Rodney

One of my local thrifts shops had a few sewing machines to choose from, untested and $9.99 each. I brought home a Singer Golden Touch & Sew model 620. The other serious contender was a Sears Kenmore in a case. The 620 is really clean and in good cosmetic condition. It also came with a set of cabinet hinges and the spool holder that my 648 is missing. Those parts alone would cost more online than I paid for the machine so I can't go wrong even if I never get the machine to work. Also, I already have a fairly complete set of cams and extra attachments the two Touch & Sews can share. My Singer 99 project has been waiting for a set of hinges so it works out very well for me.
I've started tinkering with the 620 and it appears to have a problem with jamming. It looks like the top thread is catching inside the lower rim of the bobbin instead of passing cleanly under the bobbin like it should.
It's probably a simple adjustment but I'm not sure where to start. Any ideas on how to fix it?
Thanks,
Rodney

barny

Hi Rodney, I have one and if you are using plastic, the least little rough spot will cause a problem. I didn't know it until I started feeling around. They crack real easy. And most of the bobbins we buy over the counter don't fit right. Barny P.S. also the tension spring catches on one of mine.

Rodney

As far as I know T&S machines use only plastic bobbins. The bobbins I'm using have been working fine in my 648 and I've tried 3 different ones with the same results. I will check again though. It just occurred to me if the bobbin is unscrewed a bit that could cause the problem I'm experiencing. Thanks Barny. I'm downloading the user's manual now from Singer but it's going to be a while longer before it's finished.
Rodney

Rodney

Problem solved!
Barny thanks for putting me on the right track, The bobbins I was using were unscrewed maybe 1/4 turn. The bobbin being loose was just enough to close the gap on the bottom and cause the jams I was getting. It sews beautifully now. It seems to actually be a little more complex and capable than my 648 (possibly a built in cam stack along with the disks?) so now I get to spend some quality time with the user's manual so I know how to operate it correctly.
Thanks,
Rodney

miriam

I have a sledge hammer for rent.............

Rodney

I know you don't like them Miriam and I did briefly consider borrowing your hammer but so far they've been nothing but fun for me, even with my problems last night. That wasn't the machine's fault but lies squarely in the "operator error" section of trouble-shooting. In the process of figuring it out I did learn quite a bit about how the bobbin area works on those machines so it wasn't a complete waste of time for me.
I'm actually impressed with what the designers were able to accomplish through purely mechanical means on those machines. The 620 actually is capable of more stitches than my newer 648 due to the built in camstack and the ability to combine stitches from either just the camstack or the camstack and additional fashion disk. How much the decorative stitches get used remains to be seen but it's nice to have them.
My opinion so far is they dummied down the later models (or at least my 648). My 648 doesn't have the built in camstack and also has far fewer presser foot pressure settings than the 620. I don't have enough experience to know but maybe these are some of the differences between Golden Touch & Sews and regular ones too. The 620 is a Golden and my 648 isn't.
Rodney

miriam

Actually I really like the 600 and the 603 T&S machines. Jury is still out on the Golden T&S I have lurking in the shop. The one I smashed was setting under a leaky roof and totally rusted out inside. It was no real loss by smashing it.