Dougstermd

Yeah I caught that after I foolishly posted about the RUSSIAN Collusion on my latest acquisition. The seller told me it was a T and a quick look it appeared to be a T. I didn’t buy it for the T. I bought it because it was cheap . At some point I have to take parts from a machine to make my my machine work. I think this is the best donor I found. Because it’s just the cabinet top and machine.

Mickey2

If I turn my 99 and 201 in reverse by the hand wheel it will move the fabric in reverse, but it doesn't stitch at all, since the race and hook runs in reverse too. The 201 has a reverse lever, but I mentioned it for comparsion. I'm not sure how the 27 behaves, but I guess the shuttle and every thing goes in reverse, and the interlocking of upper and lower thread goes all wrong.

Dougstermd

since I’m really new to tinkering with sewing machine mechanicals I’m not completely sure how the cams and main shaft actually drive everything. I have been an aircraft mechanic for 30 years and I have a good understanding of aircraft but some times I have to believe they fly by pure magic.
It does seem that reversing the hand wheel does not really change any motion but the shuttle doesn’t seem to capture the thread correctly

Dougstermd

Oil? I’m sure there is another thread on that. I have been using the bottle of air tool oil I got with a stapler. I’m out of oil. I watched one of the videos about restoration and I believe that mentioned WD 40? I’m thinking VVL 800 would do the job?

bkay

Nope! No WD-40 allowed. It leaves a substantial residue when it evaporates, as does 301 oil. I think all oils leave some residue over time, but the aforementioned oils are worse than others.

You can use sewing machine oil, gun oil or tri-flow. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones I am familiar with.

bkay

Mickey2

I'm not sure what VVL 800 is, but generally a pure acid free oil around SAE 10 is recommended, also know as sewing machine oil, a basic oil used for many purposes. The problem with most other oils are their additives, in the long run they have caused problems. Some sewing machine oils are even a bit lighter than the original Singer oil. There are two oils I know that can improve on the basic oil; Triflow and Finish Line Ceramic Wet lube. I have had my hands on several of the common brands, but far from all. This subject easily generates a heated debate.

I have used WD-40 to flush out dried up oil and grime, it can speed things up. The down side is it has made several old cast iron straight stitchers freeze up more than twice (in my case it has most often been the stitch length function and feed dog movements). Light spray can oils work well for cleaning purposes, but for the basic lubrication turn to a more suitable oil as soon as possible. I think spray can oils dry up too quickly. There are a few common tricks for clean up purposes; you can add a few drops of white spirit or kerosene to joints, hinges and gears too, but be careful with decals on worn machines.

I guess bkay has had bad experiences with WD-40, and 3-in-1 oil has very bad reputation for gumming things up.

Dougstermd

VVL 800 is a common military weapons lubricating oil. It’s more difficult to find because everything evolves. I’m thinking a pint of oil would last me a lifetime. I just didn’t want to cause any more problems with the wrong oil. Any oil is better than no oil. Guess I will order some sewing machine oil. I see this as a hot topic that could be very debatable. I will oil with what I consider reasonable oil. I will not bring up this subject again.

Mickey2

VVL 800 might be fine, the problem with most of the brands is the secrecy of the ingredients and we go by what we are told by others. I use a quite a bit of oil when cleaning up a machine, but most of it is spent on my bike. Spray can stuff cleans the chain rather well. Sewing machine oil is rather basic stuff, you should be able to find it near you for about $2-3. Triflow and the fancier teflon added oils are a bit more expensive. I have had a spray can of gun oil, I can't remember the name, but if its' similar to the VVL 800 it should be fine. You can always take it from there, it will not do any harm on the internals.

bkay

I don't think it's a hot topic at all. Like everything else, different people have different opinions. Everyone has a right to theirs. I've never noticed anyone being ugly in the 2 or so years I've been hanging around.

Most all these guys know more about sewing machines than I do. I just repeat what has been told to me and what I've experienced in my limited sewing machine cleaning.

I think sewing lubrication is a very interesting subject. (OK, maybe I'm a little nutty.)

bkay

Dougstermd

i am very aware of lubricity of kerosene jet fuel has more lubricants both are stinky. I don’t think in 1901 there was many choices of oils. You are so correct with your observation of humans. Yes I did know there might be a wrath of lube experts when I asked the question. I was not disappointed in the answer. I think any light oil will make these machines great again. Especially if you open the cam cover and put a drop on the cam grease.