I am wondering if anyone has an extra one of these tension shafts from an old 221..I just bought a 221 today and it looks like there was a problem with the tension unit....the screw/nut that goes on last when it is assembled slides off..I thought it was the problem so I swithched the entire tension unit from my other 221...same problem with the other tension unit too...I also put the tension unit I thought was defective on my other machine and it goes on without a problem and does not slide off my other machine.....so now I think it is the tension shaft that maybe has been stripped???

..if anyone has the 221 manual on page 20 of the green manual it is in Fig 20....called stud "O"...I saw one for sale for $14.99..hoping to get one for less..seems like a lot for 1 stud..I also am looking for a bed plate...with the screw for the underneath part of the machine...
I am willing to trade for fabric or sewing supplies...

You might want to PM Lostn51 (Billy) for advice. He's our resident guru. Also post this on the Vintage SMS topic that is under Main. It may take a little bit because that topic stays busy but someone will answer you.

Good Luck!

Sign up for the Featherweight site on yahoo. There are alot of people that sell used parts on there.

Thanks, I do that...

That is the same shaft as a lot of other Singers use like the later model 221, 185J/K, 301, 328K, 401, 500A and so forth.The only trick is the type of nut and tensioner that was on it. If you like the ones with the numbers then use a slant shank type and use the entire assembly. It is an easy piece to find and I probably have a few out in the studio. PM me and I will see what I have.

Billy