My 201 motor . . . can't find the wires!
 

OK so Friday was payday and I went on a mission to get all the tools I needed to re-wire my 201 motor. First I went to ACE hardware. No NOTHING.

Then I went to HomeDepo. No #18 wire . . . not even in one color. They had 16 but no 18. So I moved on to the non insulated terminals. That was even funnier.

So I moved on to the soldering equipment. FINALLY. I did get a gun and solder but no helping hands.

Does anyone know where I can find this stuff or do I need to go online?

KAT

Sew Classic online is your best bet.

Your automotive store is a good place too get wiring and connectors too. Make sure you get rosin core solder for electrical connections.

Some hardware stores don't carry electrical wire in all the gauges so sometimes you have to scrounge it. The 18ga wire I used on my 15-91 rewire came from another Singer machine. The connectors came from O'Rielly auto parts. The solder I've had for a long time. The BEST electrical solder used to be sold by Radio Shack before they abandoned the electronics for cell phones and computers.

I used individual wires for the motor with heat shrink and liquid tape for insulation.
Just in case you don't have it, here's a link to my thread about the 15-91:
{ http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...r-t205360.html }

Joe

Thanks, guys. I'm headed off to O'Rielly's and last resort internet. I did get the rosin core solder so I'm at least that far.

KAT

We usually get our wire from Princess Auto. I believe they're our equivalent to your Harbor Freight. It comes in a small (25ftish) reel, and the brand is a decent name (Grote), usually pretty cheap too.

ETA, I also get shrink tube there. For this project, I get the stuff that's big enough it can shrink 2 pieces of wire together, so that it looks "cleaner" and also the stuff you'd use for one thicknedd of wire to protect the bare wires.

Tammi,

Harbor Freight has packs of rainbow colored heat shrink too. You can color code your wires if you want or make the job psychedelic looking ....... Just the thing for painted FeatherWeights.

Oh dear ..... Did I say THAT??????????


Joe

OK, found the wires at O'Reily's. Thanks Joe. Still on the hunt for the uninsulated terminals. I'll have to look up a harbor Freight and see if they have them. Once I get those I can start "breaking" my 201.

KAT

KAT,

I should have told you this before, sorry, brain fade.

You can make uninsulated terminals from insulated terminals, just take a pair of needle nose pliers and gently squeeze the plastic insulation on the connectors until it stretches a bit then it will come right off.

I usually do that, then crimp the connector to the wire, then solder it. I'm a bit anal about electrical connections.

Joe

LOL! Yes, so does Princess Auto, I usually buy in red and black to mark positive and negative. And green if I'm working on a Honda bike. I use just a little of that on each end where the crimp is, then the black to make it look neater. Now if it was that really nice "Red Bull" blue, I'd paint a FW to match! (kidding! mostly.)

KAT - what Joe describes is exactly what I do with the connectors too. I find a lot of times when you crimp the connector, the plastic insulation doesn't fit anyway, so I remove them, crimp the wires, solder them, and shrink tube on top. That may make me a little anal too according to Joe's description. :thumbup: Just slide a length of the shrink tube on -before- you crimp and solder (for the last join on each wire, the first one won't matter, because the wires are unattached on the other end), and be sure it's as far from the soldering iron as possible because it will melt and shrink if it takes too long for your soldering iron to heat the wire enough for the solder to melt.

Kat, I've even used a 25" extension cord to wire a motor, it's a bit heavier than 18 gauge wire but it does work.