Singer 29-4 Needle Plate / Threading

[shoeleatherexpress]

At first glance, nothing looks awry in this adjustment area, very solid not sloppy and set screws intact and tight.  Is the pulley between the flywheel and housing another place of adjusting?

[Wizcrafts]

1 hour ago, shoeleatherexpress said:

Is the pulley between the flywheel and housing another place of adjusting?

The second pulley is used to change the pulley ratio from the top and bottom. In your machine's case, the spare pulley is smaller. If you connect it to the treadle, the speed will increase as you pedal the machine. You will empty the tiny bobbins even faster with this small pulley.

[shoepatcher]

I have tension springs for the bobbin case.  Also, does your machine have a tension spring in the needle bar?  Check it.

glenn

[Ole South]

Hope this Patcher is working better for you.  The thread in your pictures looks mighty thick... 138?  Use 69 thread top and bottom to get the machine set up and working.  92 thread is about the biggest that I've found works somewhat reliably on a 29 series Patcher. Although, once functional and you have a decent stitch length you can get by using 69 or 92 (MAX) as bobbin and 138 as a top thread (for cosmetics) with a larger diameter needle (DIX4 / 29X4 -130/21** or /22) for some projects. 

Also, if you haven't already, check your bobbin shuttle drive for slop.  Side to side (NESW) and rotationally.  On machines this old I've found the wear in the arm pivot hole* coupled with wear on the shuttle drive shaft to be excessive.  Replacing the shuttle doesn't always completely close the tolerances as the hole in the arm has significant wear over the last 111 years.  I've cut feeler gauge (.002 I think?!!?) to exact size and length to "line" the shuttle shaft receiver hole* and a liberal application of high speed (not needed for speed, it sticks to glide surfaces well) silicon grease (red or green usually) during fitting and it helps.  Of course, the proper way would be to fill with and peen brass or bronze and then rebore to your shuttle shaft diameter but... I just needed mine to work for another 50 years or so.  (The rack and pinion gear(s) under the arm also play into this equation but after reducing that play as much as possible, I've still found too much slop. Those parts were usually the first swapped out until they were no longer available (25-40 years ago??).  So oft times, they have less wear than the shuttle drive area. and if no rack or idler gears are forthcoming you CAN reduce those tolerances by building up the back of the rack gears slightly (.001-.004 mebbe).  This just pushes the rack teeth deeper into the idler gears thus reducing lash,  Make sure everything still glides without resistance before lubing it up.  I found jams and thread nests under the shuttle drive virtually go away once the shuttle rotates on a stable axis.

Parts are hard to find for these oldies but goodies... some -71 parts still work, some import 71 parts need work and most of the "used" parts are worse than you have on your machine... *sigh*. You do what you can.

* (same reference)
** I believe Organ and Groz-Beckert still makes these, I've purchased them in the last 5 years.  Yeah, just checked Ebay and Amazon... both have plenty of stock.

Edited October 3, 2023 by Ole South

[Bizzib]

Is there any way of moving the needle plate or the neeedle bar, as the needle is not in the centre of the needle hole? I assume ther is an adjustment.

 

[Constabulary]

57 minutes ago, Bizzib said:

Is there any way of moving the needle plate or the neeedle bar, as the needle is not in the centre of the needle hole? I assume ther is an adjustment.

 

 No you cant but you can move the needle holder a bit sideways. Loosen the screw above the needle clamping screw and try to move the needle holder. It may be stuck if so try to remove it and clean it from oil, gunk and dirt and try again. Whe moving the needle holder make sure the tip of the shuttle hook does not touch the needle.