Singer 29-4 repair

[ndnchf]

Hello, new guy here with 29-4 that has had a hard life. It appears that it was dropped at one point which broke some parts in the head. I have the head apart and found the feed motion ring slide bar and feed motion bell crank lever broken. Also the bottom of the needle bar was bent. But I've straightened it, probably within .010". The broken parts will need to be replaced. I was wondering if anyone has a "parts" machine that I could source these parts from? I see that these two parts are available new for various 29K machines, but am unclear if they will fit a 29-4.  Or can they be made to fit with minor modification?  I also need a number of smaller bits and pieces. Thanks, Steve

 

Edited June 12, 2016 by ndnchf

[Kohlrausch]

7 minutes ago, ndnchf said:

Hello, new guy here with 29-4 that has had a hard life. It appears that it was dropped at one point which broke some parts in the head. I have the head apart and found the feed motion ring slide bar and feed motion bell crank lever broken. Also the bottom of the needle bar was bent. But I've straightened it, probably within .010". The broken parts will need to be replaced. I was wondering if anyone has a "parts" machine that I could source these parts from? Thanks, Steve

Hi,

these are steel parts, they could be welded. I have an Adler 30 parted out. The parts are available. I have not tried to put them into my Singer 29, though. Needlebar and needleholder I have exchanged; also the entire Adler 30-head could be driven from the Singer 29K1, but that's al I have tried.

 

Greets

Ralf C.

 

[Constabulary]

I have not worked on a 29-4 but a 29K-3 (the K probably makes a difference). I have installed new bell crank levers to older 29K´s and I´m sure the the feed motion ring slide works too but both may need some smaller modifications. You at least have to grind down the ring on the outside of the BCL a little bit. But as I said I´m not 100% positive the the 29K is using the exact same parts as the 29 (w/o K). You probably have to compare parts lists. But I would guess the parts are the same.

I actually have a 29K3 parts machine because I had two 29K3 with broken parts (same as yours) so I made one machine out of them - let me know what you need and I will check if I have the parts.

Where are you located?

[ndnchf]

I thought about welding the parts, but correct alignment is critical. Welding often causes warping. If these are even .020" out of alignment, they may not work. But as a last resort I could try it. I'm in Virginia.

 

Parts and part number I need so far are:

Feed motion ring slide bar 8562

Feed motion bell crank lever 8559

Needle plate 8591 (mines rusted)

Stitch regulator thumb screw 288

Needle bar 8655 (8693 with springs)

Needle clamp 8687

Needle clamp screw 237f

Tension spring 8619

Tension cup 8617

Tension nut 1560

Small bobbins

 

 

Thanks, Steve

 

Here is my project machine.

 

Edited June 12, 2016 by ndnchf

[Kohlrausch]

2 hours ago, ndnchf said:

I thought about welding the parts, but correct alignment is critical. Welding often causes warping. If these are even .020" out of alignment, they may not work. But as a last resort I could try it. I'm in Virginia.

 

Parts and part number I need so far are:

 

Hi,

 

I think it's a more robust design. Having right angles in the machine is not a critical as having worn bearings. I'ld take it to the next car repair shop and have the parts welded, then clean off the dust and rust and see how it works. If the groove in the needlebar drive cam 8661 is worn out you have much bigger problems than a slightly misaligned BCL.

First I'ld try everything that just costs sweat, then try the repairs that cost money.

The grooves in the drive cams may be full of hardened oil, giving the impression of being in factory toleances. Once you start cleaning, oiling and operating the machine, the old oil would be dissolved and washed out and then there's plenty slack in the drive. Been there, done that, went there again, done it again. There may be a hole in the bucket, oh Liza...

Best wishes

greets

Ralf C.

Edited June 12, 2016 by Kohlrausch
Noooooo

[ndnchf]

I suppose you are right, I have nothing to lose by trying to weld them. I have a MIG and a buddy who is a better welder than I'll have him look at it and see what he thinks. Thanks.

[Sovran81]

The ring and the feed cam are high wear items. The -4 is an old machine. I would replace the parts with new. A used ring is almost impossible to determine wear without using a new cam as a gauge although it tends to only wear in the position most used for sewing. College Sewing has all these parts new. Chances are you will be stuck with a tiny stitch with worn used parts.

You might want to check how loose the bobbin gears and shaft is before sinking any money into it.

[Sovran81]

2 minutes ago, Sovran81 said:

The ring and the feed cam are high wear items. The -4 is an old machine. I would replace the parts with new. A used ring is almost impossible to determine wear without using a new cam as a gauge although it tends to only wear in the position most used for sewing. College Sewing has all these parts new. Chances are you will be stuck with a tiny stitch with worn used parts.

You might want to check how loose the bobbin gears and shaft is before sinking any money into it.

A few other things to think of. You will need rubber tires for the rewinder and a threading tool unless you already have those items. Also the needleplate is very rusty and I would guess pitted(mine was too) I cleaned it up buffed it nice and shiny and even waxed it, but it still created drag which affected the feed. Plan on getting a new needleplate. It made a world of difference once all the other new parts were installed.

[ndnchf]

Thanks sovran81. So far the parts known to wear that I've examined don't look too bad, but I've not yet got into the bottom end and bobbin gears. The parts that were broken are rusty in the broken area, leading me to speculate that the damage occured a long time me ago. That may account for the amount of wear I've seen so far. But more investigation is required. Thanks Steve

[Sovran81]

OK I hope it works for you. Remember even though they are old, they were finely machined. No rocking or play between parts. I didnt realize just how tight they were until I started replacing some meshed parts. needlebar and bushing rocked slightly but the new ones were very close fit and slid as smooth as butter. The old feed cam and ring had some play in it, but I managed another 2-3 TPI by replacing those. The new parts had movement clearance but no play. Now I am working on a mod to sew without bobbin. No more short runs.