Featherweight Love 5: Mail Day!!

My purchases from the Featherweight Shop arrived today!! I'm so excited to get back to work on the1947 221 Singer machine.

First up: put the oil pad onto the drip pan and set aside. I'll install it after I'm done with oiling the machine.

Next was using this ingenious Jam Removal Tool for getting out tiny stuck threads behind the bobbin case base.

Tiny little threads (and there were plenty of longer ones I'd already removed) will seize the machine. I really didn't want to take the hook assembly apart...frought with danger if done incorrectly, and expensive to repair. This little tool worked like a charm!! The wheel now turns easily and the needle goes up and down. Yeah!!

Next up: deodorizing the case. I removed the awful mold in the bottom and bleached the bottom bare wood a few days ago. After sanding it still smelled...so The Featherweight Shop to the rescue again with their special case deoderizing spray. I used five squirts in the case and closed the lid. (Three to four are recommended for smelly cases so I figured an extra spritz wouldn't hurt.) 

Then the most important part is oiling and lubricating the machine itself....now mind you, I still haven't plugged it in and turned it on yet. By the way, turning the switch on only turns the light on. The machine is "on" when it's plugged in....just an interesting little tidbit of info. I have three books on these babies, and of course, the Featherweight Shop has video(s) so this will be fun. I noticed after checking the thread removal the machine sounds "dry" so it should be humming nicely after it's oiled. Love the Featherweight "Sew Retro" oil with it's long applicator for this: makes it so easy to get just one drop of oil where needed. Can't wait to actually plug it in!!

I decided to put the drip pan onto the machine before plugging it in, and also the rubber feet. The machine had no feet at all when I bought it, and luckily I had a set of vintage screws that I cleaned up.

After correctly installing the needle (flat side of needle shaft to the left) and threading from right to left, I was almost ready to go. I plugged in the machine and turned the light switch. The light bulb was still good! I wound a bobbin from my other Featherweight (the 1937 one) and the winding went fine.

Next was threading the machine....good to go. But the machine wouldn't pick up the bobbin thread when I rotated the wheel correctly (towards me).....hmmmmm. Nothing seemed to work so I declared the workday over (since it was almost dinner time) and I wandered off downstairs to start dinner, thinking I was going to have to pull off the bobbin "guts" and set the hook timing. Oh well...

Fast forward to today after a good night's sleep. I went over several videos from The Featherweight Shop and I thought maybe I should re-look the machine needle positioning.  Maybe I had it "crooked" and the flat side wasn't facing exactly to the left, so I took it out and put it back in correctly and WHA-LA! It worked and the machine is now sewing! I must have been really tired late yesterday afternoon and just couldn't see straight to put that needle in the right way. The machine sounds so smooth, the stitch is really good and I'm very happy after several days of work.  Next up: the painting dilemma and waiting g for the Tolex I ordered for the case.  Happy Stitching!