Members TSquared Posted December 9, 2012 Author Members Report Posted December 9, 2012 The needle looks centered front to back but it is rubbing the left side of of the hole. I did check for bent needle, not bent. Eric mentioned early on to make sure the needle was centered, I just can't figure out how. Probably so simple I am overlooking it.. Quote
Members dmar836 Posted December 9, 2012 Members Report Posted December 9, 2012 I wish I could help. He will have to chime in on this one. So is the needle centered in the vibrating foot? After you mentioned the needle bare hitting it, I wonder if something got bent somewhere? Dave Quote
CowboyBob Posted December 9, 2012 Report Posted December 9, 2012 When we rebuild these we always check the needle for play as it seems that the hole elongates from side to side from the repeated tightening of the needle.It prrobably takes years for it to happen & will esp cause skip stitches the thicker you sew. Sooo how much play do you have when you loosen the screw that holds the needle? Quote Bob Kovar Toledo Industrial Sewing Machine Sales Ltd. 3631 Marine Rd Toledo,Ohio 43609 1-866-362-7397
Members gottaknow Posted December 10, 2012 Members Report Posted December 10, 2012 Dave, I need to move my feed dog to the left to center the needle. I tried to loosen the two little screws without success as I could not get them loose. Is there a different setting? Verify you've got a good needle, and you're going to have to get those two screws loose. There is plenty of adjustment there as the two screws sit on flat spots and have larger holes to allow side to side adjustment. Granted, those screws can be a bugger, especially since most people use really poor screwdrivers. I've been using Snap On screwdrivers which have really hard tips. When they wear, I get them replaced for free. In the mean time, I use an 1/8" wide insert bit with a slotted head. I then use a 1/4" ignition wrench to turn the insert bit which you can get straight up and down on the screws. I also have a set of screwdrivers I've ground at different angles to reach screws you can't get straight on. Old allen wrenches make really good offset screwdrivers as well when ground to shape. I replace my most common allen wrenches twice a year, so there's always plenty available. Before you attempt to loosen them, tap the dogs from side to side which will loosen the screws a bit so you can get started. Oh, and if you by chance need a needle bar, I've got tons of orginal Singer ones I'll never use. Be happy to mail you one. Regards, Eric Quote
Members TSquared Posted December 10, 2012 Author Members Report Posted December 10, 2012 Eric, I might have to take you up on your offer. I have a surface plate I can roll the needle bar on to see if it is bent. Is there anything special to removing the bar? If I do get one from you, I will pay for it and the shipping. Tom Quote
Members gottaknow Posted December 10, 2012 Members Report Posted December 10, 2012 Eric, I might have to take you up on your offer. I have a surface plate I can roll the needle bar on to see if it is bent. Is there anything special to removing the bar? If I do get one from you, I will pay for it and the shipping. Tom The bar is easy to replace. I'd be sure it needs to be first. If your machine is timed right, you can use your hook point for a height reference. You can also measure the distance of the between the top of the throat plate and the point of the needle with the bar all the way up. There is a clamp on the needle bar that secures it in place. It's easy to see from the end of the machine. You can check for trueness, including the needle holder without removing it from the machine. Start with a new needle and measure the height from the throat plate. Turn the needle bar down until the tip is just about to go through the feed dog hole. Loosen the clamp and rotate the bar. Using the hole in the dog, you'll see if it's out of true. This is a quick way to check a needle bar. I've seen my share of bent ones over the years, so if you're having trouble and you're sure the machine is timed right, check the bar. You'll still need to get those feed dogs loose at some point. We have at least 50 211's in storage, so you can imagine the parts inventory I'll never use. No charge for a new bar and set screw, and I imagine the postage would be just a couple of bucks. If your needle bar was ok to start with, certainly nothing wrong with a new one, but you'll still need to resolve any remaining issues. To remove your needle bar, take out the needle set screw and thread guide in your bar still has one. Loosen the clamp and slide the bar out the top of the machine. There's a hole for it, though you may need to rotate the machine a bit to line it up. Regards, Eric Quote
Members TSquared Posted December 11, 2012 Author Members Report Posted December 11, 2012 Eric, Here is my latest update. Hopefully you are keeping notes for your upcoming self help DVD. The 111w155 needle bar does not come out the top as there is no access hole. In order to remove the needle bar, one must remove the connector between the walking foot and needle bar. Remove the L-shaped bracket that holds the walking foot/needle bar assembly (next to the presser foot release). Then remove the set screw at the top of the machine next to the walking foot pressure adjustment screw. With the set screw removed, the cone shaped shoulder bolt can be tapped out to the left allowing the complete assembly to move to the left. The needle bar can then be pulled out thru the bottom cavity next to the hook. I will try to get assembly photos for you when I put it back together. My needle bar was indeed bent, but not as much as I thought. With the lenght of the bar, even the slightest bend is magnified due to the lenght. I also got the screws out of the lower feed dog. One screw (the long one) is in good shape. The short one however is almost completely destroyed. My guess is some previous tech got in there with the wrong screwdriver and could not get a good bite on the head and just washed the grove out. I was lucky because with the needle bar assembly removed I was able to get my custom made screwdriver at 180 degrees to the head (I took a screw driver and modified the flat to match the washed out head). The lower dog does have some adjustment in the holes. Not much but enough to get the needle hole centered. The lower dog appears to have been modified. The rear part of the dogs teeth are about 80% ground away. Might be why I was not getting the feeding action I expected. Any chance I can get a needle bar, lower dog and the short screw from you? I was not able to get the thread guide off the needle bar because half of the screw head is missing. I can put it in the mill and remove the rest of the head, but I am sure that the screw is a special pitch like the rest of the screws on the machine. Tom Quote
Members dmar836 Posted December 11, 2012 Members Report Posted December 11, 2012 Wow Tom, your machine has had a tough life. It'll be great when you have given it a second chance! If you, too, have a mill, I'm sure you could fab your own thread guide though maybe a used bar might have one. Mine is working fine now but I do need to refine the pressor feet pressures and heights. I want to replace the plates and dog and get some welt feet so mine should be even better. Keep up the good work! Dave Quote
Members gottaknow Posted December 11, 2012 Members Report Posted December 11, 2012 Eric, Here is my latest update. Hopefully you are keeping notes for your upcoming self help DVD. The 111w155 needle bar does not come out the top as there is no access hole. In order to remove the needle bar, one must remove the connector between the walking foot and needle bar. Remove the L-shaped bracket that holds the walking foot/needle bar assembly (next to the presser foot release). Then remove the set screw at the top of the machine next to the walking foot pressure adjustment screw. With the set screw removed, the cone shaped shoulder bolt can be tapped out to the left allowing the complete assembly to move to the left. The needle bar can then be pulled out thru the bottom cavity next to the hook. I will try to get assembly photos for you when I put it back together. My needle bar was indeed bent, but not as much as I thought. With the lenght of the bar, even the slightest bend is magnified due to the lenght. I also got the screws out of the lower feed dog. One screw (the long one) is in good shape. The short one however is almost completely destroyed. My guess is some previous tech got in there with the wrong screwdriver and could not get a good bite on the head and just washed the grove out. I was lucky because with the needle bar assembly removed I was able to get my custom made screwdriver at 180 degrees to the head (I took a screw driver and modified the flat to match the washed out head). The lower dog does have some adjustment in the holes. Not much but enough to get the needle hole centered. The lower dog appears to have been modified. The rear part of the dogs teeth are about 80% ground away. Might be why I was not getting the feeding action I expected. Any chance I can get a needle bar, lower dog and the short screw from you? I was not able to get the thread guide off the needle bar because half of the screw head is missing. I can put it in the mill and remove the rest of the head, but I am sure that the screw is a special pitch like the rest of the screws on the machine. Tom I'll get into my "I'll never use all of these" drawers and see whats there tommorow if I have time. I'm setting up a jeans line for the next few weeks, but I'll start digging around for you. I'm thinking the 211W151 comes out the top as they don't have a walking foot. I could have been thinking of a Singer 281, 300W, 269w, 230g, yikes..too many numbers in my head! Singer has their own thread standards for the majority of the screws. I have over the years found other mfgs will do in a pinch. Measure the length of your needle bar for me when you get a chance and I'll need a pic and demensions of your throat plate. A part number would do if it's still there. Here's a 211 I rebuilt for a local upholsterer and a Consew 327RB I overhauled to set headers on the flags we produce. It's a clone of the Singer 212 which is basicaly a 211 with another hook. Regards, Eric Quote
Members TSquared Posted December 11, 2012 Author Members Report Posted December 11, 2012 Nothing better than old glory. My flag pole is not big enough for the size flag in your photo. I sure with it was though. I drive past Summit Racing every morning and they have a 50 foot pole with a gigantic flag on it. The flag stands proud in a slight wind. My email address is fourpointwelder@yahoo.com. Send me your address and I will send you money for the parts and shipping. How exact do you need the needle bar measurement? I have 12" calipers at work, just a tape here at home. If not too exact, then the needle bar is about 6.250, not including the thread guide (maybe a bit longer). The throat plate is a 240147 Quote
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