miriam

I'm taking apart one very ugly broken clone. The best use is for parts and maybe a bit of info.

Feed dog drop knobs are found on top base right side of machine or maybe on the pillar. When it works right, you turn the knob or press the button and the feed dogs drop. How cool is that? BUT some times that knob or button gets stuck and won't budge.

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Feed dog drop buttons.

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Let's try to understand how it works. You turn a knob or press a button and the feed dogs drop - right? Well some times the knob won't turn or the buttons won't push. What do you do? Why is it stuck?

miriam

Understanding how it works may help. The pin holds the two chamber pieces in place and the feed dogs come up. When the pin slides out of the chambers/cylinders the feed dogs drop. When it gets gummed up with dried oil it doesn't want to move so people think the knob or buttons are stuck.

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Feed dogs will be dropped when this is open.

IS your feed dog drop knob stuck? Well it seems like it anyway. This part under the machine is what no doubt is really what is stuck - see all that dried up brown oil? It will need some kind of cleaning and possibly some heat - then rock the knob back and forth to get the pin in and out of that shaft.
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miriam

There is the pin - I pulled it completely out so everyone can see it - note all the dried oil. The dried oil keeps it from moving.
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miriam

knob from derelict clone I'm pulling parts from:
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miriam

This picture probably should have been at the top. Anyway it is a picture of a good feed dog drop pin in it's chamber and feed dogs should be up for normal everyday sewing:
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miriam

So now the feed dogs are dropped. The shaft should look like it has come apart:
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(This is not the derelict machine - this is a good one...)

miriam

I'll try again later to post another picture of the derelict shaft - I think the ones here are a bit too fuzzy.

miriam

Ok so pictures have failed some how. I'll try again later - I'm not done... LOL Maybe I'll even start the whole mess all over on a new thread later.

Rodney

The only one I had that was stuck was the shaft on the knob itself was rusted tight. That was a strange one though and the only rust found on the machine.
Rodney

miriam

Some one was crying tears of frustration because the sewing machine wasn't doing what they told it to do so they let the tears fall on that knob and forgot to clean it off and it rusted. I've never seen one with a rusted knob. Just dried up oil on that shaft and pin. I have seen rust on the knob but not such that would make it not turn at all.