Tag Archives: Sewing Machines

Home, Knitting, Life, Sewing Machines, Spinning

Movin’ On

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Well it’s been a minute!

We’ve been busy here since February just living life and working. I’ve also been trying to take it easy on my elbow tendons and thumb’s IPT joint. They’re all still acting up since the renos last summer.

I’ve been doing some sewing machine servicing but it takes a toll on both.  One machine takes me the better part of a day because I have to modify my grip for my thumb and the tendons burn for a couple of days afterwards.  Super fun.

So let’s see, what’s been happening? (spoiler, as usual – it’s a lot.)

Continue reading Movin’ On →

3D Printing, Sewing Machines, VSM Repair

Pfaff Power Switches coming back!

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I alluded to this in my previous post.  A number of years ago, the power switches for the Pfaff 1222 type machines went “NLA” or No Longer Available.  As usually happens, it takes a while for existing stock to disappear so many of us didn’t know until it was too late.  Around the middle of 2020, it finally happened.   Not long after my first order went unfilled, I started playing with the idea of rebuilding the switches.  The reason being that it’s a single piece of (sometimes 40+ year old) injection molded plastic that fails.  Every single time. Could it be 3D printed? After all, several years ago, I’d determined that the rest of the switch is high quality, modular and relatively easy to rebuild. In October of 2020, I received 4 Pfaff 1222 machines in for service and you guessed it, there was a broken switch among them and I had no more switches in stock.

After a series of unfortunate (family/personal) events that Fall, I finally began on Christmas Day 2020, and by a couple of days into the New Year, I had a working design and it took me about 15 minutes to disassemble the machine, disassemble the unnecessarily complex switch, replace the defective part, reassemble the switch and the machine.   This could be a viable solution! The problem was Continue reading Pfaff Power Switches coming back! →

3D Printing, Life, Sewing Machines, Spinning

Pushing Forward Back – or something like that

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Some of you may have noticed I have updated Archaic Arcane’s banner at the top of the site. I’ve put it on a rotation with the old banner, so here it is again if you see the old one above.

This came about finally due to a project I’m working on right now but realistically, I’ve been wanting an actual logo for almost 10 years.

I let it marinate in my mind and would periodically think about it but nothing really spoke to me.  Then at the beginning of July, I began a collaboration project.  I can’t say much about it until later in the month but one of the things they asked for was a copy of my logo in PNG format and a transparent background.

Whoops! I guess I better make one? They’re going to want business cards too, aren’t they?  Oh boy. Nothing like a little pressure to spur some action! Continue reading Pushing Forward Back – or something like that →

Sewing Machines, VSM Repair

Reader Mail – January 2022 edition – Slant-o-matic spring gone rogue

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Probably every couple of years, I get this question.  It goes something like this:

“I opened up the top of my machine, and I found a spring laying in the bottom.  Where does it go? ”

The machines in question are usually the Singer 401/403/500/503/411/421/431 and some of the related machines.

This is what the spring looks like.

Continue reading Reader Mail – January 2022 edition – Slant-o-matic spring gone rogue →

Sewing Machines, VSM Repair

Never Know Unless You Give It A Try – Replacement Featherweight Bobbin Cases

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Around 2 months ago, I received 3 Singer featherweight 221/222 (and 301) bobbin cases from my Canadian parts supplier.  The cases varied in quality and perhaps accordingly in price.  They’re also 3 of the cases most commonly seen in the wild when someone goes looking for a featherweight bobbin case.  Like me, you’ve probably read a lot about variable quality and about some not fitting at all, some stitching out poorly and other issues.

The purpose of ordering the 3 bobbin cases was to investigate why there were so many issues with some cases and if anything could be done once you got the “wrong” case.  (Caution: Long “shoot out” style post warning! You’ll also want to click on pictures to view the bigger versions.  It will probably make what I’m saying a lot clearer. )

3 different Singer 221/222/301 bobbin cases as they arrived here in July.

Initially, I’d planned only to evaluate 2 cases – the Korean made Towa and the Japanese made Towa case but Continue reading Never Know Unless You Give It A Try – Replacement Featherweight Bobbin Cases →

Sewing Machines, Site News

The shop is up and running!

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As I mentioned in last week’s post, I’ve decided to finally set up the shop completely.  With the way we all do things changing from day to day, this seemed like the right time.

For years, I’ve mentioned in posts that I would put this or that into the shop when I had a chance.  Now that my IT work and sewing machine repairs have slowed to a halt due to the pandemic, it’s bubbled to the top of the list. Everything’s been photographed and a description added.  I’ve tried to be as descriptive as possible but do check attached photos as well.

This means : Continue reading The shop is up and running! →

3D Printing, Life, Pets, Sewing Machines, Spinning

2019 Year End Wrap up – part 1: sewing machines

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This highlights reel / wrap up is a little later than I planned.  It’s also far longer than I’d planned – so I’m breaking it up into parts  1 and 2.  Today’s will cover the Sewing Machine related stuff and tomorrow’s will be the rest of the year in review.

In January, I moved all free help to the AA Vintage Sewing Machines Study Facebook group.  I did this because so many people would ask for help but leave incorrect contact information, or I’d respond and never hear back at all.  This way, a group of us can draw on our collective experiences and help Continue reading 2019 Year End Wrap up – part 1: sewing machines →

Sewing Machines, VSM Repair

Needle(Plate)s and Pins – Replacing the throat plate and spool pins on Singer Slants

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The Singer 431G is a stellar machine.  Seriously, it’s one of my favorites but it and its sibling, the 421G do have flaws. The 421G suffers from the first one and the 431G suffers from both.  Luckily, both issues are easily solved.

Flaw #1: I feel that the throat plate pins were a poorly thought out design.

In the photo above, you can see that both pins are broken. Originally, it looked a lot like a Philips (cross) screw from the top and I think this might be how they get broken.

Some people may have thought that a screwdriver was needed to remove the throat plates – and “conveniently”, there’s probably one that fits right in the accessories box just inches away. 

These plates lift off, no driver required.

All of the 431Gs that have been on my bench have had at least one of these pins broken or missing. One machine had some ground down screws as replacements that scored and gouged the aluminum horribly.  That machine came with a service invoice that showed that some “helpful” serviceman had even charged for the privilege of having the machine so damaged.

So, once the pins are broken, how does one fix this?  After all, the parts are long since discontinued.

First, the method.   Replacement is very easy.

Continue reading Needle(Plate)s and Pins – Replacing the throat plate and spool pins on Singer Slants →

Patterns, Sewing Machines

At last – a pattern 10 months in the making

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Seriously.  10 months.  I haven’t a really good excuse for it though.  It looks from the file revisions like I started it in November of last year and it’s been in various stages of writing then waiting then editing then waiting since then.

This bag pattern was made by request.  Not long after I made the Featherweight tote, I altered that pattern to make a larger bag for carrying full sized machines to workshop days.  It wasn’t long before people started seeing and asking for the pattern for the bag.  At first, I told people that they could use the featherweight tote pattern and I’d provide the dimension changes.   Most people though wanted all the changes incorporated – especially the 2 shops that carry my patterns. Continue reading At last – a pattern 10 months in the making →

Sewing Machines, VSM Repair

The loosest thread – Those pesky thread nests

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Some of the most common sewing machine issues I hear are:

  • “The bobbin thread is bunching up around the bobbin”,
  • “I have loops under the fabric”,
  • “It looks great on the top but the bottom looks awful!”,
  • “No matter how high I turn the tension on my bobbin, I still get a mess on the bottom side of the fabric!”,
  • “I keep lowering the upper tension but I still get loops underneath!”
  • “It’s the tension”
  • or something similar.

Something like this: Continue reading The loosest thread – Those pesky thread nests →