Found some parts for my FW but......
11-06-2011, 08:36 AM
#1
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,779
Found some parts for my FW but......
Ok - I'm venting here so please bear with me .... I love my little FW that I got a few years ago. She hasn't seen much use this past year so I decided that I would take her to my local techy to get her tuned up. She had a few minor problems that really do not affect her abillities but I thought I would look for the parts and give them to the techy so that she would be restored and be just like new. She had a chipped pulley and the motor band was missing. I found the parts through a very informative dealer online and took them in for the techy to put on.
Vintage motor bands are hard to find and are very delicate to put on because the two little prongs holding the band onto the motor have a tendancy to bend and break off if they are fiddled with. I got great instructtions from the dealer on how to put it on and discussed it with my techy and we both agreed this was a fragile item to work with. He has been working with all kinds of machines for a long time and is very experienced - he agreed with me that the band with the correct voltage printed on it is hard to come by and delicate to work with - said that he would do the best he could.
Well I got a phone call yesterday and went to pick her up - unfortunately there were problems
.
He got the band on the motor, turned it over and the prongs snapped off. He then proceeded to glue the band on the motor casing. I was upset and disappointed. I had made such an effort to find a true vintage band so that my FW would not have a 'naked' motor anymore and the result was less than desirable.
The techy apologized for messing up and I mentioned my concerns that the gluing was not the best solution - the heat from the motor could affect it and disintegrate the polymer, also if I had to have future work done on the motor, taking it apart might be a problem and I wanted to it to last for for a long time and be a true restoration. He agreed with me and has offered to look for another band and if he possibly finds one, would call me. You can not tell that it was glued on by just looking at it - He was very honest in telling me what he did.
I did leave on good terms with my techy because I knew how fragile the band was and I know that sometimes even the best of us make mistakes. I don't think he will try too hard to find a band so I don't think that I will be getting a phone call from him but you never know - meanwhile I will keep an eye out for another band.
Thanks for letting me vent - I had to talk about it to those that would understand.
Vintage motor bands are hard to find and are very delicate to put on because the two little prongs holding the band onto the motor have a tendancy to bend and break off if they are fiddled with. I got great instructtions from the dealer on how to put it on and discussed it with my techy and we both agreed this was a fragile item to work with. He has been working with all kinds of machines for a long time and is very experienced - he agreed with me that the band with the correct voltage printed on it is hard to come by and delicate to work with - said that he would do the best he could.
Well I got a phone call yesterday and went to pick her up - unfortunately there were problems
.He got the band on the motor, turned it over and the prongs snapped off. He then proceeded to glue the band on the motor casing. I was upset and disappointed. I had made such an effort to find a true vintage band so that my FW would not have a 'naked' motor anymore and the result was less than desirable.
The techy apologized for messing up and I mentioned my concerns that the gluing was not the best solution - the heat from the motor could affect it and disintegrate the polymer, also if I had to have future work done on the motor, taking it apart might be a problem and I wanted to it to last for for a long time and be a true restoration. He agreed with me and has offered to look for another band and if he possibly finds one, would call me. You can not tell that it was glued on by just looking at it - He was very honest in telling me what he did.
I did leave on good terms with my techy because I knew how fragile the band was and I know that sometimes even the best of us make mistakes. I don't think he will try too hard to find a band so I don't think that I will be getting a phone call from him but you never know - meanwhile I will keep an eye out for another band.
Thanks for letting me vent - I had to talk about it to those that would understand.
11-07-2011, 06:02 AM
#3
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Posts: 1,775
I'm not sure what the band is that you are mentioning. Parts for the 221 are readily available so there shouldn't be a problem. You can even buy a new motor for it if needed. Could you be a little more specific about which piece you are talking about or could you post some pictures so that we can see the part? The other thing that you could do is to join the Featherweight Yahoo group. The man that runs that group is an expert in the 221 and is very helpful in his replies to questions. I hope someone on here can answer your question.
11-07-2011, 09:13 AM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Coastal Florida
Posts: 946
wow, interesting. If it were me, next time... I'd replace the band myself. I think you're referrin to the metal silvery band that runs around the motor case? Depending on what glue he used, you should be fine. There are glues out there that are high temp - and I'm not talking about like cheap glue gun sticks or something. I've used a super high temp glue/sealant on my Rowena iron gasket replacement. Simply because my 1700 watt iron got too hot and the factory sealant failed. I used 600degree plus, automotive glue/sealant. Something like that would be a bit of overkill for our FW's. (I have a FW too), but there are others out there that are made to withstand heat. It shouldn't be too bad.
I'd imagine, that if the glue does fail over time... it will allow the band to come off without hurting the motor any.
Still, not a fun thing to deal with. It's always hard/frustrating or horrifying when you do the best you can with something only to have something or someone else come along and mess it up. I'm sorry that it happened to you, but I am impressed that the tech TOLD you about it. I think you're right... he sounds like a fairly honest person, who tried to do something and it didn't work out.
I'd imagine, that if the glue does fail over time... it will allow the band to come off without hurting the motor any.
Still, not a fun thing to deal with. It's always hard/frustrating or horrifying when you do the best you can with something only to have something or someone else come along and mess it up. I'm sorry that it happened to you, but I am impressed that the tech TOLD you about it. I think you're right... he sounds like a fairly honest person, who tried to do something and it didn't work out.
11-07-2011, 03:55 PM
#5
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: PROFESSIONAL Longarm Quilter NW Indiana
Posts: 3,400
sorry to hear of your problems. I hope he gets the matter resolved to your satisfaction.
CabbagePatchKid wrote that 221 parts are available. Did you ever price an original motor for them? About $150.00 - Wowzers!
CabbagePatchKid wrote that 221 parts are available. Did you ever price an original motor for them? About $150.00 - Wowzers!
11-10-2011, 08:08 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Coastal Florida
Posts: 946
Originally Posted by quiltinghere
CabbagePatchKid wrote that 221 parts are available. Did you ever price an original motor for them? About $150.00 - Wowzers!
