Singer 29-3 Presser Foot Won't Rotate

[AlZilla]

I dragged home an old 29-3 that almost wouldn't turn, having sat for 3 decades.

I now have it spinning like a roller coaster and am awaiting a new belt.

I have 1 issue left - the rotating presser foot doesn't rotate. There is no thumbscrew above the ears as I think there is supposed to be and I'm confident nothing is broken off in there - I can get a probe in 7/16" and hi res pics don't look like there's anything down there.

It wouldn't move at all yesterday.  Today after liberal applications of WD40, PB Blaster and whatever else I had on hand, it turns about a 16th of an inch.  It does not come up against a hard stop in either direction, but rather a soft stop.  I think it's gunked as badly as the back end of the machine was.  It looked like a 300,000 mile engine back there and I really think it had been lubed with motor oil.  Just thick, black tar-like stuff caked everywhere.

So, my question is, does anyone think I'm overlooking anything?  I see how the head comes off and I may remove it so I can either soak it or tear it apart.

On a lower priority one of the ears is broken off and I'll be looking for a replacement.

The one on the left in the pic.  I'm angling for the one on the right, too ...

Thanks!

[Wizcrafts]

Remove the needle clamp and stitch regulator clamp and screw above it. Then unscrew the two top and two bottom screws holding the head to the body and carefully pull it away and down from the body, leaving the needle bar attached to the top arm. Clean every part in there. There is a roller that needs to rotate freely on the back of the long sliding bar. The rotating foot parts include a ring and a feed motion cam. Remove them and clean off any junk.

Now, examing the paddle spring on the needle bar. It sits above the needle clamp. It is supposed to hold onto the top thread as the needle does its up/down jog to form the loop for the hook to pick off. Those little paddles and the thin spring in the middle can get out of shape and cause binding. If there is any pressure problem with that spring the loop may dissolve before the hook can pick it off. Check (paddle shaped) springs are cheap. But, use a magnetized screw driver if you change it to a new one. Don't loose the two tiny screws. Also, keep them separated so you can reinstall them into the same positions they were in. The reason for this is that the factory usually files down the leading and trailing edges of the crew heads to prevent scoring the inside of the revolving head housing. If you replace them with new screws, get a narrow file to taper the edges after tightening them in.

[AlZilla]

1 hour ago, Wizcrafts said:

The rotating foot parts include a ring and a feed motion cam. Remove them and clean off any junk.

Wow, thank you for taking the time for such a detailed response.  I'll follow your directions exactly.  I'm thinking the above parts are entombed in dried gunk.  Unfortunately, there's a dearth of videos and exploded views of these old machines.  Guys like you are invaluable.

[shoepatcher]

You want to use a penetrating oil on it. WD40 is not it.   The best you can buy Is Kroil Oil.  But NOT CHEAP!!!

glenn

[AlZilla]

So, pics attached.  I think I'm looking at the top and bottom of a part the manual calls a "Revolving Bush" (8573) and it should slide out downwards and I'll need to remove the top pin in the (8675) "Foot Bar" which will come out with it.  The Foot Bar is not going to remove vertically up and out of the Revolving Bush I don't think. It looks like I'd need to unpin it and drop it out the bottom.

So, Experts, am I looking at this right?

Because that Revolving Bush is solid tight in the head casting.

My thinking is to let some penetrating oil soak down in there a day or two and tap it with a nylon mallet.  Good plan?

Thank You!

 

Edited September 13, 2022 by AlZilla
Got it wrong the first, second and third time ...

[AlZilla]

OK, I've got it back together and working.  Mostly just old, dried lube and a touch of rust.

For any future people who stumble across this thread with a similar problem, follow Wizcraft's advice above.

I found the below linked video after I had mine back together.  In this one he disassembles a frozen head.  In the one after, he reassembles it.  Would have been helpful to watch first...

Thanks to everyone who chimed in. I  learned a lot.

 

 

[shoepatcher]

Use a sized wrench instead of a crescent wrench.  Works better.

glenn

[AlZilla]

7 hours ago, shoepatcher said:

Use a sized wrench instead of a crescent wrench.  Works better.

glenn

You must be referring to the video.  I thought the guy was a little slap dash but for a newbie, seeing the head disassembled and put back together is great. Or it would have been had I found it before I got mine back together ...

But I agree totally, good wrenches and screwdrivers are essential.

[AlZilla]

OK, I have an odd problem.  The foot walks back and forth fine when the foot is uu but has maybe a 1/4 of play forwards and back if I reach up and try to move it..  I tried running various things through it today without thread and that's when the problem became obvious as the material would hardly advance.  The clamp is installed correctly, I believe, based on various pictures I see  online.  Too dark to go up there tonight but I can get one tomorrow.

The result is that at max stitch length, my stitch holes are about 12 to the inch.

Now - If I move the plate in the clamp from under the screw to the opposite side of the presser foot arm(s), it eliminates the play but brushes against the needle bar.

I hope I just have some bone headed thing put together wrong.

I know that's probably clear as mud ...  Maybe I can take a short video tomorrow.

Any ideas?

 

[Garyak]

Worn bell crank?