Singer 211 (G156) Question

[Kwild]

Hello everyone,

I'm newly signed up here, but have been admiring the work many of you produce for some time. I've been searching for a while for an affordable workhorse of a machine, and finally found an old Singer 211 G156 close to me that is in excellent working order (and was within my budget.)

The previous owner of this machine removed the knee-lift lever arm from the back of the machine, and subsequently lost it and all of it's hardware. All of the screws are still available for this part, but unfortunately the arm (Singer Part # 508274 Knee Lifter Lifting Lever) and bracket that screws to it (Singer Part # 508270 Tension Release Actuating Spring) are not.

I've ordered the small bits for it from a local industrial supplier, and I'm hoping that someone here who has this, or a similar machine would be kind enough to give me measurements of these parts so that I could fabricate them. They're relatively simple bits stamped and drilled from flat steel plate. These parts are interchangeable between several of the 211 sub-models such as the G155, G156, G255, G256,

This is a picture I pulled from the internet of the back of a machine just like mine. The long pivoting lever across the back is what I'm hoping to find, or get the dimensions of. The small bracket attached to it at the central pivot screw is hard to see in the photo, but is the other part I'm looking for. If you click in the image, it will pop up full size.

Thanks for any assistance or insight you're able to provide!

Kris

Edited December 7, 2015 by Kwild

[Constabulary]

I´m not 100% certain but maybe the lifting arm for the Consew´s may work. They at least work on the Singer 111 - not sure which I have ordered but I would guess that both would work.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CONSEW-227-CYL-W-F-FOOT-LIFT-LIFTING-LEVER-13056A-/120926496799?hash=item1c27c7e81f:g:UF0AAOSwDNdV4LB4

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CONSEW-206RB-KNEE-LIFTER-LIFTING-LEVER-/290723356033?hash=item43b0765d81:m:mldhAL6SVn-OpwftFqtQ6uA

[Kwild]

Thanks for the link to those options. They look similar, but there are definitely some subtle differences. I'd hate to order one just to find out it didn't work. Maybe some more homework into the exchangeability of this part with other manufacturers in in order.

Kris

[Wizcrafts]

I would contact some industrial sewing machine dealers and see if any of them have that model as a parts machine. I've done that in the past. Bob Kovar, owner of Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, has tons of old Singer sewing machines in the back of his warehouse. Gregg from Keystone Sewing has been in business since the Ark landed on dry ground. Raphael Sewing has been in business in Quebec for decades and is known here as Techsew. Nick-O-Sew has lots of parts too and I suspect that Cobra Steve has accumulated a bunch too.

[Kwild]

Great tip. I hadn't considered that repair shops might keep a boneyard of donor machines around for parts. I'll seek some of my more local ones first.

Kris

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

These lifting lever arms on the 211s really are not a copy of anything else are really are proprietary to the 211 series. Singer 111W had many copies of Japanese that would swap out in some cases, but not this here.

Best best, like said, is to find the same parts from an old 211, but this means robbing Peter to pay Paul, so to speak. Keep in mind, not all lifting levers are the same from 211 to 211 subclass, so be careful there, too.

[Kwild]

Will do. Thanks. I'll update if I actually manage to track one down.

Kris

[Darren Brosowski]

To confuse things the 211G is different to most of the rest of the 211 class and has a striking resemblance to the PFAFF version

Most dealers have some sort of "boneyard" as we know it is the only way to have that one part that turns a doorstop into a sewing machine.

Some of the newer people in the business don't and I will not criticize them for it. Holding old machines is space, time and money so if it is not a focus of your business then there is no point.

[silverbullet]

I think if you have some mechanical ability it wouldn't take much to make a bar that will work for you. A couple of bends and holes a spring or two. If you were close to me I know I could make you one.

[Kwild]

Thanks to the generous assistance of another member here, I've fabricated the missing parts and have a fully functional lifting and tension release mechanism. Thanks for the suggestions and support.

Kris

[rac1812]

Hi Kris

Any chance you have a picture fo the back of your 211g156 to see what you fabricated???

I have the same parts missing....springs are available.... more concerned with how it interact with the manual foot lifter lever.

Thanks

Bob C

[Kwild]

Hi Bob, another helpful member here (Skylark53) helped me out by making a very detailed drawing of the missing parts from a friend of his who owned the same machine. I suggest asking him if he'd share the drawing with you too. His drawing appeared a bit different than what was visible in the parts diagram for the machine, but it worked out with only a tiny bit of modification.

I'll try to get you a few pictures of how the mechanisms interact.

K

[Kwild]

The first picture shows an overview of the back of the machine.

The second shows a close-up of the little bracket that activates the thread tension release. My pen is pointing to where they contact. Lifting up on that little lever on the back of your machine with your finger should spread the plates of the thread tensioner.

I have to go back for more pictures. The files were too large of the other ones I got. Standby...

[Kwild]

The first of these pictures is the most revealing. It shows how the little "L" shaped arm reaches inside the machine and pushes up on the mechanism to lift the foot. (Poor terminology, sorry) What I didn't realize until I built it, was how it reached right inside to lift up the foot. I had thought that it pushed up on the same little knob that the hand-lever did when lifting the foot.

The other two photos are rotated 90 degrees, but I'm trying to get you a bit of a view inside to where it makes contact.

Let me know if this helps, or makes things more confusing

Kris

Edited February 5, 2016 by Kwild

[rac1812]

Thank for the very clear pictures.

Did you get the origianl bar springs readily available or make your own.?

Similarly did you start with an existing similar fit bar or make the bar from scratch?

We have reproduced som amny truck parts we should be able to do like you and male one.

I don't particularly like using the knee lift being more accustomed to reach bar to the hand lever.....but as it stands on my machine when Iift the foot lever by hand nothing is linked to apply any pressure onthe rod that release the thread tension in front..... the two little parts that activate the bar to the tension disc are all there.

Knowing that the previous Owner used this machine as is for years repairing/recovering school bus vinyl seats and even did sewing for us to see it worked is frustrating...... but I am determine to make it better. MOst of the small parts ordered will be here by late next week.

Bob C

PS...... NOw I have to figure out if I am going to down load all this precious information and videos to an old lap top and take it to the shop in the barn,,,,or,,,, take apart the sewing machine and stand and move it to the computer room in the basement of the house.

[Kwild]

Bob,

The "bar Spring" (thing that activates the thread tension release) was no longer available, so I made one out of some 16g stainless steel I had in my scrap bin. Apparently the original was 18g. It needs to flex, but not bend, because the bar travels too far for hard contact between the two parts. The main "Knee Lifter Lifting Lever" I made from scratch as well. I was supposed to be 3/16" thick by 3/4" wide bar stock, but I could only find 1/4" x 3/4", so I adapted the height of the stabilizer post to accommodate it. The only parts that I ended up ordering for it were the return spring and the pivot bolt. Together they were under $20 CAD.

I ordered the little screw that holds the bar spring to the main lever too, but it turns out it was a completely obscure thread pitch, and I didn't have the right tap. I didn't use it at all and ended up drilling and tapping it for a M5 x 0.8 machine screw. That's the phillips-head one you can see in the picture.

I too was frustrated by the lack of linkage between the manual lifting lever and the thread tension release. You can reach through and push it up with your finger, bit it's really small and you're doing it completely blind.

In a previous lifetime I sewed on several industrial Juki, Cansew, and Pfaff machines making industrial rigging equipment and backpacks. All of these machines were equipped with knee lifters, so I got very used to that technique. I definitely like being able to keep both hands on the workpiece, and only lift the foot as high as necessary to make the turn or get the work under there. Whatever you're used to really. I can almost guarantee that if you did get used to it, you'd never go back!

It would be interesting to see one of these machines set up with the foot lift lever linked to the pedal. I see that in the manual and parts diagram as a possible option, but I haven't quite wrapped my head around how it would work. Apparently that is the reason for the little through-hole in the back of the base casting.

K

Edited February 5, 2016 by Kwild

[rac1812]

Thanks Kris

The last set of pictures, once blownup and rotated gives me a very good idea how the fabricated lever interacts with the small triangle part that pushes the rod to release the thread tension ...... should be able to make one and if that works make another one for Grant, a partner in crime who as the same machine also with missing knee lifter........ why are so many machine found with the knee lifter removed???

Bob C

[Constabulary]

I´m also not using a knee lifter for me it is more logical to lift the foot by hand but thats just a personal preference. I once had one but it always was in the way - somehow. Then I installed a 2nd pedal as foot lifter - that was much better but since I´m using more than one machine on my machine table I removed it again.