Beautiful Cabinet, I have a Red Eye too, they are beautiful machines. Very nice setup.

A very nice cabinet and red eye singer. Lovely quilt and helper. Enjoy the treadling. For me it came with practice. My hardest thing is to get it going forward instead of backwards. But seems like there is a sweet spot you can stop the pedal so it starts in the right direction as well as a little turn of the balance wheel toward you when you start.

I have a Red Eye. My father bought it for me at an auction sale about 50 years ago. I learned to sew on it--dresses and Barbie clothes. It has always been inside but now the presser foot won't move up and down and the needle won't go up and down. It looks like it is bound up somewhere. Where would I find out what needs oiled, cleaned, etc? I sure would like to make a quilt with it. Thanks for any help you can give me.

First remove the needle plate and the slide plate. Remove the bobbin carrier if it's one that comes out easily. CLEAN all the lint and debris out of that area. Clean it sanitary then oil it good. Lint and debris in this area can and will jam a machine up tight.
Pull the face plate off and clean that area too. Then oil EVERYTHING. Lint, debris, thread wrapped around the moving parts, and old solidified oil will stop up the machine.
From there move to the right putting oil in every hole you see. Don't spare it, the machines froze up so it needs it.
As you are pouring the oil in keep trying to move the hand wheel.
When you get to the hand wheel, remove it. Take the tiny screw out of the big knob in the center of the wheel, then unscrew the knob and remove it. Make a reference mark where the screw was when the knob is tight, and once the knob is off memorize the position of the clutch washer.
Once the hand wheel is off, clean the shaft and inside of the wheel thoroughly. The oil in there will gum up.
Then oil it really good and put it back together.
Flip the machine back on it's hinges and clean everything you see. Especially the area around the bobbin drive.
Then oil everything that moves or looks like it should move.

That is how you do it.

Go to Singer and download an owners manual if you don't have one, and by all means use sewing machine oil only to lube it with. You can use kerosene to free it up if you want, but a good cleaning and oil bath should do it.


Joe

Thank you, Joe. For the cleaning/oiling advice and also the owners manual advice.

margaret,

Up until about 7 months ago I thought sewing machines were some sort of black a magic, voodoo, machine. Then I actually opened one up ( my first 66-4 treadle machine ) and found out they are about as simple a machine as a human can design. They have their quirks, but basically they can only work one way. (Well the old ones any way.) About the only things I can think of that will stop them up is rust, gummed up oil and grease, lint and debris, and operator miss-assembly. Wear won't usually stop them, it just makes them noisy and throws the adjustments out. That's where the oil and grease comes in :D .

Joe

Very nice!! Love how the cabinet came out.

I use Bar Keeper's Friend to clean the metal parts on the machines. It comes in a can like Bon Ami or Comet, and it cleans those metal bits like magic!! It is meant to be used on chrome and stainless, so it is very gentle but really takes the old oil and grime off.

did you replace the decals??? if so,where do you find them ???
yours is beautiful....I'm going to look at a red eye tomorrow a.m. I have a 1923 Lotus.I don't need these machine...It's an addiction !!!!!