Prettiest singer 111w155... biggest pain in my butt

[BrownChicken]

I nearly gutted the machine and cleaned it, oh boy did it seem like it sat in mud! Then I gave it some new paint and fancy decals. The tension release guide has been the biggest pain in my butt. So the thing first of all was broken when I bought it, no big deal. Ordered a new one. New one broke while putting it on. Ordered a different one, same look, put it on and the thing barely worked. Wouldn't release the tension and appeared the pin wasn't long enough. Well I measured my pin against a brand new one and it's the same size sooooo I go back to it today and now the somewhat-working tension release guide doesn't work at all. What the heck. I don't see it broken but I just give up. I'm throwing my money at the one he bought below hoping it fits my singer as it seems just so much better made. 

 

Here is the link, anyone have experience if it'll work or not for my singer? 

 

 

[Constabulary]

How can you break a complete tension unit? Are you sure they are broke?

1st I´d remove the tension unit again and check if the pin that goes from front to back through the machine head is present - if not you need a new pin (obviously). #20 in below picture

The procedure you have linked above works for your 111 as well but before you rip apart everything check if that parts is present and if it is broke or not. It is covered with a large head screw on the back side.

If pin #20 is present and the tension release on the backside is present and functional you can try to bend #17 a little bit to war the pin #20 or a adjust little center bar on the tension release disc #13 by tapping it a tiny bit towards the pin #11. Or buy bicycle spoke and cut a piece a bit longer than pin #11 and replace it - all that is trial and error.

Edited May 4, 2017 by Constabulary

[dikman]

Sure does look pretty, Brown Chicken, seems almost a shame to use it . I had to fit one of those tension release guides to my 111W117, as that model doesn't normally have one. It was obviously a generic piece and required a bit of judicious bending to get it to work. The hole that slides over the shaft didn't quite line up and when I got that working I had to tweak a couple of other bits to get it to push the pin. Just make sure there's nothing binding, it should move freely. I got there in the end, but it wasn't a simple  "drop it in and it works" thing.

[Yetibelle]

WOW that really is good looking, nice job on that.  Now I feel sorry for my 111 .  This may have already been said, but what size thread are you using and how are you threading the machine?  I know there are a few different ways to thread this machine that all appear correct.

 

 

 

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

This is, like, literally, the holy grail of Singer 111W155s.  

[Yetibelle]

I just like looking at it.  BTW those decals look spot-on, where did you get them? 

 

 

[wendlynne]

The decals, the pretty. 

I am so impressed. And I would love to know where you got the decals as well!

[Constabulary]

check Ebay for Singer decals....

[wendlynne]

yeah, but the decal quality swings pretty widely between sellers on ebay. Some are just horrible scans on cheap materials =O

[Yetibelle]

 

yeah, but the decal quality swings pretty widely between sellers on ebay. Some are just horrible scans on cheap materials =O

Exactly