Well if you looked at how much it would cost to build them now , like they did back then , the price tag at the store would be insane , this is why they dont make them good anymore , lucky for us we can get a way better built vintage for pennies compared to todays plastic crap , its a good thing , it makes people look at vintage and realize not all things from the past are primative, in fact we are always trying to make things better but make them worse when it comes to sewing machines , do i need a computer course to sew now ? Sewing was meant to be simple and enjoyable, my mom swears more now when she sews then when she had her old singer 15-91 i can tell you that lol ...i smile every time i get a new (old) sewing machine and start a stitch ......vintage rules ....
Great idea cutting down the chip brush for cleaning! I also use an new extra firm toothbrush for tough spots like the feed dogs. Another idea when the lint is really bad is the mini electronic and keyboard vacuum kits. They come with mini vacuum brushes and nozzles too. Thanks for the tips!
I bought a set of attachments for my shop vacation at Lowes that are designed for doing keyboards and the like. Especially helpful when cleaning out the lead oxide flakes from certain sewing machines like the 221 and 101.
Thank you Bob, I just got one of these machines and it is awesome, thanks for the video's they make keeping these machine's from hitting the scrap yard. Keep up the great work
oil bottle 1/2 or under fill a needle oil bottle then if it gets knocked over it does not make a mess. Under the machine and some other parts are hard to reach, I transfer a drop to a cocktail stick and reach the drop to the oil point that way. Just working a 99k 1953, somehow the presser foot spring has been damaged in more than one place, I manages to straighten a few of the kinks so that it works with less noise ;-) The tension mechanism was sticking out too far so the pin would not release the disks The hand wind plastic was seized and the previous owner was using it and the full metal shaft that was riveted on to the handle had come lose and wobbled about but it still worked. I had to file off the sides of the rivet head and file out the plastic handle and then use a ball pein hammer to remake the rived head. Surprising what you can do when you decide to have a go. All the best
Also bobbin winder and stitch length plate are different on a 192 then the 99 , i made a video showing how to covert your 192 into a 99 or as i call it the 199 lol ....great stuff bob , like always 👍👍
Schmoo - the goo we love to hate. :-) Blimmin' stuffs addictive. It's so satisfying to get rid of it that once I start I can't stop until there's not a skerrick of it left. And it seems I get a rather vicarious thrill out of watching someone else get rid of it too! :-) And you're right, this is a very useful video - full of great tips. And I love the link to various supplies too. I've got a type of needle oiler (it has a long brass spout) and both of the ones that I have manage to leak oil somehow even when standing upright. I think it might be when atmospheric pressure changes. So I have to keep them inside a ziploc bag. Do your needle oilers ever do that? If they don't I think I'll change mine. Thank Bob!
Hi Megan! Thanks for the kind words. I don't fill my needle oilers past the 3/4 full level, at least not ones I take on location. And yes, when traveling with a needle oiler in my tool kit, it's ALWAYS in a ziploc bag! Regardless, I've never had a needle oiler suffer from atmospheric changes. I didn't mention in this video, but I believe I have mentioned it in the past, but when I have an expensive aerosol such as Aero-Kroil and the can runs out of propellent but still has a quantity of material in the can, I open the can up and decant it into either a squeeze bottle or a needle oiler. At the price of Aero-Kroil, I refuse to waste it!
OK, how did it get the name "orange stick"? I didn't cover motor lube as there are too many different motors out there with very different lubrication requirements. This falls into the same category as to why I don't show how to remove the main shaft from some of these old machines.I don't want to say use "xyz" on your motor and then have someone apply that to a motor that requires "abc", too great a chance of someone using the wrong material or technique and making matters worse. I did the potted motor videos and showed the lubrication as those all have the same requirements.
I have a good question, i cant handle the smell of kerosene , is there an alternative thats not so offensive in smell ? I use sewing machine oil and time and slowly move things till they come free then wipe away any shmoo as you call it , most times im like you i totally dismantle as mach and polish, but for those who want to clean but not use stinky cleaners id like to know what else works thats maybe a little friendlier, thanks bob great channel and keep up the good work 👍👍
One thing I noticed that you did was right at the end which is you placed the test stitch cloth back & lowered the presser foot. I tend to do that with all my machines that I have with the thought that it protects the foot & the feed dogs from slight damage, especially for my machines that are 60 - 110 years old because they work beautifully now & I want them to last beyond my time. Am I over thinking it or just a good habit?
Yeah, I do it to protect the presser foot, as well as to remind myself that I have tested the machine. The other day at our quilting class, while everyone was setting up, I cut a fat quarter into 2 inch strips and went around handing out strips to everyone. Some of the people were asking what it was for, did we have another task that was assigned. I got some quizzical looks when I said it was to test your machines stitches before working on the project. Some of the ladies had never considered doing that on scrap...
Great, helpful video Bob! As always! Regarding the kerosene, once you clean some of the moving parts with it and have wiped as much of the kerosene off as you can when finished…do you need to worry about any that may be left igniting or something when the machine is running? I am probably being over cautious but I always have visions of fire exploding out of the nose of the machine or something while sewing and then I get too nervous to use the kerosene. My imagination always gets the best of me.
Hi Jen! As long as you don't leave tons of it behind, Kerosene is pretty unlikely to combust inside a sewing machine. I have had to flush the inside of machines pretty heavily every once in a while (a particular Singer 101 comes to mind) and as long as you clean up the excess and let it thoroughly air out, it's a great cleaning agent. Speaking of flushing... on that 101, I did the flushing over a 2 inch deep plastic tray. To conserve Kerosene, I captured the used Kerosene in the tray and filtered it through paper coffee filters in a funnel to remove the chunky stuff and put it in another container (marked as used) and utilize that as the first bath when I need to soak a particularly schmooey part.
Hi there Bob, thanks for another fabulous instructional video. I wanted to ask you about the red felt that lubricates the bobbin hook, in my infinite wisdom, I took it out thinking it was old red lint. Is there any way I can replace it? Also what happens if there isn't any wick there? . I hope you can advise here.. I'm thoroughly enjoying your channel. Regards,v Blissful
Hi Bob. Thank you very much for the video. It cleared up my question, and also a problem. My needle was moving up and down when I was winding a bobbin. Now I know what to do. Just one final question (newbie question), how often do I do a thorough clean/oiling? Every time I sew or after a certain number of hours? Again thanks, and take care.
Hi Beth, how often to oil is a function of use and time. If you sew regularly, plan on hitting the lubrication points every week or two. As for cleaning, your lint brush is your friend. I take off the needle plate once a week and get the floofy stuff out so it doesn't get a chance to be a problem at the feed dog. I tend to give the machine a quick once over look and sweep after every session, but that's a bit overkill.
I can’t find the red felt hole/coil on my 192k…is it possible my model is different or there’s a different spot for the felt? I Spartan 192k w light. Thanks!
The 192 should have a felt oil wick. It's possible that the spring that secures it is missing. Email me at argosybob@gmail.com and I'll try to help you.
Very smooth sounding machine. What a shame that Singer lost their way. What solid machines they made.
Truth!
Well if you looked at how much it would cost to build them now , like they did back then , the price tag at the store would be insane , this is why they dont make them good anymore , lucky for us we can get a way better built vintage for pennies compared to todays plastic crap , its a good thing , it makes people look at vintage and realize not all things from the past are primative, in fact we are always trying to make things better but make them worse when it comes to sewing machines , do i need a computer course to sew now ? Sewing was meant to be simple and enjoyable, my mom swears more now when she sews then when she had her old singer 15-91 i can tell you that lol ...i smile every time i get a new (old) sewing machine and start a stitch ......vintage rules ....
Great idea cutting down the chip brush for cleaning!
I also use an new extra firm toothbrush for tough spots like the feed dogs.
Another idea when the lint is really bad is the mini electronic and keyboard vacuum kits. They come with mini vacuum brushes and nozzles too.
Thanks for the tips!
I bought a set of attachments for my shop vacation at Lowes that are designed for doing keyboards and the like. Especially helpful when cleaning out the lead oxide flakes from certain sewing machines like the 221 and 101.
Thank You ...
I’m so glad you spent the time to make this video. I really needed your instruction. Thank you!
Thank you Bob, I just got one of these machines and it is awesome, thanks for the video's they make keeping these machine's from hitting the scrap yard. Keep up the great work
oil bottle 1/2 or under fill a needle oil bottle then if it gets knocked over it does not make a mess.
Under the machine and some other parts are hard to reach, I transfer a drop to a cocktail stick and reach the drop to the oil point that way.
Just working a 99k 1953, somehow the presser foot spring has been damaged in more than one place, I manages to straighten a few of the kinks so that it works with less noise ;-)
The tension mechanism was sticking out too far so the pin would not release the disks
The hand wind plastic was seized and the previous owner was using it and the full metal shaft that was riveted on to the handle had come lose and wobbled about but it still worked. I had to file off the sides of the rivet head and file out the plastic handle and then use a ball pein hammer to remake the rived head.
Surprising what you can do when you decide to have a go.
All the best
Also bobbin winder and stitch length plate are different on a 192 then the 99 , i made a video showing how to covert your 192 into a 99 or as i call it the 199 lol ....great stuff bob , like always 👍👍
Schmoo - the goo we love to hate. :-) Blimmin' stuffs addictive. It's so satisfying to get rid of it that once I start I can't stop until there's not a skerrick of it left. And it seems I get a rather vicarious thrill out of watching someone else get rid of it too! :-) And you're right, this is a very useful video - full of great tips. And I love the link to various supplies too. I've got a type of needle oiler (it has a long brass spout) and both of the ones that I have manage to leak oil somehow even when standing upright. I think it might be when atmospheric pressure changes. So I have to keep them inside a ziploc bag. Do your needle oilers ever do that? If they don't I think I'll change mine. Thank Bob!
Hi Megan! Thanks for the kind words. I don't fill my needle oilers past the 3/4 full level, at least not ones I take on location. And yes, when traveling with a needle oiler in my tool kit, it's ALWAYS in a ziploc bag! Regardless, I've never had a needle oiler suffer from atmospheric changes. I didn't mention in this video, but I believe I have mentioned it in the past, but when I have an expensive aerosol such as Aero-Kroil and the can runs out of propellent but still has a quantity of material in the can, I open the can up and decant it into either a squeeze bottle or a needle oiler. At the price of Aero-Kroil, I refuse to waste it!
I hate zoom spouts!
It's called an orange stick--it's made for manicures.
What about lubricating the motor?
OK, how did it get the name "orange stick"? I didn't cover motor lube as there are too many different motors out there with very different lubrication requirements. This falls into the same category as to why I don't show how to remove the main shaft from some of these old machines.I don't want to say use "xyz" on your motor and then have someone apply that to a motor that requires "abc", too great a chance of someone using the wrong material or technique and making matters worse. I did the potted motor videos and showed the lubrication as those all have the same requirements.
I have a good question, i cant handle the smell of kerosene , is there an alternative thats not so offensive in smell ? I use sewing machine oil and time and slowly move things till they come free then wipe away any shmoo as you call it , most times im like you i totally dismantle as mach and polish, but for those who want to clean but not use stinky cleaners id like to know what else works thats maybe a little friendlier, thanks bob great channel and keep up the good work 👍👍
One thing I noticed that you did was right at the end which is you placed the test stitch cloth back & lowered the presser foot.
I tend to do that with all my machines that I have with the thought that it protects the foot & the feed dogs from slight damage, especially for my machines that are 60 - 110 years old because they work beautifully now & I want them to last beyond my time.
Am I over thinking it or just a good habit?
Yeah, I do it to protect the presser foot, as well as to remind myself that I have tested the machine. The other day at our quilting class, while everyone was setting up, I cut a fat quarter into 2 inch strips and went around handing out strips to everyone. Some of the people were asking what it was for, did we have another task that was assigned. I got some quizzical looks when I said it was to test your machines stitches before working on the project. Some of the ladies had never considered doing that on scrap...
Manicure, orange stick. 21:00.
I knew someone would pick up on my brain fart! ❤❤❤
Great, helpful video Bob! As always! Regarding the kerosene, once you clean some of the moving parts with it and have wiped as much of the kerosene off as you can when finished…do you need to worry about any that may be left igniting or something when the machine is running? I am probably being over cautious but I always have visions of fire exploding out of the nose of the machine or something while sewing and then I get too nervous to use the kerosene. My imagination always gets the best of me.
Hi Jen! As long as you don't leave tons of it behind, Kerosene is pretty unlikely to combust inside a sewing machine. I have had to flush the inside of machines pretty heavily every once in a while (a particular Singer 101 comes to mind) and as long as you clean up the excess and let it thoroughly air out, it's a great cleaning agent. Speaking of flushing... on that 101, I did the flushing over a 2 inch deep plastic tray. To conserve Kerosene, I captured the used Kerosene in the tray and filtered it through paper coffee filters in a funnel to remove the chunky stuff and put it in another container (marked as used) and utilize that as the first bath when I need to soak a particularly schmooey part.
Hi there Bob, thanks for another fabulous instructional video. I wanted to ask you about the red felt that lubricates the bobbin hook, in my infinite wisdom, I took it out thinking it was old red lint. Is there any way I can replace it? Also what happens if there isn't any wick there? . I hope you can advise here.. I'm thoroughly enjoying your channel. Regards,v Blissful
Hi Bob. Thank you very much for the video. It cleared up my question, and also a problem. My needle was moving up and down when I was winding a bobbin. Now I know what to do. Just one final question (newbie question), how often do I do a thorough clean/oiling? Every time I sew or after a certain number of hours? Again thanks, and take care.
Hi Beth, how often to oil is a function of use and time. If you sew regularly, plan on hitting the lubrication points every week or two. As for cleaning, your lint brush is your friend. I take off the needle plate once a week and get the floofy stuff out so it doesn't get a chance to be a problem at the feed dog. I tend to give the machine a quick once over look and sweep after every session, but that's a bit overkill.
I can’t find the red felt hole/coil on my 192k…is it possible my model is different or there’s a different spot for the felt? I Spartan 192k w light. Thanks!
The 192 should have a felt oil wick. It's possible that the spring that secures it is missing. Email me at argosybob@gmail.com and I'll try to help you.
Thanks ~ sent an email!
My stop motion screw is not moving! I put Singer oil on front amd back amd am waiting for it to hopefully losten
Try a little heat from a hair dryer too, that may help. (A heat gun would be better, but be careful not to damage any paint).
Is a sewing machine oil just mineral oil that you paid too much for I’ve looked at both and I believe that’s what it is
That's one way of looking at it!
How often is this maintenance oiling done? I missed out on an adorable Spartan once years ago, and still regret it! Lol