Friday, September 18, 2015

Repairing a Thread Guide on a Singer 99K


Looking at a safety pin the other day, I realised that I had found the answer to the problem of the missing thread guide on the face plate that I showed last week.  This cheap and nasty blunt safety pin got what it truly deserved.  My husband's pliers double up as a nifty pair of wire cutters.


Next I used my jewellery pliers to bend the sides to fit inside the faceplate.  The slight kink on the right was needed because the wire has to go over the pin that secured the original thread guide.


Next I poked it through the hole in the face plate and kept it in place with a couple of blobs of blue tack - this photo shows just one blob, before the second one went on.


Here is the inside once the blue tack is holding the improvised thread guide steady...


... ready for the wire on both sides to be covered with metal glue.  I used J B Weld.


The glue needed to set overnight, so I put the face plate up on my bookshelf out of harm's way.


Although the glue was still a tiny bit tacky next morning, it was firm enough for me to put the face plate back on the machine.

While doing this repair it became apparent how the original thread guide must have been broken off.  My theory is that the face plate was dropped face down onto a hard surface, so that the thread guide took the full force of the impact and was snapped off on the inside where it was attached to the plate.  I must try not to let history repeat itself.  I can just imagine dropping the plate face down and the wire popping out of the little beds of glue.

Now it seems worth giving the machine a thorough clean up.  I just hope it turns out to be a good runner.

Linking up to Connie's blog Freemotion by the River for Linky Tuesday

10 comments:

  1. Hi again, Muv,

    Genius! I was thinking about trying a paper clip, but the safety pin looks even better. I'll try the same with the face plate on my 66.

    I was thinking about whether or not the machine really needs this extra loop to function properly, and in a way it doesn't, but I have noticed that the stitches on my machine have a very slight diagonal formation rather than being strictly in a line. I suspect that's due to the missing thread guide - not critical and probably imperceptible to most people, but it will certainly bother me. I will let you know if the safety pin fix makes a difference.

    Emma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Emma,

      I think it is probably bound to make a difference to the stitch. I look forward to hearing how you get on.

      Love, Muv

      Delete
  2. That is so ingenious, Muv! I would never have thought of that. Thank you so much for sharing your fix.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love it - just the sort of thing I would try! It does irritate me when people can't see other uses for all sorts or things, just because it's not used for what 'it is supposed to be used for'!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Muv
    I find this kind of post fascinating. You're very inventive. I look forward to reading more about this 99
    Hugs G

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Morning Gavin!
      Nothing quite so satisfying as a bit of successful tinkering, is there?
      Love, Muv

      Delete
  5. I always learn something when you get to tinkering with your machines.I have a Featherweight, a Singer 66, and now a Davis treadle. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

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  6. What a great idea! I'm going to make sure and remember this!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Just what I needed, thank you! I recently acquired a Singer 66 treadle, missing that very thread guide. Followed your directions, and it came out perfectly. Thought I was going to have to learn how to solder. 😳

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great news! Glad to hear you have fixed it. Easy is the end, isn't it?
      Love, Muv

      Delete

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