Introduction

This is a private restoration for another fine Singer model 201-2. This beautiful sewing machine is named Lola. It isn’t surprising to me that folks get so attached to their sewing machines that they name them. Vintage sewing machines like this 201 have been sewing reliably for decades. Often, they become part of the family and passed down thru generations of folks that use and cherish them for decades. When you consider that Lola is 81 tears old and still sewing reliably after all that time, it is a testament to the quality build that is evident in every part of the machine. Cast iron body, precision heat treated steel parts, and a gear driven full rotary hook results in a sewing machine that is durable, reliable, and forms a great lock stitch.

Restoration Plan

Although Lola is still used regularly, there is a time to restore her to like new condition. Lola has a lot going for her. She has a beautiful original finish and except for some expected decal wear on the front bed, is in great cosmetic condition. She turns smoothly and is used regularly, but at 81 years old, the customer decided to have a full mechanical restoration and bring her back to pristine running condition and the peak performance 201’s are known for. My initial inspection shows some oil varnish and lint buildup that when restored, will improve the overall feel, smoothness, and performance of the machine and prepare her for many more years of reliable and trouble-free service.

The mechanical restoration will consist of disassembly the sewing assembly up to the gears. All of the parts in the needle bar head will be removed. The rocker arms, feed dog mechanism, rotary hook, bobbin case, stitch length fork, and connecting rod will be removed. All of these parts will be ultrasonically cleaned, heated in oil to remove any moisture, and wire brushed to the bright steel finish they had when new. The motor will be restored, and the balance wheel will be disassembled and cleaned. All of the tension mechanisms will be disassembled, cleaned and polished. All of the plated parts will be cleaned and polished. The paint chips on the edges of the bed and the few nicks observed will be covered using color match custom mixed shellac-based paint. The customer has already cleaned and polished Lola, but she will be cleaned again, and glaze polished to bring out her best.

Mechanical Restoration

Considering her fine appearance now, let’s look at what the disassembly reveals. The following pictures show Lola before the restoration begins.

There is some work to do here so let the restoration begin.

First, all of the parts in the needle bar are disassembled.

Then the bobbin case, feed dogs, and rotary hook case is removed.

It isn’t unusual to find lint packed here… and I have no doubt it is affecting the machines performance.

The next step is to disassemble all of the mechanisms under the bed.

The stitch length fork and connecting rod are also removed.

All of the parts are laid out for cleaning.

Overall, the parts look pretty good, but the oil varnish present on the contact surface and exterior surfaces of all parts will be removed

After cleaning, heating, and wire brushing, the parts are renewed to like new condition.

The needle bar, presser foot bar, and the bobbin hook case shaft are polished to as glass smooth finish.

Parts like the bobbin case and the bobbin hook case need to be disassembled to remove any hidden lint or oil varnish.

First, the bobbin hook case is cleaned.

Lint found here can certainly affect performance, and cleaning all of the small slots and holes will allow the hook to operate freely and as designed.

Next, the bobbin case is cleaned.

Lint found here is in the thread path and can cause uneven bobbin thread tension.

In final preparation, some of the smaller parts of the bobbin hook assembly are rounded up with smaller nickel-plated pieces and tumble polished.

After polishing, the bobbin hook race and bobbin case assembly are reassembled.

The gears and contact surface for the stitch length fork and connecting rod are cleaned of old grease and oil varnish. Next, the gears under the bed are cleaned of all grease and varnish.

The bores the needle bar and bobbin hook shaft are wire brushed to remove the oil varnish that has undoubtedly formed there.

All these mechanical parts are driven by the motor, so the detailed motor restoration is a vital part of the mechanical restoration.

First, the motor is completely disassembled.

The armature shafts and the commutator are polished.

The motor case and worm gear are cleaned.

New primary wires are soldered to the field coil.

The grease wicks are cleaned and recharged with lubricant.

The motor is reassembled, new motor brushes and the grease wicks are installed, and the grease tubes are packed with lubricant.

The motor is run in for a few minutes to ensure it is running smoothly and delivering the speed and power expected. The actual performance won’t be known until the machine is assembled and adjusted. It will then be checked for speed. The 201 is rated for 1100 stitches per minute and is quite fast.

The bobbin winder is incorporated in the motor housing, so it was disassembled and cleaned separately. The bobbin winder “thumb” and everything shiny is polished. Then everything is reassembled. The old, cracked bobbin winder tire is replaced.

Next, the balance wheel is disassembled and all of the internal parts are cleaned.

Because the chips on the balance wheel are numerous and deep, they can’t be paint matched and not be noticeable. A replacement balance wheel free of chips is used instead. The donor balance wheel is used in the reassembly.

The balance wheel is ready to be put on the machine.

Next, the top tension mechanism is disassembled and cleaned.

That finishes the mechanical part of the restoration.

Next, the paint chips are addressed. They are painted with custom mixed ebony black paint.

The machine is deep cleaned and paint chips on the bed are addressed.

There are a few very small paint chips on the sewing machine body. A sample is shown and they are fixed where they are found.

The small repairs will all but disappear from view when the body of the machine is glaze polished.

The front cover, side cover, bobbin slide plat, needle plate, and the stop motion knob are rouge polished on a 6″ buffing wheel and everything is ready for the final assembly. The camera has a hard time with very shiny surfaces, so the results will be shown in the final pictures.

There is one little cosmetic detail that bothers me… The decals on Lola’s sewing arm are in fantastic condition except for one little chip on top of the sewing arm.

Decal restoration is not normally part of a mechanical restoration, but I am going to fix it. The first step is to mix a gold color to match the decals on the machine. Several gold color paints are mixed on a piece of cellophane on the machine bed to get a comparison.

Then the decal chip is corrected using a fine tip artist brush.

It’s a little detail, but I think it makes a difference.

Now, the machine is reassembled.

Lola is glaze polished and is ready for final adjustments. The hook timing, needle depth, and feed dog clearances are set. Sewing is the only way to adjust the top and bottom tensions for a balanced stitch, so trial and error is the only way. It’s time consuming, but worth the effort. From here on out, only minor tension adjustments will be required to match the thread to the fabric for any given project.

Finally, with the final adjustments made, Lola’s restoration is complete. So, how many stitches per minute will Lola sew per minute? Using a digital tachometer, I measure the speed of the needle clamp going up and down.

Because the tach measures the clamp both ways, dividing the number by two gives the stitches per minute Lola is sewing. That comes out to 1118 SPM… the machine is rated for 1100 spm so this is a great outcome.

The customer had some questions about the suitability of the original foot controller. It’s impossible to determine if the controller will work properly before it is restored, so that is the next step. I have my suspicion that it isn’t the original controller. because this style was typically found on model 66’s, but there is nothing wrong with the style.

The foot controller was disassembled, cleaned and calibrated.

Unfortunately, it proved to have poor speed control and is unsuitable for Lola. It has good slow speed control, but at about 3/4 speed, it goes wide open.

A Kenmore carbon pile paddle controller was chosen as a replacement. Brand loyalty aside… for a paddle controller, I think Kenmore controllers are a great alternative, they are carbon pile controllers rated at 1.2 amps and provide great speed control. A new dual lead power cord completes the ensemble.

Everything is coming together now. Lola is ready to sew. The customer also asked me to build a custom base for Lola to sit in. She chose a red oak stain, and the rich color accentuates Lola’s deep black color and beautiful gold decals. So, let’s see how Lola looks after her restoration…

Looking at Lola now, it is rewarding for me knowing that she looks great and is restored to as near new condition as I can make her. I know that she will continue to sew reliably for the next succession of generations and will be cherished and appreciated for years to come!

Well, I hope you like what you see and enjoyed the restoration process as much as I did… Lola is a beautiful 201 and runs beautifully as well. Like I always say, some sewing machines need more, some need less, but they all get what they need, and now I can look forward to the next restoration!

Looking for a similarly restored quality vintage all metal sewing machine for your sewing room? Let us know! We specialize in custom orders and are happy to locate and restore the “perfect” machine for you!

As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of any assistance, please contact me through Etsy or send me an email to Pungoliving@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading!

Lee

Introduction

The serial number of this machine is AK210841 and Ismacs dates it to 1951. It was one of 25,000 201’s commissioned for manufacture on February 20, 1951. The blue badge marks that it is a “Centennial” machine. Celebrating Singer’s 100th anniversary, machines were produced with a blue centennial badge. There is an interesting part to the story… there was such a demand for the centennial badged machines that Singer grabbed older surplus inventory and gave them a blue badge! I had a 201 with a centennial badge that was made in 1948! I have seen centennial badged machines produced in 1948!

Being a 1951 machine, this 201 is a true centennial machine. As for the 201, I can’t add to anything already said about the machine. It is regarded as the finest machine Singer ever manufactured. So good in fact, that it defined a new “professional” class of sewing machines. It is not an industrial or commercial grade machine, and it is not a domestic machine. Designed for tailors and seamstresses, it was intended to sew reliably for long stretches on various weights of fabric.

According to the customer, her son bought this Singer 201 in a cabinet at an estate sale. The machine appeared to be working, but as she checked it over she told me that it looked like it had been badly mistreated. She was concerned that some of the bobbin parts may have been damaged, and she wanted to know if it was possible to restore the machine.

Truth be told, I am excited to have the opportunity to do so! I truly enjoy restorations on these fine Singer vintage sewing machines. Why? well, they are so well built that they are a pleasure to disassemble and clean, and I know the outcome will result in a machine that will sew as close to new as possible… I would dare to say it will sew like new, but unfortunately, I wasn’t around when this machine was new. For this 201 mechanical restoration at least, that is my minimum expectation! Even before I remove a single screw, turning the balance wheel tells me that the machine is smooth, and as hard as it is to imagine now, I know it will be appreciably smoother when the restoration is done. I have not run the machine, but I also know that as long as the motor runs, it will be quiet and almost vibration free while making a great stitch for any sewing project.

Restoration Plan

The mechanical restoration will include disassembly of all of the parts found in the sewing mechanisms to the greatest extent possible. For a 201 restoration, this will include everything up to the gears with one exception. The gears on a 201 should not be disturbed. They are balanced in sets and tooth matched for smoothness. Everything else in the machine is fair game. All of the parts disassembled will be ultrasonically cleaned, heated in oil to remove any moisture, wire brushed, and some critical parts will be polished. The gears will be cleaned in place. The motor will be disassembled, the armature and motor shafts will be polished, new main power leads will be installed, and the grease wicks cleaned and relubricated. The balance wheel and bobbin winder assembly will be disassembled and restored. All of the plated parts will be buffed and polished. The foot controller will be cleaned, and new foot controller wires and main power cord will be provided.

This machine is going to have an original finish cosmetic restoration to preserve the original paint and decals. In addition to the mechanical restoration, it will be deep cleaned I will make judicious decal repairs with color matched gold paint. The typical paint chips will be repaired with paint matched black paint. The machine will be top coated with shellac followed by hand rubbing and polishing to a smooth and rejuvenated finish. Following the cosmetic restoration, everything will be reassembled and adjusted for the best performance possible.

The goal of this restoration is to attend to every detail possible and to obtain the best cosmetic condition possible. One thing I have learned in sewing machine restoration is that some machines need more, some less, but all of them get what they need.

The Restoration

Typical of all restorations, the outcome of the original cosmetic restoration can be judged by before and after pictures. The outcome of the mechanical restoration requires a leap of faith. The before and after condition of the parts and motor can be seen in pictures, but not felt. Still, it is easy enough to imagine the improvement imparted in the process.

This is the machine in its original condition:

As you can see, the shellac on the bed is worn and there is some slight silvering of the decals. Overall, the decal condition is fair. There are some breaks in the decals lines that will be repaired. Deep cleaning will improve the existing finish on the machine, but the new topcoat will blend in the original shellac and restore the original deep black color of the original paint. Moving on, the first step is the mechanical restoration.

Mechanical Restoration

The mechanical restoration begins with removing all of the parts and assemblies in the sewing machine head.

One end of the thread take-up assembly is pinned by the shaft shown in the above picture. It is secured by a small set screw in the body of the machine. On this machine, the set screw was frozen and refused to budge. Despite all attempts to loosen it, it refused to budge. Rather than damage the shaft or linkage trying to remove it, this part will remain in the machine. The cardinal rule in any sewing machine restoration is “do no harm”. If attempting to remove a part ends up damaging it, the repair it harder than it is to leave it alone. Fortunately, this part has minimal rotation in the assembly, and it is easy to clean it in place.

Next, the parts in the bobbin area and underneath the sewing machine bed are removed.

The feed dog rocker assemblies, the stitch length fork, and the connecting rod, along with the stitch length fork guide is removed. These and all of the parts disassembled are laid out for ultrasonic cleaning

The parts show a fair amount of old oil varnish that must be removed. This coating adds friction and inhibits the smoothness the machine is capable of. After ultrasonic cleaning, the parts are heated in oil to remove any moisture from the ultrasonic cleaning, and the parts are wire brushed to complete the cleaning.

Some parts need an additional step and are polished. These include the needle bar, the presser foot bar, the bobbin case shaft and the connecting rod bearing surface. Side by side, you can see the difference.

After cleaning the parts look like this.

In a 201, the rotary hook assembly and bobbin case must be as clean as possible. The rotary hook design is responsible for the stitch quality, and attention to detail is important. There are covers, nooks, and crannies that collect gunk over decades of use that need to be cleaned… starting with the bobbin case.

Then the bobbin hook race…

The bobbin case and bobbin hook race was pretty dirty on this machine. There will certainly be an improvement in the bobbin thread tension and stitch quality.

The one unknown in any 201 restoration is the condition of the motor. Is it good or is it bad? I don’t know because I don’t attempt to run the motor before restoring it. Why? 99% of the time the main power leads are cracked and the condition of the armature and brushes is unknown. The motor is going to be completely disassembled and cleaned, the armature and shafts are going to be polished, the wicks are going to be cleaned, and the brushes are going to be reconditioned. I will know if the motor is good only after it is restored. Due to the quality of these motors, I am confident it will run just fine. If not, it will be a bad motor in extremely good condition! Here is the process shown in pictures.

The restoration process begins with completely cleaning all of the motor bits and pieces.

The old grease and residue from the motor housing is removed.

the armature and shafts are polished.

the brush tubes are cleaned and resoldered to the field coil, and the new power wires are soldered to replace the old wires

The brushes are reconditioned

After cleaniing, the wicks are recharged with grease.

Then, there was a diversion. I have a young but attentive student observing each step of this process. She stopped in to check my progress and offer assistance… her name is Pepper.

Concentrating on the task at hand, the motor is reassembled.

Only now will I know if it runs… and run it does! It is smooth, quiet, and quite powerful. But then, I kinda knew it would.

Next, the balance wheel is disassembled, cleaned, and regreased.

The bobbin winder is disassembled, cleaned, and re-attached to the motor.

The final step in the mechanical restoration before reassembly (which will be after the cosmetic restoration) is the top tension assembly. It is disassembled and cleaned. There is a lot of gunk on the tension shaft and because it is in the thread path, is cleaned and polished.

Cosmetic Restoration

The goal here is to protect the original paint and decals and get the best cosmetic condition I can. This doesn’t mean making it look perfect, but to accentuate its strengths and diminish its weaknesses. For example. There is some slight silvering in the decals. This cannot be reversed, but the slight breaks in the decal pattern can. These will be repaired with paint matched gold paint. The typical paint chips will be repaired with color matched shellac base paint. The old shellac finish is quite rough and there are signs of degradation in the coating that will need to be removed before the new top-coat finish is applied. This will require quite a bit more preparation to accomplish, but the goal is to restore the beautiful black color of the original paint to the machine, and to get a silk-smooth finished surface.

While the process is straight forward, care is taken at every step to preserve and rejuvenate the finish. After all, the purpose of applying a new topcoat is to protect the decals and the paint. The steps taken to prepare the machine for the new finish are unique to each machine. The process is shown in the following pictures.

The original finish of the machine before preparation.

The paint chips are repaired first.

Similar chips are repaired along the bed. Then the decal repairs are made. First, a small quantity of paint with different gold colors is mixed to match the gold decal color of the machine. A piece of clear tape next to the decal provides a test palette. The chosen mix is applied with a fine tip artist brush under magnification.

I don’t try to correct every defect, but I want the machine to look good at a 6″ distance and great at a 12″ distance (my 1-foot rule). It is as important that the machine look consistent over an area. Attempting to correct every small defect is actually more noticeable than not.

Preparation of the bed requires that the bed be sanded with 500 grit paper to smooth out the irregular patches of the shellac, remove degraded shellac, and any other discolored areas that may prevent the new topcoat from bringing out a uniform color in the black paint. It isn’t possible to remove all of the old shellac, but don’t worry, shellac dissolves shellac and the final finish will be uniform in appearance

Next the machine is cleaned, and a thin layer of linseed oil is applied over the body of the machine in preparation for the new shellac topcoat. Now the machine is masked off and sprayed with six coats of new shellac.

The new shellac topcoat is allowed to dry for a minimum of four days before the finish is rubbed out with multiple grits of fine sandpaper and glaze polished. polishing will be done twice… Once now and again after the machine is assembled and adjusted. The first polish brings out the luster and the paint and decals look great the second will remove any handling marks from the reassembly and further smooth the finish.

Now the reassembly and final adjustments are made. The reassembly is pretty straight forward, and the restoration is getting close to the end. The needle depth is set, the hook timing is set, and the feed dog clearance and feed dog stitch length adjustments are made. The machine is run for about 10 minutes to seat all of the parts and afterwards all of the adjustments are checked and readjusted if needed.

The final step is to polish all of the chrome plated pieces and other little shiny bits. the following picture shows the parts to be buff polished.

The polished pictures will be shown on the machine when the restoration is complete. The camera has a hard take taking a picture of a polished part… but before I can show the completed pictures, I need to wire the controller to the machine, run it, and adjust the machine for a balanced stitch.

This machine is getting a new power lead and new foot controller wiring. The foot controller is cleaned, oiled and adjusted and the new wires attached, because this machine is going to be installed in a sewing cabinet, the foot controller is hard wired to the machine.

The machine is set up to run and is threaded and adjusted until a good balanced stitch is achieved.

Thats it! The machine is polished a second time and is ready to sew for many more years to come. For comparison, this is the machine after the restoration is complete.

Before…

After…

Well, I enjoyed this restoration… it allowed me to learn a bit more by addressing the shellac degradation and how to correct it. I hope you like what you see and enjoyed the restoration process as much as I did… this 201-2 looks and sews great! Now I can look forward to the next restoration!

As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of any assistance, please contact me through Etsy or send me an email to Pungoliving@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading!

Lee

A while back, I posted a tutorial on how to make a “perfect” black color match paint for chip repair on vintage black Singer sewing machines. The color is so good, I use it to repaint machines! The key component in the recipe is J.E. Moser’s ebony black aniline dye stain (846150 A1850). Since then, I have been getting questions from folks asking where they can buy it. Everywhere online it is found is either sold out or currently unavailable. This didn’t concern me much because I figured it would be restocked at some point and available when I need it… well, I’ve been trying to find it for the past year, and it is always out of stock and the questions keep coming.

This product is produced by a subsidiary of Woodworker’s Supply. It is offered by them and supplied to other sellers. Thinking that my only option was to develop a new recipe using different ingredients, I decided to contact them and find out if they simply stopped making the ebony black dye, or if they were ever going to restock it. In reply they said that they would be happy to order it in for me and for my friends.

If you are looking to purchase it, visit Woodworker’s Supply at https://woodworker.com/. You will find it in their 1 oz. alcohol soluble aniline dye stains under “miscellaneous colors”. It likely will be shown as out of stock, but in place of “add to cart”, click “notify me” and they will order it and notify you when it is available.

I did just that, and hopefully they will resume supplying it… or maybe treat it as a custom order.

If something changes, I’ll let you know.

I hope this helps and have a great day!

Lee

Introduction

I have always said that there really aren’t any real “rare” Singer sewing machines. I believe that to be true in the mainstream of sewing machine availability and it is my response to all of the listings that I regularly see for a “rare” model 66 or a “rare” model 99, or any other model folks pin the “rare” moniker on. Take your pick… I think that if there was any machine that Singer ever produced that would be scarce (but not rare), it would be the Singer model 101. Only about 264,000 101’s were produced over its entire seventeen year production run. After 85 to 100 years, one would think that a large portion of that number would have simply disappeared! On the other hand, millions upon millions of model 15’s, 66’s, and to some lesser extent every other machine Singer ever produced for the domestic market. I’m not talking about the very earliest machines, and there are some that are in fact very rare, but not the typical machine capable of making a decent lockstitch mass produced to meet the explosive demand for a reliable home sewing machine .

Well, that’s my opinion in the sewing machine mainstream. In fact, there are backwaters where machines exist and by virtue of some unique feature not shared by any but a few of their sewing machine sisters are truly rare. It’s kind of like coin collecting. Two coins of the same year may differ in rarity simply by a minting mistake or a mint mark. They can be the same denomination, but one is rare because it is unique in some way while the other is quite plentiful. Finding one would make a coin collector’s day while the other is just loose change. It’s the same with sewing machines and it is particularly true for this Singer model 221 Featherweight. It falls into the class of a collector’s machine and it is indeed a rare featherweight. Why? Well I’ll try to explain what sets it apart from the others based on my research of this machine.

The serial number of the machine is EH897711. Ismacs records that it is a 221K and one of 10,000 commissioned for manufacture on March 4, 1953. But if you look at the machine, it has a badge that identifies it as a 221J. Singer manufactured all of it’s 221K machines (as well as the 15K, 66K, 201K, and other machines with a “K” following the model number) in Kilbowie Scotland. Singer machines designated with a “J” following the serial number were manufactured in St. Johns Canada. In the case of this machine, it is not a clerical error or a mistake in the database and there is a reasonable explanation for the discrepancy. This explanation leads to why this Featherweight is truly rare.

At it’s peak, Singer was the largest corporation on planet earth… Bigger than steel, bigger than coal, bigger than oil, you name it… Singer was on top of the heap. Like any large corporation, Singer was dealing in a global market and a sea of rules, regulations, and laws that dealt with import, export, and custom taxes of finished goods. It’s simple, the machines sold in Canada were almost always manufactured in Great Britain, but there are some rare cases where these machines made in Great Britain will look like they were made in Canada.

Singer had to pay import or customs taxes on all of the functional machines it exported from it’s many factories around the world. The same did not apply to non-functional machines. Knowing this, an unknown number of featherweights were produced in Kilbowie Scotland and sent to St. Johns Canada as non-functional machines (it did not have a motor) to be “finished”. As a non-functional machine, it was exempt from customs taxes. That’s were the second clue comes in. The motor emblem on this featherweight says that it was manufactured in St. Johns Canada. To legitimize the ruse, the machine also has the 221J emblem and a decal on the back of the sewing arm that says “Made in Canada”. Mystery solved! Singer put those “Made in Canada” markings on the machine to avoid customs/import taxes by making it appear it was made in Canada.

So, what we have here is a machine that was manufactured in Scotland except for the motor shipped tax free to Canada as an unfinished product. The motor was made and attached in Canada to finish the machine. Oh, and the 221J emblem and extra “Made in Canada” decal was added to make it look like it was made in Canada. Here’s the interesting thing… while the database correctly identifies it as a 221K, and the emblem correctly identifies it as a 221J, aside from the number of 10,000 221’s commissioned between serial numbers 890,443 and 900,432 there is no record of how many featherweight machines with this manufacturing history and these features there are. To be sure, they are rare in the marketplace and desired by Featherweight collectors. For a featherweight collector, it is a machine that could make their day. That said, there are other featherweights that are unique and share some feature such as a particular decal, decal location, blackslide finish, or an exposition badge (not centennial) that make them rare as well. In the realm of rare featherweights, there are some that are rare and some that are extremely rare… and this 221 Featherweight falls somewhere in between.

Conservation Plan

This machine is in very good condition both mechanically and cosmetically to begin with. This in itself is somewhat unusual, especially for the condition of the front bed decals. The original shellac top coat is largely intact, the decals are in excellent condition (except where shown in the condition pictures,) and aside from a few minor paint chips, slight wear consistent with usage, and slight crazing in the black paint finish, the paint is dull but in very good condition. Close inspection of the machine suggests that it was gently used and well taken care of. There is very little lint or old oil varnish buildup normally found in and on the mechanical sewing mechanisms.

The key to a collector machine is condition… meaning original condition. The better the condition, the higher the value for a collector. This makes this conservation special. To preserve the collector value, it is important that the original finish is kept unaltered. Aside from gentle cleaning, I am not going to make any cosmetic repairs or diminish the patina in any way. I am not going to make any paint chip or decal repairs. I am not going to disassemble the sewing mechanism except for the bits and pieces necessary to thoroughly clean the machine. The gears, rotating assemblies, and rocking assemblies will be cleaned in place. In fact, there is only one item that will be replaced… the power/foot controller cord. Because of cracks in the insulation, this cord set is not safe to use. This is more about conservation than it is about restoration, so except for cleaning, oiling, and adjusting the machine, it will retain it’s original character. While the machine will retain in it’s original cosmetic condition, it is still a featherweight and it is expected to sew like a featherweight. To this end, great attention to detail in cleaning and adjusting the mechanical assemblies will ensure it is runs and sews like a Featherweight should.

Original Condition

The following pictures show the machine in it’s as found condition.

Mechanical Conversation

The front plate, bobbin case, feed dogs, tension assembly, bobbin winder guide, balance wheel, and top plate are removed for access to clean the machine. These parts are cleaned by hand.

The mechanical assemblies are first cleaned with compressed air to remove any dust and loose contaminants. They are then cleaned in place with acetone using a cotton swab. The gears are cleaned and coated with Singer lubricant. all of the assemblies are oiled with mobile Velocite 10 sewing machine oil. This oil is is a very fine quality sewing machine oil specially formulated for lubricating high speed industrial sewing machines.

The Bobbin case spring is removed to clean any trapped build up or debris that may affect bobbin thread tension. True of any surface in direct contact with the thread the smoothest possible finish is needed for consistent tension and consistent stitch formation.

The top tension assembly is disassembled to clean any debris or dirt on the tension discs and the tension assembly post. The tension post in in the thread path and like the tension discs, must be smooth.

The bobbin case base and feed dogs are cleaned and reinstalled.

Next, the old motor grease is removed from the motor grease tubes and filled with new motor grease (petroleum jelly). The motor brushes are removed and inspected.

The Singer “button” motor controller is cleaned, lubricated and rewired. The replacement cord set has a molded plug to match the plug terminal on the machine. Like the original cord, there is one wire cord that plugs into the wall, and one wire cord that attaches to the controller.

Cosmetic Conservation

The body of the machine is cleaned exclusively with sewing machine oil. This is the cleaning method recommended by Singer and is safe for both the shellac top coat and the decals. Sewing machine oil is applied to the body of the machine and gently rubbed in with my finger. This allows me to feel any dirt on the surface and is gentle on the finish and decals. When the surface feels smooth it is clean and the excess oil is wiped away with a cotton cloth.

The motor is loosened at the mount and swung away to facilitate cleaning the machine’s body and motor casing.

The rest of the machine is similarly cleaned in sections. The small bits and pieces are cleaned and reinstalled. The final cosmetic touches are made by rubbing the body of the machine with a clean cloth. The cosmetic cleaning with sewing machine oil has re-nourished the original finish and results in a beautiful appearance. The gold decals stand out bright and have that special deep gold foil appearance that only time and original Singer decals can have.

Post Conservation Machine Condition

Following the cleaning and reassembly of all parts, the machine is adjusted to produce the quality stitch the Featherweight is known for. The stitch formation is very good and the machine runs smoothly and quietly.

The following pictures show the finished condition of the machine in detail. These pictures describe the complete cosmetic condition of the machine. The finish has not been enhanced by wax or polish and the only treatment applied to the finish is a light coat of sewing machine oil. As noted earlier, no attempt was made to polish out marks caused by normal usage or hide and otherwise enhance the original finish on the machine. These pictures show all areas of the machine and the condition of the paint in detail.

The case, attachments, and items included with the machine are shown below.

That’s it! The machine has been safely cleaned, adjusted, lubricated, and the original finish has been re-nourished with sewing machine oil. The patina of the finish has been preserved. The emphasis of this conservation was to bring out the full potential of the machine cosmetic appearance and assure that it runs and sews well without disturbing it’s history or the patina it has acquired over 68 years without diminishing it’s collector value. Fortunately, the machine was in great condition to begin with and a beautiful outcome was possible without considering the need for restorative methods to repair the paint or decals . The outcome of this conservation is enhanced cosmetic appearance and mechanical smoothness in operation. It’s one thing to start with a rare machine, but it’s another thing to have a rare machine in this beautiful condition.

Valuation on a machine like this is hard to do because the collector market is small. While this Featherweight would be a gem in our Etsy shop, the selling platform is not suitable for listing it. Instead, this machine will be listed on Ebay with a reserve price and an auction period to provide ample exposure for prospective buyers. The Ebay listing item ID is 154564004371 (Item ID: 154564004371).

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments regarding this machine. I will provide any additional information or pictures on request.

Thanks for reading!

Lee

Introduction

This restoration is for a Kenmore model 158.10302. Produced between 1971 and 1973, it has an all metal sewing mechanism and cam stack. It is an interesting machine and is a portable 3/4 size sewing machine. It’s a nice package. It stores in a convenient carry case, it has a fold out storage compartment for bobbins, needles, presser feet, etc., and it has a small fold out bed extension. The 1030 provides a basic set of functional stitches that include a zigzag, reinforced zigzag, blind hem, and a manual button hole stitch. It is a center homing needle and uses low shank presser feet. The 1.0 amp motor with double belt reduction makes this a very powerful machine. Typical of the majority of Kenmore’s, it uses a class 15 bobbin, standard 15X1 needle and uses an oscillating hook.

This machine is in excellent cosmetic condition. There is nothing to do but clean and wipe it with a cloth. It’s Mechanical condition is another story. Aside from a noticeable lack of oiling, the mechanical mechanisms are clean. I would guess that the machine has seen very little use. Then again, in it’s present condition this machine won’t sew because it is woefully out of adjustment.

The first thing I noticed is that the needle position was way out of whack. At the maximum zigzag width the needle would strike the presser foot. The machine’s needle bar would not swing back and forth, and changing the stitch selection knob would not produce any change in the stitch pattern. The linkages associated with the cam stack are stuck and non functional. Well into the restoration, I found that the machine had numerous adjustments noodled with that needed to be corrected. To allow the machine to be stowed in it’s case, the machine has a retractable spool pin. The plastic spool pin bushing had broken below the cover and the spool pin would not lock in the raised position. Worse, it would fall out in the retracted position. Fortunately, the spool pin was in the little compartment. There is much do do with this machine but I know that the restoration will turn out beautifully.

Here is the machine before restoration.

The Restoration

To make the machine to sew like new, all of the mechanisms associated with the cam stack need to be cleaned, freed up, and adjusted. The needle bar, presser foot bar, and their associated linkages are removed for cleaning. The tension control is disassembled and cleaned, and the motor is disassembled, cleaned, and the armature is polished. Finding a spool pin bushing as a replacement proved to be impossible so a new bushing must be fabricated. As far as the other sewing mechanisms go, they are surprisingly clean and are cleaned and oiled in place. Lets begin.

Mechanical Restoration

First, the assemblies in the needle bar head, the bobbin race, and the feed dogs are disassembled.

The parts are laid out for cleaning.

After cleaning, the needle bar and presser foot bar are polished and all of the parts are set aside for reassembly

The cam stack linkages, cam stack, and the cam stack follower are cleaned and freed up to operate smoothly. It’s impossible to show in pictures, but there are four points of adjustment to regulate the stitch patterns and all four had been previously disturbed. The mechanism adjustments restored the proper needle position, zigzag width, and smooth operation for all of the built in stitches.

The rear cover is removed to access the motor.

The bobbin winder is removed and cleaned.

The bottom cover is removed and the mechanisms are cleaned. The feed dog height and drop feed dog mechanism were out of adjustment and were adjusted for proper feed dog height and feed dog drop.

The old grease in the oscillating gear case is removed and replaced with new grease.

The spool pin bushing is fabricated. For this I used a hardwood dowel and turned down in a lathe to match the original. A gage drill bit the same diameter as he spool pin was used to drill through the center of the dowel. Two slots allow the spring clip to engage and disengage the notches in the spool pin smoothly. It is painted to closely match the original color.

The motor is disassembled and cleaned and the armature is polished. If you look in the motor cap, you will notice that the oil felt is white. This suggests that the motor was not used much and it was not lubricated regularly… it looks new… dry of oil but new.

The motor is reassembled and run in to ensure it runs strong, and as I suspected, it does.

The top tension mechanism is disassembled and cleaned.

If you look closely at the tension assembly shaft and the beehive spring you will notice rust… this is likely caused by using water and detergent to clean the machine and water dripped into the tension assembly. Rust on the bee hive spring is no big deal, but rust on the shaft is. The thread must pass smoothly between the tension discs and around the shaft for even and consistent thread tension. The rust is removed from the spring and the shaft is polished smooth before reassembly.

The machine is reassembled and all final adjustment are made. At the end of the restoration, the machine runs great! The fabric feeds straight both forward and reverse, the bobbin winder winds a tight full bobbin, the machine has plenty of power, and the stitch looks great!

The final result is gratifying. Just because a machine is small or portable doesn’t mean it can’t sew a good stitch. This machine certainly does and it will be a great companion to take to sewing class or on the road where one might encounter an “emergency” garment repair.

Here’s the machine after restoration.

That’s it! The restoration of this Kenmore model 158.10302 is complete and it’s come a long way. It runs and sews great. I hope you enjoyed the restoration process as much as I and I look forward to the next!

If you have any questions or comments please contact me at pungoliving@gmail.com and let me know!

Thanks for reading!

Lee