Went to a LSWS and learned something......
 

i was at LSWS to buy a lubricant and was surprised to see this guys inventory. he got like thousands of modern sewing machines and 12 of 221 FWs and some 222 for sale and more antiques sewing machines. i saw 15-91, 66, 201-2, 28 and other lying on the floor. he have an Original Centennial FW with all accessories in original boxes in excellent condition but he's selling it for $1,200. not the right price for me but he said he's not in a hurry to sell it. he got a donor FW body that i am trying to buy but he won't sell it to me. he's in this business for over 40 years and he started working on sewing machines since he was 16 years old. he got a Microbiology degree and yet he said he can't complain and so fulfilled by having his Sewing/Vacuum Business.

TIP 1: one thing he told me is never use Tri-Flow in your sewing machine. he said not that it's not good but just regular sewing machine is better and not Tri-flow grease but just regular singer lubricant. he said that Tri-Flow is so sticky and leaves gooey residue. he even mentioned something about the Tri-flow doing something on sewing parts/materials. didn't catch what he said about that as i'm so awed with his sewing machines. he said to thrust him as he got 40 years experience. so i got just the singer lubricant and regular sewing oil.

TIP 2: he mentioned in cleaning up a dirty, dingy, dusty sewing machine the best method is to put Wd40 on a piece of cloth and to wipe your machine with it. will clean the machine in no time at all. but not to spray WD40 on the machine. just a small amount on a piece of cloth. and for the metal parts, he used denatured alcohol. not on the painted part just the metal shiny part. after that, wipe it with sewing machine oil (just what i've been doing) but to really make it shiny, he used carnuba or any car wax.

TIP 3: also on my potted motor, since i mentioned that i am fixing the wirings, he said not to cut the wire to just put a heat shrink on separate bare wires and then heat shrink both. that's what he's been doing. make sense as i don't need to cut, braid and solder.

i wanted to stay longer as i know i could learn a lot from this guy but wifey needs to go home ASAP. i sure will be back to befriend this guy. he got a wealth of knowledge about sewing machines and really was surprised. he also mentioned that he fix 30-38 machines a week (x $150) that's a lot. that is why he's not complaining. :)

Vic,

I think you'll find very few of us that agree with the sewing machine guy about Tri-Flow. He is quite wrong about it.
I have had as many as 75 machines, still have around 60. ALL of them are oiled with Tri-Flow oil and greased where applicable with Tri-Flow grease. I use sewing machine oil on oilable motors and Singer Motor Lube in the motors.
I can leave my machines sit for months on end after cleaning the old oil out and re-oiling them with Tri-Flow and they take right off like I used them yesterday.

I haven't been working on sewing machines for 40 years, but I have been working on mechanical things of many kinds for longer than that. Used lots of oils and greases and have found that Tri-Flow is one of the best.

If you are not going to rewire the motor, and you use heat shrink to replace the crumbled off old insulation you'll find that the wires have suddenly become very stiff and resistant to bending. If you put heat shrink over the two previously heat shrinked wires you might not be able to bend them in the right places to get the motor back together.
It's best to follow Rain's tutorial. His instructions are quite good.


I don't know about the guy you talked to. I'd tend to take what he says with a large grain of salt.


JMHO

Joe

joe,

very well said. and sounds fair to me. we absorbed, digest and keep the best advise. i will keep that in mind. i am a newbie and trying to get as much information as i can from everyone. you always have an answer and input to any of my post and i do appreciate that. thanks Joe.

shrink wrap isn't as tuff or pliable as wire insulation, in my 40 yr electronics experience. Lots of times people get stuck on doing things a certain way , right or wrong. They just work around the negatives and are used to doing it. me too...

guilty. i guess i will just follow Rain's instructions and do it slowly and take my time. this might even be a learning experience for me and when i do need to work on my 201-2 motor (knock on wood) then i have a little bit of knowledge. thanks guys.

Vmaniqui,

Thank You, very interesting. Goes to show mechanics have preferences and their own favorite ways and products to do things. I'll give the tubing method a shot if it doesn't work well I'll go back to soldering. Keep in mind you still have to remove the motor, open up, and untie the UL knot, etc. Not sure if soldering is that much more work but I'm game for new ways to do things. Much appreciated,

Jon

Well, it seems like you managed to find one of the sources of the problems that we all end up dealing with....

It is WD-40 that leaves a gummy residue, TriFlo leaves behind teflon (not gummy, a lubricant) I suspect that when (if)he tried Triflo, it loosened the old oil and then he did not clean it so the old oil became the gummy crud...

Please Email me the business info, I'd like to stop by and have a look see myself.

oh, and I call BS on the 30-38 machines per week.... No way our market supports that. ( I believe he TOLD you that, I just do not believe he does)

This sounds like the jerk in Los Gatos who is hording and trying to high price sell a bunch of old machines.. If it is the same person, I asked him once why he felt ok buying a machine locally for $40 and then cleaning and tuning it and selling it for $350.... He said his work, knowledge and warranty made it worth the difference. I asked him if once cleaned and adjusted a machine has he ever had a machine older than 50 years old come back, he said no.....

i should have said "heat shrink" vs "shrink wrap".

ha ha ha. that will work too. that's what i am doing on my 16-188 cabinet refinish. i shrink wrap the motor for paint protection when i spray paint the metal parts of the cabinet.

he's from Vallejo. first time i've been there but just amazed at all the machines all over the store floor. he had a 15-91 (or 201 ??) outside with cabinet for sale but he said $125 so i said thanks. i will message you the info.

hmm. maybe i should go back to my old and trusted way of cleaning up a dingy machine - good ole' sewing machine oil. but i do agree with the carnuba/car wax to make it shine.

i might have emailed that guy or that jerk guy in los gatos. emailed him about the way he do business and the way he's fooling people. and he's still selling the singer sewing machine for the last 3 years. is that him?

yes, he said 30's per week. maybe he's exaggerating but if it does then we know exactly what business to go into, since we're at it anyway. :)