singer 1931 belt stuck

[beltbuckles]

i  found a pleasent 1931 singer machine class 18  on the curb a few years ago.. it didn't have a power plug or pedel... but my friend had an extra one that i borroowed to test it out today. when i plugged it in for the first time, the motor seemed to spin but the belt wouldn't move.. i had a hard time even by hand to spin the wheel on the side... any ideas to get this thing running?

[Constabulary]

remove the V- belt and try to hand crank the machine so you can narrow down if the problem is the machine or the motor. Maybe machine is gummed with old oil or thread accumulated in the hook era. If gummed "oil it" with kerosene so the gummed spot can break loose.

I have attached some Class 18 manuals, maybe they help a bit.

 

18-22_23_25_26_27_35_36_37.pdf

18-2.pdf

Edited May 4, 2017 by Constabulary

[beltbuckles]

thanks for the reply... maybe i got the wrong class, but the manual for the machines don't match the machine i got...   the one i got looks like this https://www.ebay.com/p/?iid=332177861852&lpid=82&&&ul_noapp=true&chn=ps 

[Yetibelle]

Hmmm - so that would be a 99 model.  Does you machine look like that, or actually is that, because the 99 home machine also looks like 66 and about 10 other Singer machines?  You should be able to turn the hand wheel.  You will need to get some sewing oil, it could be just frozen and the oil will help.  There is a silver dial in the middle of the wheel see if you can turn that.  That may be on to tight or wrong and locking the machine up. 

[beltbuckles]

its a Ad426453    http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/serial-numbers/singer-ad-series-serial-numbers.html

[Yetibelle]

Ok that looks like a Model 66.  Here are the guides and a few videos.  I'm sure you know this isn't a leather machine, sure it's a Singer and will sew just about anything, but it really is a basic home machine. 

  Singer Parts 66.pdf

Singer Model 66.pdf

 

[beltbuckles]

thanks for the help.. so i was playing with it a minute ago.. i turned the smaller wheel on the big wheel.. it loosened something, which allowed the wheel to turn alot more freely, but then the needle and dogfeed didn't move at all..  when i tightened it, the feet and needle would move but it was super hard to move wheel. There was a rubbing noise when i turned the wheel (with it loose)  i dumped a ton of oil by the bobbin, but that didn't help too much

anyway,, is it worth all the effort to fix it?  or should it be more of a decoration,. (i have a cheap new singer home sewing machine..  made in like 2012) would i be better off just continuing to use that? (i also have a consew 227 for leather

Edited May 4, 2017 by beltbuckles

[Yetibelle]

So the little wheel in the big wheel, when you let that loose - it disengages the needle feed so you can wind a bobbin without the needle going.  Then you put it back to sew regular.  Since it "kinda moves" it means that there is hope.  But if you oil it up it may come right back.  Since you have a primary working machine, this will not be an improvement, just an alternate machine. 

[Wizcrafts]

I rebuild old iron Singer sewing machines as a side line at my leather shop. Some of them are jammed up from not being oiled in decades, or stored in garages or storage sheds. I oil every crank that connects to another crank and every oil hole, including those hidden under the top and back covers. Eventually, they loosen up and after lubing the gears and other cleanup, they usually come back to life in a short time.

You can buy a new replacement motor and wire harness for your Class 66 for a hundred bucks, or less. That would also include a new belt.

The small wheel inside the flywheel is the free motion clutch. Turning it counterclockwise disengages the internal mechanism for free winding of bobbins. If the machine tries to turn with the clutch knob backed all the way to its backstop, it need oiled inside. Use an oiler with a long thin tube to drop some oil inside the machine end of the clutch knob wheel. If that doesn't loosen it up and free the machine drive, the back end parts need to be removed and cleaned/reoiled and reassembled. This is tedious and fraught with danger for a newbie.