Singer 7-33 under restoration

[MariaMS]

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.

[Constabulary]

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.

 

[MariaMS]

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!!

[gordond]

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

 

[gordond]

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)

Edited April 2, 2022 by gordond

[MariaMS]

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.

[gordond]

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.

[MariaMS]

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

 

[gordond]

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

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

Pfaff 545

[gordond]

Rear of 7-5

[Handstitched]

What a beauty !! I can only wish you and your team the very best of luck on an ambitious project. Hope you get it all up and running in the future  .    

HS

[MariaMS]

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....

 

 

[Constabulary]

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.

[gordond]

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.

[MariaMS]

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.

[MariaMS]

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!!

[gordond]

They're fun machines to restore....you certainly had your work cut out for you...hope you got a tetanus shot!

I restored 4 x 29K's (3xK58, 1x13)over the last 18 months..

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

 

[gordond]

Adler 30-1 .. servo motorized... These came with motor brackets 

[MariaMS]

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!!

[MariaMS]

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.

[gordond]

Ha! ..in the very least...you sterilised it!!!

Always gives me the willies punching that much heat into cast iron. But I do like to warm a little to bleed out any oil in cast iron... before finding it later in the painting process.

Good to see the plate bed isn't stuffed

[jrdunn]

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

[MariaMS]

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.

[MariaMS]

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

[dikman]

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