Singer 111W153 & table resto project

[Sugarkryptonite]

Hi guys

I just got this as my first machine from my uncle who had it sitting in his basement for the past few years. He had it for a while and used it to fix horse blankets for people at shows when my cousin was into the horse game. I'm excited to have it and love how it looks! We turned on the motor and it ran well in his basement.

My plan is to just do quick cleanup on the machine (while leaving the original patina), clean up the table with new paint on the legs and a wood treatment for the top (also keeping the patina), and hopefully get it running nicely to sew some stuff!

Some pics attached. So far I've cleaned up the machine, oiled it up, disassembled the whole table, sandblasted the legs, painted them (now letting them dry). Next step is going to be applying the wood treatment for the top which I will hopefully do in the next few days.

Oh and btw, from another thread I made, with the help of some members here, we were able to determine that this machine was built around 1943 in Bridgeport, USA!

Edited December 22, 2018 by Sugarkryptonite

[dikman]

Good fun, isn't it? I think I would have repainted the baseplate, though, as most of the paint is missing.

The head looks fine.

[DonInReno]

Looking good!

[Sugarkryptonite]

Thanks guys!

Would any of you be able to measure the pedals on your tables? I got this machine and the pedal was taken off so I need to make one to replace it but don't know what dimensions to make it... Also if anyone could post some detailed pictures of their pedal it would be greatly appreciated!

[blue duck]

Mine is a 155 but pretty sure it will work. It is 10" x 13 3/8" Be glad to get any other info you need. Just holler.

[Sugarkryptonite]

5 hours ago, blue duck said:

Mine is a 155 but pretty sure it will work. It is 10" x 13 3/8" Be glad to get any other info you need. Just holler.

Thanks! Will give me a starting point at least. 

[Yetibelle]

Looks great! I want a sandblaster! You should get a Servo motor for it.  That giant clutch motor while they look great there is really nothing great about them.  The Rex Servo is about $100 buck on Amazon, I have got a few and they work great.  The best upgrade you can do for the machine, other than a sandblaster.

 

 

[Sugarkryptonite]

3 hours ago, Yetibelle said:

Looks great! I want a sandblaster! You should get a Servo motor for it.  That giant clutch motor while they look great there is really nothing great about them.  The Rex Servo is about $100 buck on Amazon, I have got a few and they work great.  The best upgrade you can do for the machine, other than a sandblaster.

 Thanks! And yeah I would really like to get one, but I'm in Canada so just been trying to find a place that has some in stock for a decent-enough price...unfortunately Canadian prices are normally pretty crazy compared to our southern brethren. 

 

At this point I'm not even sure where to get thread/needles/fabric etc in Canada for my first project lol

Edited December 25, 2018 by Sugarkryptonite

[Sugarkryptonite]

Just another update since I managed to get everything painted, the legs assembled, as well as the top coated with finishing wax. Doesn't look half bad.

Christmas present I got!

And one of my dad's current project...Pullmax custom metal shaper

Some more pictures from the shop

And my dads custom made CNC Plasma table, which I will use to cut out the foot pedal I need to make.

Edited December 30, 2018 by Sugarkryptonite

[Rockoboy]

WOW!! I have serious tool envy! I think you have one of the best equipped workshops I have ever seen.

Ohh yeah, great job on the rebuild.

[dikman]

Second photo, the sawhorse brackets.......I bought a set of those way back in the mists of time and haven't seen any since!

Until now.

[ensitmike]

Wow that’s  a big daddy welding rig you got there. Nice. 

Also did you do anything before applying the wax to the top? Was it just paste wax? If you ever want to apply a urethane or shallac will the wax be a problem?

i have the same top and was looking to put a new top finish without ruining the patina. 

Edited December 31, 2018 by ensitmike

[Sugarkryptonite]

23 hours ago, Rockoboy said:

WOW!! I have serious tool envy! I think you have one of the best equipped workshops I have ever seen.

Ohh yeah, great job on the rebuild.

 Thanks

21 hours ago, dikman said:

Second photo, the sawhorse brackets.......I bought a set of those way back in the mists of time and haven't seen any since!

Until now.

1 hour ago, ensitmike said:

Wow that’s  a big daddy welding rig you got there. Nice. 

Also did you do anything before applying the wax to the top? Was it just paste wax? If you ever want to apply a urethane or shallac will the wax be a problem?

i have the same top and was looking to put a new top finish without ruining the patina. 

Thanks!

I had started sanding it in the hopes of getting it more uniform in color, but in the end decided against it and just to leave it how it was. I used mineral spirits to clean the top after I sanded it a bit, then just applied the finishing wax (yeah in a paste form, but made for wood). And yes if you wanted to apply urethane or shallac after you would definitely have to remove the wax. This top had some sort of shellac on it and was clogging up my sandpaper discs every 5 seconds...But like I said I just used mineral spirits to wipe it down then applied the wax, about 5 coats in total to get it to feel smooth.

Worked on the foot pedal today since the table and machine didn't come with it (it was removed for some reason). Started out by designing the piece to be cut in Autocad, then cut it out on my dad's CNC plasma. Then bent it up on our sheet metal break. Finally, made some inserts for the mounts on the table to allow the pedal to pivot. Still need to weld up the corners and paint/apply some rubber or something to the face of it.

 

[ensitmike]

2 hours ago, Sugarkryptonite said:

 

I had started sanding it in the hopes of getting it more uniform in color, but in the end decided against it and just to leave it how it was. I used mineral spirits to clean the top after I sanded it a bit, then just applied the finishing wax (yeah in a paste form, but made for wood). And yes if you wanted to apply urethane or shallac after you would definitely have to remove the wax. This top had some sort of shellac on it and was clogging up my sandpaper discs every 5 seconds...But like I said I just used mineral spirits to wipe it down then applied the wax, about 5 coats in total to get it to feel smooth.

 

 

Awesome. Thank you for the great info. I think I’ll do the same. 

Mind if I ask why you ended up choose wax over something more durable/permanent like a polyeurethane coating, etc?

Edited December 31, 2018 by ensitmike

[Sugarkryptonite]

8 hours ago, ensitmike said:

Awesome. Thank you for the great info. I think I’ll do the same. 

Mind if I ask why you ended up choose wax over something more durable/permanent like a polyeurethane coating, etc?

Just what I had on hand really, plus it's a more natural look. I was thinking of using poly and sometimes still wish I did... It's just more of a pain to get rid of after if you don't like it how it looks. From what I see it can look pretty plasticy

[Sugarkryptonite]

Hi guys and gals,

I finally got the machine installed in my room, messed around with the table quite a bit, installed and removed the legs, moved them over, bla bla, looks pretty good. 

I was hoping someone could help me with adjusting the presser foot knee lift. Whenever I do it, the rod on the machine seems to want to twist, and then all of a sudden it "lets go", and makes a spring type noise. From the videos I've watched, the action is suppose to be smooth. Also, could someone explain how to adjust the spring that is on the rod itself with the set screw? Not sure where to set it exactly.

Also, with the machine set at its lowest indicated of 5 stitches per inch, it produces an actual 6. Is there a way to adjust that, or is that the lowest the machine will go mechanically? I read you can adjust the set screw on the dial to make it read "true", but the adjustment will still bottom out in the same place, correct?

Thirdly, the little aluminum looking piece on the front of the machine that you thread through 3 times is loose and moves up and down. Is  that normal, or does it need to be tightened?

As you can see in the last pic, the rod has been rubbing on the machine every time it moves up and down, not sure if it's the bend that it has is wrong or what...Not sure what they're suppose to look like.

Edited January 6, 2019 by Sugarkryptonite

[shoepatcher]

I have seen them where the rod enters the  hole in the bracket and then just bends.  It is held in place by a small cotter pin and there is no upward bend in the rod.  You can also try bending the bracket out ward ever so slightly.  remove the bracket from the machine before you try bending it in case you put to much strain on the bracket and snap it out of the casting .

glenn

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

How the heck did I miss all of this action?  Great thread, thanks for sharing.  Love this.

[Sugarkryptonite]

22 hours ago, shoepatcher said:

I have seen them where the rod enters the  hole in the bracket and then just bends.  It is held in place by a small cotter pin and there is no upward bend in the rod.  You can also try bending the bracket out ward ever so slightly.  remove the bracket from the machine before you try bending it in case you put to much strain on the bracket and snap it out of the casting .

glenn

Good idea, thanks! I think that might be the problem, too. If I hold the top of the rod where the second bend is and stop it from twisting, it's much smoother. Any idea about setting the spring height/tension with the set screw on the rod itself?

11 hours ago, Gregg From Keystone Sewing said:

How the heck did I miss all of this action?  Great thread, thanks for sharing.  Love this.

Thanks Gregg! Appreciated.

Edited January 10, 2019 by Sugarkryptonite

[shoepatcher]

The spring should be under no tension until you raise the foot.  That is how I would set it.

glenn

[Sugarkryptonite]

20 hours ago, shoepatcher said:

The spring should be under no tension until you raise the foot.  That is how I would set it.

glenn

Glenn, I'm not sure what you mean exactly. When I raise the foot, the spring gets loose, not under tension, is that what you meant?

[SilverForgeStudio]

@Sugarkryptonite Thank you for this thread- Looks awesome and you really need to get a design etched into that foot-plate- the machine NEEDS some pin-striping hot rod details after you have finished with it!

Seriously- looks great. Love the South Bend Heavy- not too many of those workhorses kept that well these days! (I have an old Rockwell just as loved)

[shoepatcher]

Then tight the spring down in the rest position.  I had it backwards.  Sorry.

glenn

[Rockoboy]

20 hours ago, SilverForgeStudio said:

you really need to get a design etched into that foot-plate

I agree with @SilverForgeStudio. Maybe a pattern for looks, and texture so your foot does not slip on the plate.

[Sugarkryptonite]

Dad was able to get all my packages yesterday at our P.O. box in NY. Got some small parts, screws, bobbins, and my new servo motor. I had bought a new belt this past week, the same size as my old one, thinking that it would fit the servo motor, but nope.... Was able to make up some parts with my dad to get it to fit temporarily with this belt. Unfortunately some problems with the parts I got...was sent the wrong thread tension release slide, and the switch on the servo motor was broken out of the box.