100 year old sewing machine rebuild

[WoodBow]

This is a singer 136w101 post bed machine. AI says the patent was from 1914 to 1938, or something like that.

When a friend of mine listed this machine on marketplace for $50, I couldn't pass it up. I don't need another machine taking up space. Nor do I need another project. But I'm a sucker for a bargain. When I met him to pick it up, he ended up just giving it to me.

It was in worse shape than I expected. It was fully seized. But I'm dumb and unrealistically ambitious sometimes. I saturated everything in pb blaster and with brute force managed to get most everything moving. It would actually run pretty smooth with a cordless drill in place of the hand wheel. I felt like I could probably get it working and looking decent without tearing it all apart. But I really wanted to have a go at fully stripping it and getting it close to new. I think all of the binding was just old dried oil. There are no bearings in it. It is all cast iron with brass or stainless bushings. Those bushings provide a lot of surface area for binding, given this machine has 7 drive shafts. It all got pretty bound up again after I let it set a few days.

So I just started taking her apart. I never take enough pictures and just assume I will magically remember where everything goes. And it usually does work out. All the shafts had to be driven out. All parts were wire wheeled on the bench grinder. All the internals cleaned up very easily due to being all brass or stainless, as best as I could tell. Whatever kind of paint was on the outside was amazingly durable. It did not relent easily. The enamel spray paint i replaced it with is far inferior.

Re-assembly went pretty smoothly. I was pretty concerned about losing parts or not remembering how it all went back together. Sourcing new parts is a no go and online info barely exists. I did however get a full parts manual and user manual.

I'm waiting on two springs that are pretty generic, and then I will be ready to tune the timing and give her a go.

It is unlikely I will use it enough to justify the space it takes up. And the market to sell it would be very small. It is doubtful I would get enough for it to justify parting with it after investing about 3 days into it. And this is how I accumulate too much stuff.

Before pics first. After pics in next post.

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[WoodBow]

After

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[TaperPin]

Thanks for sharing that’s super cool. The circular feed is really interesting.

 

[hereinaz]

That's awesome! Those old machines are crazy durable.

 

[Weldor]

Excellent work. Make friends with a machinist, then parts are always available if they can measure a broken one. Missing not so much. LOL

 

[WoodBow]

Excellent work. Make friends with a machinist, then parts are always available if they can measure a broken one. Missing not so much. LOL

This is true. 3d printing has some applications too. For instance, the available gear ratios for this machine makes shorter stitches than I prefer for most of my uses. But I could 3d print a new gear set to change it. They are very low speed gears. Like in the single digits rpm. If they fail they are easily replaced. And i could even use the 3d print to cast in aluminum or bronze.

I have a massive old electric meat grinder that is fully functional except the drive gear is phenolic and all the teeth sheared off when someone lost a housing bolt in the gear box. I've reached out to machinist and it's $300 to have a gear made. It's been on my to do list for years to get someone to 3d print one for me to try.

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[doc holiday13]

Looks Skookum. Did you bead/sand/soda blast the internals to get them shiny again?

 

[TaperPin]

It will be a relief when it actually makes a stitch.

I wonder what it was used for?

 

[WoodBow]

It will be a relief when it actually makes a stitch.

I wonder what it was used for?

Shoe making and other leather work. My interest in it was the post bed. All my other machines are flat beds. This will open some doors and makes some projects easier. For instance, imagine sewing a leather patch on a hat with a flat bed versus on the post. Some guys are here are probably familiar with some of the sewing I have done in the past. I will add a few pics for those that aren't. I got into sewing because I couldn't afford the gear I wanted. Then I started making a lot more money and didn't really have time to make stuff. I changed careers again and I'm back in the camp of more time than money.

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[WoodBow]

Looks Skookum. Did you bead/sand/soda blast the internals to get them shiny again?

I did not. But i did consider it. Ultimately I found it was not needed. I fully disassembled it, so all the internals parts were polished on a wire wheel. I will add a few more pics of cleaned up parts. The inside of the cast frame was in good shape. No rust. Just a bunch of old oil and dust. I hosed it out, scrubbed it out, and repainted it. I always intend to take a lot more pics along the way but then I get busy doing the work and don't want to take the time.

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[doncarpenter]

Really cool! As always, great work bro.

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[dlee56]

Awesome work man I’m a sucker for a good sewing machine resto and it looks like you did a thorough job. So far I’ve done a 1922 Singer 101-2, Necchi Bu Mira, Viking 21a, and more recently a Pfaff 360 automatic. I’d love to tear into a big old post bed machine

 

[WoodBow]

Awesome work man I’m a sucker for a good sewing machine resto and it looks like you did a thorough job. So far I’ve done a 1922 Singer 101-2, Necchi Bu Mira, Viking 21a, and more recently a Pfaff 360 automatic. I’d love to tear into a big old post bed machine

We might be the only 2 dudes on the planet that are into hunting, sewing, and restorations! The first machine I ever worked on was a singer 111w153. I had to figure out how to replace the internal timing belt and remove the needle bar to drill out a burr that was preventing needle insertion. That felt like a pretty big undertaking at the time. But over the years you work on more stuff and your confidence grows.

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[TheBootBowhunting]

Pretty awesome. I have an early1950s 66 with the Godzilla paint and a 99k that are both in perfect condition and are strong enough to go through multiple layers of cordura and webbing.

The 66 was on the side of the road in a trash pile after hurricane katrina flooded out an old house. All it needed was a cleaning, lubing and replaced the felt in the bobbin tray. Looks like new. You’d never guess it’s 75 years old.

I bet that one will punch through an ar500 plate.

 

[TaperPin]

We might be the only 2 dudes on the planet that are into hunting, sewing, and restorations! The first machine I ever worked on was a singer 111w153. I had to figure out how to replace the internal timing belt and remove the needle bar to drill out a burr that was preventing needle insertion. That felt like a pretty big undertaking at the time. But over the years you work on more stuff and your confidence grows.

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The 111w machines are such classic old workhorses it’s hard to imagine how many spools of thread they go through in their lifetime! I was given a 111w155 that was in a sewing shop fire and assumed to be toast, but luckily was only heavily smoke damaged. A good cleaning, new motor, speed reducer, some fresh tensioning disks, and it’s been a great machine.

They aren’t as useful for difficult sewing, but the basic old 31-15 heads seem to pop up every six months on Craigslist or Marketplace for $50 and I had to stop at three of them. In my 20s this was the first exposure to an industrial that would sew 138 wt thread and what an eye opener compared to domestic machines. In rural schools all the boys learned how to cook and sew and all the girls had to take wood shop. It’s too bad something that is so useful isn’t still encouraged.

 

[WoodBow]

The 111w machines are such classic old workhorses it’s hard to imagine how many spools of thread they go through in their lifetime! I was given a 111w155 that was in a sewing shop fire and assumed to be toast, but luckily was only heavily smoke damaged. A good cleaning, new motor, speed reducer, some fresh tensioning disks, and it’s been a great machine.

They aren’t as useful for difficult sewing, but the basic old 31-15 heads seem to pop up every six months on Craigslist or Marketplace for $50 and I had to stop at three of them. In my 20s this was the first exposure to an industrial that would sew 138 wt thread and what an eye opener compared to domestic machines. In rural schools all the boys learned how to cook and sew and all the girls had to take wood shop. It’s too bad something that is so useful isn’t still encouraged.

155 has reverse, correct? If my 153 did, I never would have bought my consew 206rb5. My 153 is insanely smoothed. If you can fit it under the presser foot, it will go through it.

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[dlee56]

We might be the only 2 dudes on the planet that are into hunting, sewing, and restorations! The first machine I ever worked on was a singer 111w153. I had to figure out how to replace the internal timing belt and remove the needle bar to drill out a burr that was preventing needle insertion. That felt like a pretty big undertaking at the time. But over the years you work on more stuff and your confidence grows.

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I think you’re right haha it is amazing what all you can do if you just dive into it. Those old machines are nearly indestructible as long as your willing to put the time into it to get it back right again

 

[TaperPin]

155 has reverse, correct? If my 153 did, I never would have bought my consew 206rb5. My 153 is insanely smoothed. If you can fit it under the presser foot, it will go through it.

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I believe it’s the 156 that has reverse, the 155 is just a normal plain Jane walking foot.

The old Consews are really nice - my sister has a 206rb that we found in a small out of the way community that only needed a 5 minute fix.

To get reverse I ran across a Juki lu563 that had a cracked bed from freight damage. In my mind it would be an easy cast iron repair, but it’s been a hard education. After five afternoons the crack is fixed but there is 1/8” banana shape bow to the bed from the original damage that I didn’t know was possible with cast iron. I called it quits a few years ago and it sits in a box. Some smart people have spelled out the process to straighten it, but it will be a few more afternoons. I would have been money ahead to buy a running machine. lol

 

[WoodBow]

I believe it’s the 156 that has reverse, the 155 is just a normal plain Jane walking foot.

The old Consews are really nice - my sister has a 206rb that we found in a small out of the way community that only needed a 5 minute fix.

To get reverse I ran across a Juki lu563 that had a cracked bed from freight damage. In my mind it would be an easy cast iron repair, but it’s been a hard education. After five afternoons the crack is fixed but there is 1/8” banana shape bow to the bed from the original damage that I didn’t know was possible with cast iron. I called it quits a few years ago and it sits in a box. Some smart people have spelled out the process to straighten it, but it will be a few more afternoons. I would have been money ahead to buy a running machine. lol

Sounds just like the predicaments i manage to find myself in. I've been. Trying to stop taking on things that need repair because then they start to stress me out just sitting there.

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[Justin (Raz) Rasmussen]

Right on man! Its so satisfying tinkering with things and getting them working again.