quilt face on my 301 and working on bits and pieces of that Muller handcrank. I'm taking it slow since much of it is foreign to me. I get brave and disassemble bits and pieces at a time cleaning and polishing and then getting it back together hopefully with the proper adjustments. It's been a game to see how many times I can catch my fingers in the gears. I am up to at least 10 now with 3 or 4 drawing blood.

Tonight I got the face back on for the first time since getting all the parts loosened up and I gave it a crank! No. No joy. Nothing is ever that simple. I gave it some thought, checked over my initial photos to see how far the screw down thingies were and re-adjusted. I also polished off some lines of hardened oil I missed on the inside of the face. Added a bit more oil and proceeded slowly. *Tiny happy dance! It IS cranking. I don't know if it will make a stitch yet but have a shuttle and bobbin ordered and in the mail.

In the meantime there is plenty more cleaning to do. Next up is the bobbin winder mechanism.

I have a similar problem with my early Singer zigzag machines. I had my beige 306 converted to treadle with a 9-spoke wheel on it. Then I came up with a light green 319 that has the cams in it that I use (multi-zigzag for mending/darning & regular zigzag for pocket and belt loop tacks), so I set it up for treadle using the 9-spoke wheel from the 306.

I’ve not ever done anything with my black 206, but since I have the other models, it seems like I should keep it just to have all three models (the collector in me). I have a second light green 319 still factory electric in a cabinet that I haven’t ever done anything with, so maybe I should think about re-homing it. Truth is, I’ve been eyeballing the black 319 machines and getting the urge to track down one of them. It would look good with my 9-spoke wheel on it in my treadle. Maybe I can find someone wanting to trade a black 319 for a light green 319?

To make matters worse, I’ve begun to develop an interest in the early Singer Industrial zigzag machines, and may have to find one of them to play with....

CD in Oklahoma

You should start a SM display if you don't already display them in your business.

I played with the 206 and 306 today sewing buttons on and making button holes. I found the 206 doesn't have dropfeed. One demerit on the 206 for being a keeper.

We’ve thought about it and decided not to do it. I don’t display any of my personal sewing machine collection (62) at the shop. All of the machines at the shop are for sale (except our work machines used for alterations and repairs), so I hate to have any machines visible that I want to keep. I know that I always hate it when I ask for the price on something in a shop, and get told that it’s not for sale, it’s just there for display. It’s kind of like saying “Looky what I got that you can’t have!”

Another thing is that space taken by a display item takes retail space away, and we don’t have enough of that anyway.

I do have one Singer 66-1 Treadle at the local museum that’s not really for sale. I put it there to provide a “hands-on” machine that visitors could fiddle with, and I keep it maintained to sew. People like trying to treadle a sewing machine for the first time, or to see if they can still do it after several years of not being around one. None of the other antiques at the museum are for sale, so I don’t think that the museum folks have ever been asked how much they want for it.

CD in Oklahoma

You're an honorable man and I understand.

Before I left on a brief vacation I was working on a Brunswick machine. I found and rescued it from a local antique shop. The owner said he could get $50. For the drawers alone.

I'm wondering if it's something more obscure like the cam timing.... Did you check that?? I think back when I was having trouble with that 431, I posted a similar question and I found that the hook timing was a smidge off as well. Not enough to do much as far as skipping stitches but enough to cause tension headaches? It's fuzzy though, I may be mis-remembering.

Well, cam timing??? I'll have to dig out the repair manual for that one.