New To Butterfly Head/universal Head Patcher Machines

[CowboyBob]

Yes,PB Blaster will help dissolve the grease then get a rag & wipe it out mmaybe even holding the rag w/tweezers since it's kinda tight back there.I won't worry about trying to get it all out just the worst of it & then oiling it will thin it ouit,mainly get any big globs out.

[suem]

Yes,PB Blaster will help dissolve the grease then get a rag & wipe it out mmaybe even holding the rag w/tweezers since it's kinda tight back there.I won't worry about trying to get it all out just the worst of it & then oiling it will thin it ouit,mainly get any big globs out.

Of course the can of blaster is hiding, I have some electronics contact cleaner that says it will dissolve petroleum products. I use this in my computers all the time...think that's ok to use? I also have some of that citrus stuff that from what I've seen will remove paint if left on full strength for long enough, I'm thinking WD 40 would NOT be a good choice. It looks like the worst is in the front behind the plate on that big pin....but I will use the rag suggestion...aggh I'm not even a mechanic and I know that one.

[Wizcrafts]

The second part sounds daunting but nothing I can't handle if the phone doesn't ring, people leave me alone and I've got all day ;-) Only part that is a little intimidating is knocking that pin out, it doesn't sound like you're saying there are any hard to do adjustments in there (kind of unbelievable but if you say so....).

SNIP

As for inspecting that spring, I can see the slot in the area above the needle, I can spot the two screws that are screwed onto the needle bar up beyond the butterfly but I sure can't see the "paddle," could it be that it's already broken off? That would be annoying.

Can you get a picture of what it's supposed to look like and post it?

Here is a closeup of the paddle on the thread regulator spring on the needlebar. Removing the parts, replacing the spring and replacing the parts took me a little over 1 hour; taking my time. It could be done in less time if someone was in a hurry and has experience with doing this. The hold up is usually getting the tapered pins out, without damaging the frames that hold them in place. It also took a few minutes to disassemble the lifting plunger assembly from the trapeze.

Here is the needle lifting plunger and take-up assembly, which also needs to come off, by removing the tapered pins.

[KateC]

What about Keroscene (sp) to clean up the old oil and then use a good sewing machine oil to lube it back up?

[catskin]

Just wondering does the 29K51 have that spring in the needle bar to? If so mine is missing. If it does where are they available?

[Wizcrafts]

Just wondering does the 29K51 have that spring in the needle bar to? If so mine is missing. If it does where are they available?

I got mine from Bob Kovar, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. You might want to get two of the little spring mounting screws and any other screws that are worn on your patcher, while you're at it. His number is: 866-362-7397. He also sells the threading rods, for $5.00.

[catskin]

Thanks Wiz, Wish I'd realized it was missing a few days ago. I am just had some stuff sent from Bob, that spring and a threading rod would not have added much weight. :lol:

[suem]

Here is a closeup of the paddle on the thread regulator spring on the needlebar. Removing the parts, replacing the spring and replacing the parts took me a little over 1 hour; taking my time. It could be done in less time if someone was in a hurry and has experience with doing this. The hold up is usually getting the tapered pins out, without damaging the frames that hold them in place. It also took a few minutes to disassemble the lifting plunger assembly from the trapeze.

Here is the needle lifting plunger and take-up assembly, which also needs to come off, by removing the tapered pins.

Just from your earlier description I was guessing the spring paddle thing is missing, that picture just confirms it.

It apparently must have broken off at some point, you can see the screws on the needle bar holding down what is most likely the top of the spring attachment with the lower piece missing.

Wow, the sellers seemed like a nice older couple, either their mechanic ripped them off or they were not the nice set of folk I thought they were; oh well not completely unexpected.

So I either need to get determined and do it myself or just work a trip to the local tech into the budget and I suppose whilst he has it apart he can clean and lube up the butterfly too.

When we were mounting it on the table, we noticed one of the mounting screw holes on the bottom of the base was broken, not so much it couldn't receive a screw but still broken....sheesh guess that's my luck with industrials..the first machine I bought UPS dropped off a truck or off the pallete in the warehouse and broke the base on that one too (took one corner of the base completely off..one hole mounting screw hole). Fortunately there was insurance...of course UPS fought tooth and nail to avoid paying the claim, but we won in the end. Moral of the story on my first leather machine, UPS drops everything never send a big machine like these anything but freight. We were thinking we could fix that mounting hole with jb weld...are the bases separate on the 72? (I can't tell)

(As for the question about the 58 having that spring...I'd bet it does, Singer seems to have found a good thing and just kept improving it...they all look pretty similar to me at first glance and if you look at the parts manuals a huge number of stuff is the same on a number of them.)

FYI...I looked at home depot and asked a few questions about removing grease/oil...no one really knew about anything but the blaster. I think the orange stuff would do it but it wouldn't be something you'd want to get on paint because I KNOW from past experience that left on long enough it will dissolve paint, even the bottled variety sold for the kitchen will.

Like I said I build a lot of computers, dirty contacts (grease oil corrosion) are issues. The can says it "dissolves petroleum products" and I also thought the contact cleaner would be good because it dries with no residue and "shouldn't" hurt rubber (i.e. all the plastic coating wiring in the system). I tried that and it took it right off one good spray or two, used a paper towel to catch the drips and rubbed around back there as much as I could. I also used the contact cleaner to try to clean out the butterfly and that HELPED a lot but I guess now we know that the spring is broke....but if it's completely broke I bet that isn't why the butterfly head is stiff? (since it was said if it was 'twisted" that could stick it up, but this isn't twisted it's completely broken off) The head has gone from catching in two places to catching in one now soo it probably is/ was all gummed up, the contact cleaner got a lot of black stuff to drip out when I sprayed it good.

Thank you so very much for everything everyone!!!!!

If I could send you all a big batch of home made cookies I'd do that!!!!!.

[suem]

Use a drift punch to drive out the tapered pin that holds the needlebar to the take-up lever puck. Drive from the back towards you.

Drive out the pin holding the take-up lever to its assembly (back towards front) and remove the lever

......

I'm confused about which pins have to come out????

I've decided to try this. I'm having a little trouble with your terminology. Can you please send a couple of pictures of the pins that have to come out? I understand the big one that attaches the "trapeze(???)" aka take up lever (or is the take up lever the thing on top of the trapeze that thread is threaded through?) to the needle bar but I don't understand which other pin has to come out...i.e. take up lever????

Drift punch...I'm assuming this tool has other names? Lowes doesn't carry anything called a drift pin punch neither does harbor freight. Northern tools has a drift pin punch set but they're huge and they want almost two hundred for the set. I found a "punch" set at lowes for 12.99 in looking at pictures I believe this is the same thing.

Back on the subject of the sticky butterfly...I hope when I get in here that I find the pieces of that thread spring jammed up in there or that I can finally get to whatever is gunking up the head but if that doesn't fix it..... I saw something called a "butterfly friction spring" in the parts list. I grabbed one at the same time I got the thread springs, was wondering if this could be the sticky butterfly problem and if it is what sort of a PITA is it to fix that. Since I'm going to have that all apart anyway might as well do that too. It wasn't an expensive part, like five bucks.

I am so anxious to get this running right, I've got a pair of fishing boots that fit me great other than my calves expanded when I started Kung Fu so they're too tight around my thunder calves anymore, I'm going to slit the side and add some marine vinyl to expand the top and seal the new seams, may not be as water tight as before but I don't really care too much about that as long as they fit. I couldn't figure out how to sew that patch in but this should handle that famously--this is what it's for after all, LOL.

Thanks so very much again for all the help.

[Wizcrafts]

Suem;

I strongly advise you to take the machine head to a professional sewing machine mechanic. Without the proper tools and know how, you may damage the moving parts beyond repairability.