personally i think we should set up The BCUK 201 Vigilante Group and hunt these people down.....
Old sewing machines (pic heavy)
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Just picked up an old Singer at a boot sale. From Google photos it looks like a 201k. The cover is missing and so is the lead and pedal. The folks said it was in their uncles garage and they would have another look for the pedal and bring it along next week if they find it. The machine looks in excellent condition, has two sets of spare needles and four spare bobbins, some tailers chalk and a few other bits and pieces. I don't need another machine really as I just restored my mums treadle one but I couldn't resist. It's a work in progress bit of fun. Probably sell it on when I've sorted it. OK the missing lead is a problem but hey - I paid £5 for it. If I they don't find the pedal, does anyone know a good and cheap source of spares where I might get one. Also how can you date them? Is there a website where I can trace it by serial number maybe?
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A good day today
Thanks to the help of the site below I managed to re-wire a Singer 201K2 including the wire into the motor,,,
http://vssmb.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-1-wire.html
The original cabling was the scary ...just turning to dust so it was change it or lose it ...
Next up the cabinet
Thanks to the help of the site below I managed to re-wire a Singer 201K2 including the wire into the motor
,,,http://vssmb.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-1-wire.html
The original cabling was the scary ...just turning to dust so it was change it or lose it ...
Next up the cabinet
Ebay will get you a pedal with lead, and if you go back through this thread you'll find the links for the other websites you might need
Ta - found a service repairer in Leeds market today. He has new pedals and lead for just under £30. I'll see if t he boot sellers return with the original and if not probably buy off him. He reckons this model was the best Singer made. Reading up on them they seem to be described as semi-industrial machines and capable of sewing leather so I'm pretty chuffed I got a good find (knowing nothing much about sewing machines before).
I had one of these, wish I'd kept it when I moved house.
All the lovely pictures are filling me with regret.
All the lovely pictures are filling me with regret.
hi m8.....pleased for you and welcome to The BCUK 201 Club lol....you do realise now that your life as you know it is now over and you will start doing strange things very soon........but theres hope.....
you can blame Mac for all of it.
to be honest unless youre a 'completist' like mac, myelf, twodogs and many other deranged fanatics youre probably better off buying a 'new, modern' pedal....(if the booters dont come thru) because the original pedals mostly turn up not working as well as they wouldve done 60+ years ago...if you do want to buy an orginal please make sure you buy off a responsible ebayer and check with questions first....they usually dont go that well at low speeds....or go flat out at the merest touch etc etc...whilst i've been lucky enough to pick up a few near mint ones that work perfectly, i've also box of them here that have problems, need re-wiring, have decayed rubber feet and so on....so if you just wanna get on and sew with no probs a decent new modern one will keep you stress free.
omlette....thats no excuse....buy another!
hope this helps....
s
ps....twodogs.....i've spent all day on and off going through that link....gotta be the best W.I.P. thread i've ever seen....many thanks....as we said in pm recently i'm about to go down the wiring and electrical route on the more complex machines like the 201-2 and knee lever versions and being someone who's traditionally steered well clear of electrical stuff its been a great help!! with macs help i was already to start my own way but that thread has been the icing on the cake. i've just bought the last few bits on ebay that i'll need.....will post pics up as and when.
what i have been doing recently is stripping off the lacquer and decals of a 'Y..........' serial numbered 201, taking it apart and giving it a thorough over-haul....i'm just about in a position to re-spray it with enamel, put on new decals and then re-lacquer and rebuild it...very much feel like i've bitten off more than i can chew i tell ya....it was in such a mess when i got it that i thought to hell with it, take the plunge....hope i dont regret it!
pps....smojo theyre not semi-industrial....thats just what the scammers say on ebay to sell their items....they were a domestic machine simply incredibly well made....way over-spec and they simply blow everything else away.
....but theres hope.....you can blame Mac for all of it.
to be honest unless youre a 'completist' like mac, myelf, twodogs and many other deranged fanatics youre probably better off buying a 'new, modern' pedal....(if the booters dont come thru) because the original pedals mostly turn up not working as well as they wouldve done 60+ years ago...if you do want to buy an orginal please make sure you buy off a responsible ebayer and check with questions first....they usually dont go that well at low speeds....or go flat out at the merest touch etc etc...whilst i've been lucky enough to pick up a few near mint ones that work perfectly, i've also box of them here that have problems, need re-wiring, have decayed rubber feet and so on....so if you just wanna get on and sew with no probs a decent new modern one will keep you stress free.
omlette....thats no excuse....buy another!
hope this helps....
s
ps....twodogs.....i've spent all day on and off going through that link....gotta be the best W.I.P. thread i've ever seen....many thanks....as we said in pm recently i'm about to go down the wiring and electrical route on the more complex machines like the 201-2 and knee lever versions and being someone who's traditionally steered well clear of electrical stuff its been a great help!! with macs help i was already to start my own way but that thread has been the icing on the cake. i've just bought the last few bits on ebay that i'll need.....will post pics up as and when.
what i have been doing recently is stripping off the lacquer and decals of a 'Y..........' serial numbered 201, taking it apart and giving it a thorough over-haul....i'm just about in a position to re-spray it with enamel, put on new decals and then re-lacquer and rebuild it...very much feel like i've bitten off more than i can chew i tell ya....it was in such a mess when i got it that i thought to hell with it, take the plunge....hope i dont regret it!
pps....smojo theyre not semi-industrial....thats just what the scammers say on ebay to sell their items....they were a domestic machine simply incredibly well made....way over-spec and they simply blow everything else away.
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Angst - thanks for your advice. No not a purist so not bothered about getting an original if I can get a new one same price. If the bootsale guy finds it though, that would be good. I have an electrical background and dabbling with electronics is another of my hobbies so rewiring is no big deal for me. Probably enjoy the challenge. I haven't seen inside one but I doubt there are many components in there.
Replace the brushes? Quick and easy to do and cheap as well. Have you greased the motor with the right stuff? No oil any where near the motor though!
Oh dear, sounds like it's just worn out then; sounds like somebody ran it without grease in a previous life or else it's just been used heavily. Give me a shout when you're ready to go ahead, I've probably got a motor somewhere, and maybe a pedal as well.
I've got a very old industrial singer, I'm a full time curtain maker and been using my machine for 20 yrs+ I bought it for £70. I've always done my own repairs, often just pinching a less important screw to replace a worn one! Ha! I use silicone spray to keep it moving and it does some very heavy work.. I love it!
Sorry I'll have to get back to you on that.. I don't know of the top of my head!!
So the guy turned up with the footpedal for the 201k. I plugged it in a stood back. The light works = good. Pressed the pedal button and the motor turned = good. After a few seconds some smoke started drifting out of the motor housing = bad. Turned it off and am now investigating. The wiring between the three pin plug on the machine and the motor has been badly repaired with tape and basically it's shot and need replacing. So far I have removed the motor cover, the brushes and unscrewed the motor housing and gently pulled it clear of the commutator. The wiring insulation to the coils from the plug is completely shot. So I'd like to refurbish it. I do have an electronic background and lots of tools to do the job. Just need some expert know-how. As the motor did work, then I guess the coils are OK and it's just the wiring from the plug into the motor and the brushes that needs sorting. The wires themselves are not broken so I wonder if it's possible to unsolder them from the brush mountings and slip new insulation sleeving over the existing wires. There are four altogether. Two go to the plug and two to the brushes. What do you reckon guys and what's the best way to tackle it.
You obviously have the soldering skills to do what you suggest, cover them with insulating sleeves - that's what I'd do. I'd also clean and polish the commutator, check the whole thing over, and while you've got it apart it'd be a good idea to clear as much of the old grease out of the feed tubes and replace with new fresh stuff. Worth doing as much as you can while it's all in bits, then somebody else can do the same in 50 yrs.
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