heya all
a friend bought a sewing machine, chinese walking foot jobby with servo motor and auto trim, backtack etc
but he dropped it on the trailer whilst moving it :'(
guess air was pretty blue huh
anyway he broke off the tensioner and the take up lever :o
nonetheless i have similar model for parts being to replace take up lever for him
taken needle bar, presser bar, pawls etc out from donor machine
however cannot loosen the two screws that hold the back cam (with take up lever attached) on the main driveshaft
they are super tight
maybe glued on in the factory or something
about to take to it with a big hammer and impact screwdriver to loosen them
but not wishing to damage anything further
so with your kind indulgence any tips how to get the screws out? ???
you have to reach through the back access port of machine to get the screwdriver in to the screws recessed in the cam
your help much appreciated!!
the problematical screws are flat headed, two of 'em
I wonder if you could rig some type of "T" handle on the end of your screwdriver for more leverage?
Many time I e cla
ped a pair of vise grips onto a screw driver. For leverage you've got to use extra preasure Dow. To keep the s reedrived in the slot.
Thanks guys,
have tried the vice grips on the screwdriver as a T bar trick, good tip, but won't budge them.
They are very tight..
Have to remove take up lever attached to pawl from one machine and stick in other.
here you can see the broken lever..
http://s1128.photobucket.com/albums/m487/needleseye9/?action=view¤t=20001026_01.jpg
here is the guts removed from the donor machine and the take up lever is attached to back pawl.
The top left screw is nearly impossible to get out, and, further there are two more screws stuck in the cam, that is, behind being accessable from the hole on the left of the screw..
http://s1128.photobucket.com/albums/m487/needleseye9/?action=view¤t=lever2.jpg
Meanwhile everything is stewing in wd40. Sewing mechanics is not all that easy.
Think may have to just belt them with a large eng hammer and impact driver. Could preheat with the upholstery hot air blowgun. What else can i do? Wonder how strong Chinese steel is?
Why are you taking out the needle bar crank if the take up lever is broken? You should not have to do that to replace a take up lever at all.
Thanks for your help mate.
To the fore of 2nd photo you can see a metal tube, press fit presser foot guide. Can't get it out. Hope can squeeze parts through. Otherwise have heat and a press. Behind that tube you can see the pawl that has the take up lever attached, the take up lever on the right hand side. The pawl is attached( a) to the head cam and (b)the big flat screw top left. Well, now, can't see any other way of replacing take up lever.
Hoping once screws are out the pawl will come off (easily)with the take up lever attached to then fit in other machine. Presto. More hard screws to then remove on other machine! Hopefully no bits left over.
What do you suggest? In what way do you normally replace a broken take up lever your side of our world?
Have broken part, it's off snapped at the pawl. .
No room to tig weld. Superglue won't cut it.
Cheers.
:D
ecce signum!, "behold the sign or the proof!"
here's a better shot of broken take up lever...
http://s1128.photobucket.com/albums/m487/needleseye9/?action=view¤t=lever.jpg
Have you tried putting the screwdriver in the slot then tapping on the end of the handle to possibly break loose any
lock tite, then turning the screw?
No other way to fix a broken take up other than what your doing. It's not a small job at all, and make sure the parts going in are fitted properly. Just remember than no two machines are the same, and these days, no two parts are the same. One comming out of one machine may need to be fitted on another. It's a tall order, even when all the parts are made correctly, and fit. I doubt that's the case here.
That machine is a bit forign to me, but I think you may have better luck if you can get thet presser bar guide out of the way. Usually a set screw holding it in, and it may be tight after than, but you should be able to hammer it out with a brass or aluminum rod, anything softer than the metal in the guide. This would go a long way to being able to get in there. As for the getting the old take up lever out, it may have a screw cap, or just come right out, hard to see from the image.
Ta. Your feedback much appreciated.
Yep, smacked the crap out of screwdriver in screw slot with my 5 lb hammer whilst trying to turn it...
The screw slot not yet butchered.
Don't want to bend anything if possible.
He payed 3.5 k for the machine, reduced from 5K. Might have to give up, don't want to become the rescuer that becomes the victim..
It's bloody tight eh.
Well Gregg you are absolutely right mate, the back bearing holding the head cam is different size on the later machine. Notwithstanding the take up lever pawl arrangement looks the same. Hard to tell without getting it out. Certainly will try and find a soft drift tube to get the post out of the equation.
Its a good case you make mate. "Let justice be done though the heavens may fall".
Gotta heavenly hammer there bud? Anyone else have one handy?
errata
Anyway heading back to the shed now for some more fun,
sincere thanks gents for your hands on help.
Much appreciated.
;D
Needleeye, your correct, now is a good time to brewer out into chant. Let me have a crack at it; "That who drops a sewing machine and snaps the take lever shall be left with a mess on their hands." Hope that was deep and profound.
I once had a nut on a water faucet that was stuck good and tight. I put a little heat on it (blow torch) an it came right off. Of course you don't want to set the sewing machine on fire. All that oil and such.
Good-oh.
Aut insanit homo aut versus facit, "either the man is mad or he is making verses".
Let me know when you get around to publishing that prose book, Gregg. Cheers.
Thanks kodydog.
I'm gonna torch it.
Quod bonum, felix,faustumque sit, "may this be right, happy and of good omen".
;)
You might try an a manual impact screw driver if you can get at the head of the bolt with that tool. You might also try using some PB Blaster or similar penetrating oil several hours before using the tool. Actually, it seems better to tap more lightly many times than a few hard blows.
Amazon.com carries several.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_driver
I would clamp a pair of vise grips onto the sides of those two screws, good and tight. That should work.
If you can't get vise grips onto the sides, side mounted, then clamp them at a perpendicular to the screws, onto the sides of the screws. Use pliers to turn the vise grips.
Make sure you are turning in the correct direction. Lefty loosey righty tighty. I think???
And of course, I would only try this on someone elses' machine.
Good luck,
gene
Genes post made me think... You sure those arn't reverse thread? ???
Quote from: kodydog on September 06, 2011, 01:36:02 pm
Genes post made me think... You sure those arn't reverse thread? ???
No.
you might also try a 50-50 mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid as a penetrating agent
http://www.askthebuilder.com/January_13_2010_Newsletter_And_Tips.shtml#Removing_Rusted_Bolts
and be sure to use a snug fitting screw driver to keep from buggering up the slots
Quote from: Mike8560 on September 06, 2011, 05:15:15 pm
Quote from: Gregg @ Keystone Sewing on September 06, 2011, 03:02:24 pm
Quote from: kodydog on September 06, 2011, 01:36:02 pm
Genes post made me think... You sure those arn't reverse thread? ???
No.
No your not sure ?
Sorry, was working on something, and was pulled away fast.
No as in I'm sure they are not reverse threaded.
If you need to get take up crank's set screws out, usually there is one with a hole in the shaft and a pin that goes through the crank threaded, with a nipple on the end that goes through the hole. The other is a shorter screw with a flat on it. Sometimes, this can be a two man job; one to hold the hand wheel, the other to turn the screw. Depends on how you are able to stabilize the machine so the machines resting on it's face.
Putting on block of some sort against the front of the arm usually does it as the machine is now face down, and on a table you can get your body over it. Secret number one; you have to have a good screw driver with a real handle on it. It has to fit the entire slot, and fit almost snug, no side to side slop. Often, we'll shape the screwdriver head to fit the screw head, making it a custom jobber, that usually always finds another job after. Some are better than others, and have honed their skills like a blacksmith at doing this. Me, I'm not so good but I can do what I have to. Get over on top, put your body weight into it, and, if possible, get screw driver with a square shaft, or at least a small square knob below the handle (not the top) so you can get an adjustable wrench onto the screwdriver to get extra torque. That was secret number two, if you don't do it already now. My Dad was the best at all of the kind of stuff, and he ALWAYS had a way to get stuff like this accomplished. I've seen some pretty damn creative, nearly off the wall things he did over the years with this sewing equipment.
Nks
I hope I never have to change o o e
Quote from: Mike8560 on September 07, 2011, 09:41:25 am
Nks
I hope I never have to change o o e
Hpfly me, t o o!@#
Those screws may have been put in with loctite. If they did use loctite they probably used the blue grade. If they used the red grade heat will be your best friend. Either way I would apply heat before beating the snot out of it.
As Greg stated, the bearing and bushing clearances on some of these machines is very, very small. What fits one machine may not and probably wont fit another.
I have the opposite problem. I have a bloody screw on the cam coming loose on my machine and I am going to have to clean out the oil with alcohol and then thread the screw back in with blue loctite. I always knew I had a screw loose. ....... ;D ( no comment from you Greg ).......lol.....
I have tore into my machines and while they are pretty straight forward they are not easy to work on. It is like being a dentist working in a closed environment. It takes a great deal of patience and thinking ahead before dong something. The further $you get into these machines mechanisms the harder it gets. You make one minor adjustment to one thing and it can throw something else out of whack.
One of these days I am going to find a junk industrial machine and tear it completely apart. Just for the educational part of it and also for kicks and grins. As a kid I always tearing something apart just to see how it worked. :)
Chris
Anything is possible but its not common at all for any type of threadlocker on sewing screws. That said, threadlocker 242 never hurt a thing imo. But not common to see this from the factory at all, but more common are really, really tight screws.
Yo, cool for cats, thanks heaps, Gents, for you very kind assistance and verily the milk of human kindness.
So, a progress report, have screws soaking in Keith's magic home brew (hey great link) and am tapping gently with small hammer now and again as advised by Tejas. The threads can ferment away for a few more days with an occasional tap, and, will then torch it up and try the impact driver. There's a small plastic tube that has to be removed and replaced, for the oil supply.
The problematical screws are the one holding the back cam in, a grub screw and two other flat headed screws. Access is through the little hole that's cast into back of the machine. You have to turn the balance wheel to access the three individual screws one at a time. The access hole is not much bigger than the screwdriver. Loctite or glue or the mongolian muscle man have been there prior for sure.
The other real tight screw is in the face of the machine, that is, as illustrated in the photo captures. If it won't loosen up then that one I can butcher by bashing a new slot on the side and then tapping it out sideways.
All in all you guys have been a terrific help and you're all certainly mechanically inclined. Again, thank you.
Mind you, am still experimenting on the donor machine before disassembling the one with the broken take up lever, and, if it is all too hard then in the final analysis will then be inclined to take Gregg's profound words to heart. Meanwhile, there's nothing like a good challenge! Cheers, super :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf_IIbT8HGk
I had the same situation once, only to discover there was a very small set or lock nut on the back side of the arm...you may want to check.
Also if the slot gets really deformed, do want all the airplane mechanics use on beat up phillips or straight headed screws...we all have a small tub of valve grinding compound in our tool boxes. You dip the tip of the screw driver in the valve grinding compound and it really "grips" the slot and prevents slipage.
The home brew mentioned works really good by the way.
Good Luck!
Gale.
Chris
Another way to stop screws turning is to use nail polish on the head of the screw
Allan
Thanks a lot Allan. I go into the store to buy pantyhose to put over the paper filter on my shop vac. The lady gives me a weird look. I mention that the pantyhose are for my vacuum cleaner. She rolls her eyes and smiles.
(Instead of vacuuming off the paper filter every time I vacuum up saw dust or every other day because of all the fabric lint, I now only vacuum off the pantyhose once every week or two.)
Now, Allen, you suggest that I go into the store and buy nail polish. What do I say when the lady gives me another weird look? "Oh, it's for tight screws."
LOL
gene
Quote from: gene on September 09, 2011, 05:37:08 am
Thanks a lot Allan. I go into the store to buy pantyhose to put over the paper filter on my shop vac. The lady gives me a weird look. I mention that the pantyhose are for my vacuum cleaner. She rolls her eyes and smiles.
(Instead of vacuuming off the paper filter every time I vacuum up saw dust or every other day because of all the fabric lint, I now only vacuum off the pantyhose once every week or two.)
Now, Allen, you suggest that I go into the store and buy nail polish. What do I say when the lady gives me another weird look? "Oh, it's for tight screws."
LOL
Nice, I get the same, we paint the oil holes on refurbished machine with red nail polish, it's great, cheap, dries fast, and is usually quaility paint.
gene