having a smashing time
Apr. 2nd, 2007 08:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
doireYesterday I broke two sewing machines.
Sometimes I’m very glad I was trained as an engineer. On the other hand, if I hadn’t been, I might have a modern sewing machine instead of several models of a classic machine. They may make mechanical engineers wax lyrical about design philosophies, and be built like high quality Swiss watches, but here is no doubt that the components are getting old.
I just wanted to patch my favourite jeans, so I got my Elna supermatic out. It sounded a little rough, so I cleaned and lubricated all the standard parts. And then it started to sew slower and slower even though the motor was going full speed.
Then it stopped moving the needle, classic signs of a slipping clutch.
So I took the drive wheel off and looked at the drive rubber. (Stop sniggering over there.) Wah! It was polished to a high shine. It was rather hard as well, but it’s over 60 years old so that’s not surprising. Cleaned the rubber and the drive wheel and reassembled but still no grip. Bah; I’ll have to replace the rubber. It’s a known problem, the most common of the not-quite-routine maintenance procedures. Get a new rubber, knock out the roll pin, remove old rubber, fit new rubber, replace roll pin, and reassemble.
There are two problems: finding a new rubber since the most reliable source is in the USA and knocking out the roll pin since the motor is sprung mounted. So I’ll make a jig to hold the motor shaft steady; I’m only going to use it once so it can be rough and ready. And. eureka, I can look at the daughter’s dead machine to see if its rubber is usable.
The dead machine melted its electrics spectacularly, but the rubber looks fine despite there being lots of rubber stuck on the drive wheel. I suspect it must have been replaced after the previous rubber expired and spread its corpse over the drive wheel.
So I have the repair planned, but this doesn’t mend my jeans. Quickest thing would be to use the son’s machine, which he left here until he has more room than he has now. He’s in the process of buying a house so he'll be wanting it soon.
I set it up and sew round the edges of the patches. I’m just making a few strengthening stitches across the patch, when there is a nasty crunch and the stitches stop forming.
Bugger. The needle moves, the feed dogs move but the hook doesn’t rotate.
I know this problem too, it happened to my lotus soon after I bought it, the plastic hook gear has disintegrated. At least I hadn’t already sent off the order for the rubber. It’s not a difficult repair, but it’s like a sliding block puzzle to know what order to remove the pieces in.
Then it stopped moving the needle, classic signs of a slipping clutch.
So I took the drive wheel off and looked at the drive rubber. (Stop sniggering over there.) Wah! It was polished to a high shine. It was rather hard as well, but it’s over 60 years old so that’s not surprising. Cleaned the rubber and the drive wheel and reassembled but still no grip. Bah; I’ll have to replace the rubber. It’s a known problem, the most common of the not-quite-routine maintenance procedures. Get a new rubber, knock out the roll pin, remove old rubber, fit new rubber, replace roll pin, and reassemble.
There are two problems: finding a new rubber since the most reliable source is in the USA and knocking out the roll pin since the motor is sprung mounted. So I’ll make a jig to hold the motor shaft steady; I’m only going to use it once so it can be rough and ready. And. eureka, I can look at the daughter’s dead machine to see if its rubber is usable.
The dead machine melted its electrics spectacularly, but the rubber looks fine despite there being lots of rubber stuck on the drive wheel. I suspect it must have been replaced after the previous rubber expired and spread its corpse over the drive wheel.
So I have the repair planned, but this doesn’t mend my jeans. Quickest thing would be to use the son’s machine, which he left here until he has more room than he has now. He’s in the process of buying a house so he'll be wanting it soon.
I set it up and sew round the edges of the patches. I’m just making a few strengthening stitches across the patch, when there is a nasty crunch and the stitches stop forming.
Bugger. The needle moves, the feed dogs move but the hook doesn’t rotate.
I know this problem too, it happened to my lotus soon after I bought it, the plastic hook gear has disintegrated. At least I hadn’t already sent off the order for the rubber. It’s not a difficult repair, but it’s like a sliding block puzzle to know what order to remove the pieces in.
Sometimes I’m very glad I was trained as an engineer. On the other hand, if I hadn’t been, I might have a modern sewing machine instead of several models of a classic machine. They may make mechanical engineers wax lyrical about design philosophies, and be built like high quality Swiss watches, but here is no doubt that the components are getting old.
