refurbishing Pfaff 130.
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 432
refurbishing Pfaff 130.
Found a pfaff 130 at an estate sale for 40 dollars. it has a singer light and a non-pfaff motor which doesn't appear to be as heavy duty as the original pfaff motor would have been. I have a sister who lives off the grid who was looking for a hand crank singer. Does anyone out there know if I could convert this to a hand crank or failing that, where can I find a heavier motor? the light doesn' stay where it is supposed to because whomever did the repairs wired the light to the end of the motor not leaving enough wire to go around it and then hang properly.
My husband informs me this is my project, so though I have access to all the tools needed and he'll help with wiring, I need to find everything.
My husband informs me this is my project, so though I have access to all the tools needed and he'll help with wiring, I need to find everything.
#2
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,963
I have seen the original Pfaff motor and light setup on fleabay and I guess they turn up now and then. The Pfaff motors on the 30 and 130 have had the same amps and specs when I have had the chance to compare so I guess Pfaff used stronger motors than Singer as standard (some older Husqvarnas too). You could use a brand new motor set up on a 130, and the Singer light is just on the wrong machine, there's always someone looking for these parts. I don't think the 130 came as hand crank, but I have seen it in treadle c'abinets, then it has a larger spoked hand wheel, very heavy and thick compared to my Singer 201 and 66.
#3
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: West Texas
Posts: 2,073
When I was looking for a heavy duty machine for my nephew before he and his wife completed their around-the-world sailboat trip (they needed the machine for mending sails), there was a person on the board who said she had a hand crank Pfaff 130 that she and her husband used when they were sailing in the Gulf of Mexico area several years ago. I do not know if she had adapted a motorized Pfaff 130 or not.
Now concerning Pfaff 130 motors. Last year the motor went out on my Pfaff 130. A repair shop found one in a catalog that was compatible and made overseas. It seemed like my only option. It is a smaller amperage, but I honestly cannot tell the difference. The 130 sewed fast before and after the replacement. If it sewed any faster than it does now, I wouldn't be able to control my sewing. Perhaps drapery workshops would notice the reduction, but I don't. The motor was compatible electronically, but not in the brackets to hold it onto the machine. In fact, the motor had to be turned 90 degrees. My husband was able to clamp it on satisfactorily, and it hasn't vibrated to a loosened position in over a year of almost daily use.
Congratulations on finding the 130 at such a great price!
Sorry I don't have any experience with the light other than replacing the bulb -- highly non-standard bulb, but available.
Now concerning Pfaff 130 motors. Last year the motor went out on my Pfaff 130. A repair shop found one in a catalog that was compatible and made overseas. It seemed like my only option. It is a smaller amperage, but I honestly cannot tell the difference. The 130 sewed fast before and after the replacement. If it sewed any faster than it does now, I wouldn't be able to control my sewing. Perhaps drapery workshops would notice the reduction, but I don't. The motor was compatible electronically, but not in the brackets to hold it onto the machine. In fact, the motor had to be turned 90 degrees. My husband was able to clamp it on satisfactorily, and it hasn't vibrated to a loosened position in over a year of almost daily use.
Congratulations on finding the 130 at such a great price!
Sorry I don't have any experience with the light other than replacing the bulb -- highly non-standard bulb, but available.
#4
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#5
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 847
There is a Yahoo Group for owners of old mechanical Pfaffs.
There is, in the file section info on repairs. motors, etc. Also, Zeus Machines was once in the business of restoration, mostly Pfaff 130's. His recommendation has always been to overhaul the original Pfaff motor as opposed to replacement motor made in China.
There is, in the file section info on repairs. motors, etc. Also, Zeus Machines was once in the business of restoration, mostly Pfaff 130's. His recommendation has always been to overhaul the original Pfaff motor as opposed to replacement motor made in China.
Last edited by vschieve; 10-19-2016 at 03:12 PM.
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