Who uses a Pearson #6

[Who uses a Pearson #6]

Hi all.  We have what I think is a Pearson HM, possibly pre  #6.  The main difference I've noticed is in the shuttle, in that it has a series of open holes and no tension springs except for the one under the bobbin, perhaps to stop the thread loosening off.  Does anyone know which model machine this is, possible date?  Also how the shuttles are threaded?  I was wondering if each hole marks 1/8 decrease in leather thickness?  TIA

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

2 hours ago, suzelle said:

 Any plan on what paint and/or decals might look like?

for now she has a coat of Rustoleum Flat Black..... and it looks pretty good..... old, but tidy.  She has lost her badge so I wasn't going to add decals either.... none of our sewing machines at the Park have been restored back to looking new.

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

31 minutes ago, Constabulary said:

I honestly never expected that this thing will ever sew again! Congratulations!

Assuming needle too far away from hook of needle bar set too high.

Thanks! I'm still figuring it out - I think it skips on the odd occasion because I still don't have a proper take up spring and the wooden feed  dog plates, which doesn't have a proper needle hole (it is more of an open D) as I misjudged the cut by a fraction.  So the tension fluctuates a little.... when it gets a bit tight, it skips, I'm thinking because the loop it too small for the hook to get through.  The needle bar height is good I think but I can check it in case it has slipped..  It was hectic today with it being Easter and an open day, so hordes of kids all sewing on the hand cranks and domestic treadles and having a huge fun good time.  It will be quieter the next few days so I can have another look at the hook/needle distance. I only have the one size leather point needle at the moment. I didn't want to get them and then find I couldn't get her sewing..... but I'm sure I can get it better as I get to know the machine!!

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

I've get impatient waiting for stuff to arrive in the mail, so this morning I made a take up spring from a bit of 1.2mm MIG wire.   It actually works - my stitches aren't baggy anymore!! I guess now I need to work out if the thread I'm using is the right size for the needles..... more research coming on. I am so happy to have got this far. The canvas is the same 12 layers of 16 oz.  I'm not sure about leather measurements but it is about 3mm thick.

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

first stitches!!  Terrible I know, but a handmade slightly too thick wooden throat plate and no tension springs..... it is another step in a forward direction

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

10 hours ago, suzelle said:

You are the Dragon Lady!

Great job so far!

LOL a dragon lady..... that's fun!! I see you have a few interests that align with mine - I am also a printmaker (a Farley letter press and an etching press) and a weaver with 6 looms including a dobby loom I built...... so things mechanical.

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

3 minutes ago, VanRhodes said:

That is at least where needle to hook relation is adjusted on the Seiko SLH-2B and they're pretty much the same. 

Great to know, thanks.  What is the distance between hook and needle usually?

 

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

Today needles arrived....... and it managed to pick up the bobbin thread with a bit of artistic hand movement and adjustment of the needle bar height, yay!!  So the timing/ at least is OK.  I think the main issue being there is a gap of about 1mm between the hook and the needle - how much gap is normal for these machines?  Obviously there will be a way to adjust it given the variety of needle sizes.... is it via the bearing that the assembly runs on (orange circle)?  if I don't hear back I'll have a look at that tomorrow...... I need to bear in mind I still don't have the needle/throat plates or tension springs so there is only so far I can go until I get them (next week hopefully for the plates). PS this is an old picture pre clean up, but shows the machine screw I'm thinking of)

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

2 minutes ago, Constabulary said:

do you spin the hand wheel towards you or away from you?

I'm used to a domestic hand crank which is geared so I was turning it up and away.  It should be turned down and away, like when you start a treadle..... hoping to get to the next town up the coast to sort out cutting some steel plate to make the throat plates, which should sort the issue of the canvas rotating with the feed dogs. Sadly we are too small to have a foundry with a guillotine in our town so I have to be a bit patient!!

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

I managed to get the lower mechanism working yesterday, although it worked better turning the hand wheel the wrong way ..... I think the issue was there are no feed dog plates so the canvas just walks in a circle with the feed dogs when I turn the hand wheel properly down and away.

And today I managed to free up the shuttle retaining spring, so the hook is now complete and in place. 

 

 

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

Has anyone got thoughts on how to disassemble the hook?  The spring lever that holds the bobbin carrier  in place is stuck down.  I managed to take the carrier out by removing the tapered pin, to give more room to move, but the pin that holds the sprung part doesn't appear to go right through.  I wondered about grinding  in from the back to allow me to punch the pin out....... has anyone ever had to do this?

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

10 minutes ago, dikman said:

I'm amazed that you got it to turn over. Says a lot for the original design and build quality.

it does, doesn't it.  I think everyone here is amazed - I'm still doubtful I'll manage to get her sewing, that partly depends on whether the thread we wrecked can be rebuilt or not......I don't know the names of the parts but its the bearing shaft that holds the oscillating cam that in turn drives the hook.  Looked like it got water inside, so the bearing cap was fused on to the shaft and there was a ton of rust inside where the shaft is machined down for the oil reservoir.  We had to wind the whole thing out as one piece.  Put a lot of stress on the thread.  It is one of the few bits I needed help with, I simply wasn't strong enough.  The other end unwound no troubles!!

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

here it is after a week of work  https://vimeo.com/696381119

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

17 hours ago, jrdunn said:

Maria,

Wow, just wow.  I'm amazed at the progress you have made!  When I saw the early pictures I thought "boat anchor".  Oh, me of little faith.

Jim

Jim - you are not the only one.  The guys at the Heritage Park are glad they didn't lay bets - today I got the last bolt undone that connected the upper and lower sections, and by the end of the day the top end was freely rotating with presser bar hopping along and needle bar moving as it should.  The lower mechanism is also rotational, but I have a bit of work to do cleaning up the con rods and the bearing rod is a mess...... but it's only been a week today since we pulled her out of the tank so I'm pretty happy.  I forgot my camera but I'll get pics at some point.

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

This morning's work involved heating....... the result was the rust welds opened up, and WOW I got movement in the main shaft!!  So we heated up the top end and got a dragon LOL - I'm lucky I have helpers for things like using a gas torch.... one of the many things on my list to learn about.

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

4 hours ago, gordond said:

Built 3x tables for the fun of it . Plus another for my Adler 30-1

 

 

I built it a table too.... fun!!

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

10 hours ago, gordond said:

A tension disc assembly (25mm discs,spring, nut) from a Singer 29K fits.

A Pfaff tension assembly doesn't quite work - discs fit and nut threaded on ok..but the spring is too long plus wrongly configured (Pfaff has an extra disc split slotted to fit onto the split post rather than the spring nib ended to lock onto the post)

Auckland Sewing does carry some Singer 29K parts ...but no tension assembly showing on his Trademe store... just ask.

great, I'll check with Gary, thanks!!  I got some bits from him when I was working on our 29K - again it was fully seized and rusted.  Managed to get her cleaned up and sewing!!

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

12 hours ago, Constabulary said:

good lord - to be honest - I´m not sure if it really is worth the time and money (in parts). Maybe leaving it as is is the better option for "just" an exhibition item.

LOL - my brain gets bored easily and my time is my own so any costs are offset by the entertainment, learning and an incredible sense of achievement...... especially as I am the only woman working with machinery at the Park!!  Here it is after I put the front end back together from memory..... I did it a bit wrong and had the foot lift left over so had to look that part up, but just listening to the mechanism and watching the foot rise and fall  when it had been frozen solid - wahoo!!  I used my finger on top to act as a tension spring as that hadn't been cleaned at that stage.

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

2 hours ago, gordond said:

Photos of 7-5 ... Same tensioners as the 7-33 ..

Note photo of my Pfaff 545 ..that looks close to the Trade me listing

 

Beaut pics, thanks!! All of the tension assembly that I have was on the bottom one, with nothing at all on the top except the threaded part...... just remembered I took pics early on before I started even thinking about taking it apart!! Question is, do the knurled nuts, tension discs etc from the Pfaff type tension plate fit onto the Singer tension assembly, would they work as a replacement for the top assembly?  Maybe I should have a look in my 201 parts box....

 

 

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

On 4/1/2022 at 6:03 PM, MariaMS said:

Hi all

I volunteer at our local heritage park, and look after the machines there.  My current project is a rust welded Singer 7-33 from 1919 - I'm hoping to at least get the top end working a this point, as the under-bed mechanism looks pretty bad. It would be cool to get her turning to add to the now working presser foot and needle bar assemblies.  We built an electrolysis tank to start the cleaning process, and I have been slowly working away removing and cleaning more bits.  For now I'm after where to buy things like the throat plate set (35333 in the Seiko parts list) and the two tension assemblies....do these parts fit the Singer 7-33?. I tried looking at Keysew.com but I'm getting a 403 forbidden error.   Any help will be much appreciated.

 

4 hours ago, gordond said:

There is a wealth of restoration info on this forum and one cheap way of freeing up parts is a mix of ATF* and acetone (*auto trans fluid) ... and a combo of tapping, freezing(spray can CRC).. and of course heat ..soak and repeat.

Never seen the whole plates for sale, but as Constabulary has said talk to Bob at Toledo .. not too complicated to make compared to other parts..

(sadly not Gregg, Lenny and Lois at Keystone - they were friends of us here .. RIP)...

One big difference between say a 7-5 and a 7-33 is the bobbin and shuttle hook size ..  bobbins are easy enough to purchase.. hooks for 7-5 were/or are a little more difficult to find ..I think  kunpengsewingmachineparts (on ebay) may sell one - but haven't fully checked the spec's. I have purchased from this seller previously without issue.

OK, I'll check out the bobbin size next time I'm up there.  There are a few good machinists (including an ex aircraft engineer) at the Heritage Park, so yes, making the throat plates might be the better option.  As you say, they are pretty simple!!  Do you happen to know if bits off a new tension assembly would fit?  I tried a Singer 201 tension nut on and the thread is the same..... but I don't know whether the modern ones have the same thread still. it would be a simple fix that way.  I still have both the posts and the threads at both ends are pretty good.  I'll put off making overseas contacts until I know which parts I actually need that I can't make locally!  I'll only need a better hook assembly if I get any where near being able to sew.  For a static "turn the handle and watch the needle move" scenario the hook quality won't matter.  This is the new tension assembly I sw  https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/crafts/sewing/machine-accessories/other/listing/3534129442?bof=XqS8HeVd

 

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

7 hours ago, gordond said:

Hi..

Whereabouts in NZ?

I have 2 x 7-33 ..to be restored... not many parts spare what you are after sorry.... do have some parts 

Have a few leather stitching/sewing machines (30+)..  a restored 7-5 pictured

 

6 hours ago, gordond said:

Actually... is your machine a 7-33?...(who knows what they made in 1919?)

Here is one of my 7-33's - 1951 make (this does sew well .. just needs tarting up)

Hello!  We are at the Westland Industrial Heritage Park, in Hokitika....... the serial is G7048614, which tracks it to a model 7, but the sub class number is almost rusted off..... I can see one number after the 7 and a friend suggested it looks like a 7-33. Looking at your machines though it does look like a 7-5, which is what I thought when first inspecting the numbers, thanks for that confirmation. At this point I'm only after the throat plate set (the plates look like a layered pastry) and replacement tension assemblies for static appeal.  As the  main conrod connected to the central drive shaft is really badly rust welded (image with the orange circle) and the top end is just as bad,  I'm not very confident I have enough knowledge to actually get the whole mechanism turning. We are going to get some heat on there in the next couple of days - if we manage to get the weld to crack open there may still be hope that the whole system will eventually rotate.

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

On 4/1/2022 at 7:12 PM, Constabulary said:

Ouuuh - thats an ambitioned project !

Keysew in PA it out of business as I have learned recently. Maybe worth checking with Toledo Sewing Machines in Ohio.

 

OK, thanks for that!!

[Singer 7-33 under restoration]

Hi all

I volunteer at our local heritage park, and look after the machines there.  My current project is a rust welded Singer 7-33 from 1919 - I'm hoping to at least get the top end working a this point, as the under-bed mechanism looks pretty bad. It would be cool to get her turning to add to the now working presser foot and needle bar assemblies.  We built an electrolysis tank to start the cleaning process, and I have been slowly working away removing and cleaning more bits.  For now I'm after where to buy things like the throat plate set (35333 in the Seiko parts list) and the two tension assemblies....do these parts fit the Singer 7-33?. I tried looking at Keysew.com but I'm getting a 403 forbidden error.   Any help will be much appreciated.