friquant

Hi Diane, Sounds like a complex operation. How about posting several pictures of the parts you bought and the machine it's going into?

Would enjoy seeing pictures of the machine in its disassembled state, as well as how you've got the parts laid out for remembering how they go back together. The most I've removed on the singer 144 is removing the needle bar rock frame so I could grind a passage into it for a screwdriver to access the needle bar pinch screws. Everything else I fixed in-place.

Welcome to the forum! On my singer 144 I replaced all the wicks I've found with small pieces of polyester felt. I suspect any kind of yarn or absorbent fabric would work. It just needs to hold the oil as a reservoir so the oil can slowly feed the shaft.

Your video showed as much, but you beat me to it 🏅

Link is not loading for me..

Love the sound! Looks like you're having trouble getting the machine to let go of your thread when you have finished a seam. Here is what I recommend: Before you start your seam, turn the handwheel so that the takeup lever is at its highest point. Otherwise, the takeup lever may try to snatch the thread out of your fingers. (You can do the opposite---takeup lever at lowest point---if you want to experience the snatch firsthand!) At the end of your seam, before you pull the material out from under the presser, turn the handwheel so the takeup lever is again at its highest point. This does two things. First, it locks your final stitch. Second, the top thread will not be wrapped around the bobbin when you go to take the material out. Since you ended your seam with the takeup lever at its highest point, it's already in position to start the next seam 😊

@AlZilla here is a smaller version of the above video if you are able to replace it hemiyota-01_small.mp4

What size needle did you use for your initial timing? Does your machine require the shuttle to be shimmed when changing needle size in order to maintain the same hook-to-needle distance?

Is there any visibility into that machine, for instance removing a cover so you can see the skipped stitch with a flashlight as it's happening?

I like this! The inner toe on my Singer 144W103 has a (factory?) relief right there too.

📹

Try this: Start and end each seam with the take-up lever at its highest point. (Otherwise the machine will yank the thread out of your hands when the seam begins) Also post a photo of how you've got the top thread threaded, from spool to needle eye. Just in case it's misthreaded. And check the timing. I like to check where the hook shoulder is when the take up lever is at its lowest point. If the timing is retarded too much, the take up lever will yank hard on the thread before the thread reaches the apex of its path around the bobbin. And if the timing is advanced too much, the hook will grab the loop of thread every turn (instead of every other turn) and lock the machine up. If still not working, can post a close-up video of the needle and bobbin area with the bobbin cover off. Turn the handwheel very slowly for the video, on the order of ten seconds per revolution, so we can see the interaction of the different pieces. Hope this helps!

Have not found a perfect match between my this machine and one of the 144 submodels. In most respects it appears to be a Singer 144w103. That is, it has ten inches to the right of the needle, single needle, 8-inch hand wheel, 7x3 needle system, with stitch length regulation done by turning a screw on the feed eccentric. But this machine appears to have the reverse mechanism from the 144w305, which is "controlled by a treadle" see this manual: https://web.archive.org/web/20190820161643/http://www.parts.singerco.com/IPinstManuals/144W305.pdf So I could call it "144w103 with the reverse mechanism from 144w305" or "a 10-inch version of the 144W305".

Try pressing down (with your hand) on the bar that the knee lift pulls down on. Press all the way till you feel it stop against something. How far do the presser feet raise in this case?

Check whether there is a separate spring attached to the reverse lever for holding it up. Perhaps it disconnected when the thumb screw was removed.

Do the arrows line up now? Any increase in stitch length?

You can long press on the screen to lock the focus. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twl_V_vlq2Q You can shine a flashlight from underneath to illuminate the scarf. You can put a black mark on the scarf right where you want the tip of the hook to cross. See Uwe's video on timing:

Do you normally press the reverse lever up or down to achieve reverse feed?

Easy fix: Loosen the screw at the top rear of the inner presser foot, rotate the foot till the needle is centered in the hole, tighten the screw. Would you mind taking some close-up shots of your hook point from above? My Singer 144W103 (built in 1943) had a dull hook point: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/131846-best-angle-to-sharpen-a-hook/#findComment-784869

As soon as you get some presser feet on it, I would suggest oiling the machine and then turn it over slowly by hand to see what is functioning vs not. Go easy on it just in case something binds from being disconnected. Do the presser feet walk Does the needle bar go up and down Does the feed dog move Does the hook pick up the top thread Does the bar in the back (for a knee lift) pick up the presser feet Does the stitch length regulator effect more / less feed dog movement Anything anomalous, take a close-up video and post on here to get some ideas 📹

Is there a groove under that collar to set the position of the collar?

Can you post photos and/or videos? I don't have a machine like this for comparison. Perhaps by seeing the actual parts someone will be able to suggest how to put them back together.

Whoo whoo!! 🎈Congratulations! 🔔 Those safety clutches need to tell us when they trip 📯 I decided to back mine off today because it never trips. But as I started stitching thicker and thicker material, the safety clutch needed a higher and higher setting in order to stitch it without tripping. So I'm almost back to the setting I started with 😂

I've been meaning to ask you, when you tightened the position screw (rounded tip that goes in the groove) and the set screw (flat tip that goes against the wall of the shaft) on that feed eccentric...By any chance did the screws end up in different holes than originally? If they did, the feed mechanisms that run on that eccentric would be out of time. (Hook timing would be unaffected.) The feed mechanisms could be made to run either way, but may be quicker to get it all straightened out if it's the same way as original.

Let's get it to where the hook reliably picks up the needle thread. If the thread breaks when it gets picked up, we'll solve that when we get to it. How to stuff a hook Meaning how to use the needle guard to ensure that the hook point is always stuffed into the scarf regardless of material thickness, forward/reverse, stitch length, slightly bent needles, machine speed, etc. Correct needle system Brand new needle, of the size that you use most often Make a black mark on the inside of the scarf of the needle indicating where the point of the hook should cross. (Usually about 3mm above the top of the needle eye, the manual will say for sure) Needle fully inserted. (Look in the window to verify) Needle orientation: Scarf facing hook Sharp hook with clean angles Bend the needle guard slightly out of the way, or remove it temporarily Set the stitch length to whatever you use most often Loosen the hook saddle Move the hook closer to the needle, until the interference with the needle is approx 0.5mm - 1mm Tighten the hook saddle into position Adjust the needle bar height such that the hook point attempts to bisect the needle at the black mark you made on the needle scarf. (This height is important because it affects how much of the needle rubs on the needle guard) Bend the needle guard so that the needle guard deflects the needle such that the hook point just kisses the needle, or is VERY CLOSE to kissing. (0mm - 0.05mm away) Set hook to needle timing (also known as "needle bar rise"). You'll probably have to reset the needle bar height in the process Reference: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/47477-211g155-do-i-have-the-wrong-machine/page/6/#findComment-304044