Singer 221K Centennial Restoration Progress

Hello

I am making progress with the Featherweight.  Its been stripped down even more, cleaned.  Still waiting for parts to arrive in the post.  The list up to now is

Bobbin Winder
Drip tray
Stitch length lever
New washers for the fold up extension bed, the bed was very floppy.
New felt for drip tray

Underneath the machine there was an extra silver tube looking thingy.  After having problems with the Capacitors in the foot control causing problems, making my other Featherweight machines run all by themselves without me touching the foot control.  I knew exactly what this little monster was.  Having already decided that I wouldn't plug the machine in until I had the electrics checked, this could be taken off the machine at the same time.

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Good job I was cautious, two of the three wires on this were snapped off, the third snapped off when it was touched.  They could have touched the side of the metal machine and made the whole machine live!  Free hair curling if switched on.

The motor connections were also ropey so they were replaced.

Put a new bulb in and plugged it in using my 201K leads and foot control.  The motor purred, goodness knows how long its been since it worked.  I had cleaned and oiled the machine prior to the plug in.

Here she is, naked!

On the To Do list

Sort the case out

Find another set of leads and foot controller so the 201K can have hers back.  This is not a priority, gardening is not very profitable in the winter, will get some when I am feeling flush.

Finish cleaning the tension control up, its been oiled at some point which had hardened so the disk were sticking.  The tension unit never needs oiling.

Finish cleaning and polishing the paintwork - have ordered some cleaner and polish from The Featherweight Shop in the USA.

Then put it all together again.

Cheers

Sharon

Singer 221K Featherweight Find

Hello

Well after saying that I wouldn't buy, refurbish any more Featherweights, I lied!  There it's out in the open, my self control is none exisistant!

My sister sent me a few links to  the "Marketplace" section of Facebook for various Singer machines.  As an avid Ebay user, this source of all things was a whole new world.  The other day, I was "just having a look" I found this.

Can't believe that someone gloss painted a Featherweight box.  The catches are missing and all the lining fabric has been ripped out.

It came with some accessories and a manual.

The machine itself is in a sorry state mechanically.  The previous owner had been taking parts off, the bobbin winder was there but really tatty, the attachment screw is missing.  The presser foot wouldn't work because the top screw that changes the foot pressure had been removed but luckily it was in the attachment tray.  The spool pin is bent.

The stitch length lever is missing, the belt is flapping about, there is no bottom oil tray.

The foot pedal is also missing.  The odd thing is that the electric connector is the round pins version, my other featherweights have flat pin connections, so I think that perhaps the connection has been changed so therefore the original power leads wouldn't fit.  It will be easier to find replacement leads and plugs with the round pins than finding original Featherweight flat pins.  I am going to have to get the electrics cables on this machine checked out before I plug anything in.  The wires underneath look new.  I will think about this, I might source an original flat pin connection and put it back to original flat pin connections.

Update - I asked the Featherweight Shop if UK machines ever had round pins and apparently the earlier ones did, they changed to flat pins around the time this machine was made.  I won't have to change to flat pin connection to keep it original.  Will try my 201K leads on it to see if it works.

When I got it home, I turned it upside down to get the serial number off the base, glanced at the Singer badge.  Imagine my surprise, I didn't need the serial number to date it, there is was on the badge.  Its a Centennial Model of 1951 celebrating 100 years of Singer Sewing machines.  Yeah.

The Singer factory put the commemorative badge on all the sewing machines produced in that year.  It's not the holy grail they will have made a lot of sewing machines that year but its nice to add to my collection.

So this machine is a bit of a lucky find but although it wasn't expensive it will still take some fixing to sort it out.

I have managed to find a new bobbin winder, stitch lever, drip tray on Ebay.  I tried to buy a new case but someone beat me to it which was annoying, we must have been doing buy it now at the same time.  Until I decide what to do about the round pins vs flat pin, sorting out a foot control will have to wait.

The machine itself isn't too bad, its filthy, there is some damage to the paintwork but I think it will clean up really well.  Mechanically the rest of it seems OK and its still got its original bobbin case thank goodness.

Its on my work table with more bits removed, started to clean it up.  Will let you see the finished product soon.

Sharon