Restoring OEM Stitch Length on Singer 29K70

[Brownie1]

Hey guys, great information here, I've also had some of the same struggles with my 29k71. I replaced the free motion cam roller which sits directly on the back of the head and my machine improved to where my stitch length was acceptable for me. I was also going to go a step further and replace the roller on the rear cam but found the machine performance acceptable for my needs;  plus I wasn't quite sure if I should screw with pulling the rear cam on the machine. Great information on this thread!

[Snakeoil]

Even though I said I was going to leave it alone for now, I still might pull the head off again and machine a new roller that will fit the cam perfectly in case there is some wear on the cam.

I'm glad to hear that others are finding this thread useful. There is no better way to learn how a machine works than to tear it apart and understand each bit and how they interrelate.

Here's another tip. Find yourself a small rare-earth magnet and put on the stand of the machine. The one I use came out of an old dead computer hard drive. These magnets are very strong. When I put a screwdriver, needle, bobbin, shuttle or whatever on the stand, the magnet stops it from rolling away or vibrating off the stand while sewing.

[Brownie1]

Good tip snakeoil. I don't know how many times I've dropped a part or even the hook when changing out my bobbin. I cringe as I watch it hit the floor and pray it didn't damage. Wizcraft gave me some good information to get this one 29K71 up and running and Bob from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines also helped me out with parts . 

Edited February 19, 2020 by Brownie1
added to comment

[Snakeoil]

Yours is prettier than mine. My decals are all gone. Just vestiges are visible. A rebuilder had spray painted the entire machine with junk paint 40 years ago and that came off with mineral spirits and sometimes acetone to reveal the original Japaning coating from the factory.

I see you have the table for yours. I got one with mine too. Very handy accessory. Because mine has a tower extension so you can stand while working, I had to make a new leg for my table. The original leg was split, half was missing and someone screwed an absolutely fugly piece of old house siding to it as an extension leg.

I have another tip for you. That big spool of thread you have on the machine does not belong there. That kind of spool is intended to have the thread taken off from above  while the spool remains stationary. It is not meant to be pulled off and the spool rotate while on a pin. If that is how all your thread is packaged, you should make a stand to go on the back of your machine with a guide above the spool thru which the thread runs and then goes down to the machine. The guy that had mine did not use the treadle, so he put that type of  spool on the back end of the stand where the belt comes thru and ran the thread up to the spool pin and on to the first guide/oil cup. You have what looks like a cup or spool in a plastic bag sitting in that very spot.

Rob

Edited February 19, 2020 by Snakeoil

[Constabulary]

16 hours ago, Snakeoil said:

Even though I said I was going to leave it alone for now, I still might pull the head off again and machine a new roller that will fit the cam perfectly in case there is some wear on the cam.

You are officially bitten by the sewing machine bug now. There is no cure but it can become even worse. Expect that you will buy another machine in near future 

[Snakeoil]

Actually, I don't have to buy another machine. I've inherited a Model 66 with the nice 7 drawer cabinet. Made in 1913, it belonged to my wife's cousin's Dad who used it to make repairs on things. At some point, her cousin completely restored the cabinet and treadle and made it a decorator piece in his home. Unfortunately, he never put a drop of oil in the machine and it is frozen up, rock solid. Not rusty from what I can see underneath, but only taking it apart will tell. At some point it will come home and I'll dig into it. It has the Red Eye decal pattern and the condition of all those decals is excellent.

I have more than my share of winter therapy projects. Yesterday, a friend at the club handed me a vintage Bausch & Lomb Balvar target scope with problems. I took it apart when I got home and found that it has several broken parts. I will machine replacement parts today and bring the scope back to life.

[Brownie1]

Make sure you take before and after pics of the model 66, love to see how it cleans up .... being able to produce your own parts is a hugh bonus Snakeoil.

[newfieboy]

What were you sewing to achieve you best SPI? 

[Snakeoil]

A sheet a paper was used to punch holes and measure the SPI.

 

[Snakeoil]

Brownie, I have a suggestion for your large industrial spool issue. By coincidence, I addressed this on my machine yesterday.

On the base, where that plastic bag is sitting on your machine is where this will go. Find yourself a large magnet or better yet magnetic base. I just happened to find one cleaning out the basement of an estate I'm settling. An old broomstick make a perfect spindle for those spools since they don't turn. Mount about an 8 inch length of broomstick to the magnet or mag base and put right where that plastic bag is on your stand. Run the thread up and over the small spool spindle and on to the oil cup/guide.

I was initially going to remove the screw for the side leg on the stand and replace it with a longer stud and a wood spindle screwed onto the stud. But then I remembered I had that extra mag base and it made it much simpler.

A tip on finding too magnets is any time you run across a dead microwave over, strip it apart. There will be some really strong magnets inside the magnetron.  I have two stuck to a cabinet door in the basement that are about 2-1/2 inches in diameter and very difficult to remove from the metal door.