Becky's Motor & Bobbin Winder: A Singer 15-91 Nightmare

Oh boy... This one is long, but so many unexpected things happened in the process. In an attempt to "give it to you with the bark on", I present the good, the bad, and the ugly of this particular motor and bobbin winder.
Some highlights: I'll cover testing field coils with a digital multi meter (DMM). I make my own version of the flat, 2 conductor wire that singer used at the factory, and last but not least, I'll show you why a drill press is an awfully handy thing to own.
00:00 Intro, warning, and titles
00:35 Unpacking and disassembly
08:55 A harbinger of things to come...
09:30 Evaluation
12:13 Let the rewire begin!
14:50 A curveball gets thrown...
22:10 Fastball, high and inside...
22:34 Reassembly!
23:50 Two 18AWG conductors + 1/4" shrink tubing = Wow!
33:05 Houston, we have a problem!
33:28 What gives?
34:54 Troubleshooting
35:59 Testing the field coils
37:34 Problem identified
39:37 Fixing the problem
40:48 It's alive!
41:16 Reassembly continues
45:55 The bobbin winder
52:23 The stuck screw from bellow Hell, or why Bob loves his drill press
58:30 Wrap up and final thoughts
The feature on my web page - "My Recommended Tools, Materials, and Suppliers" can be found here:
bobsvsmservice.com/my-recomme...
New manuals page on my website:
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If you have a nightmare story you would like to share, send me an email to [e-mail] with "My Worst Nightmare" in the subject line. Include lots of pictures if possible and let me know the gory details!
My website: bobsvsmservice.com/
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[@BeowulfIsMinNama]

So glad I watch this again doing a rewire. Had the motor not work, for the exact same reason! Thanks Bob!!

[@melaniemonti8115]

Watchin you dig out the gunk, first thing in the morning, is hard on the stomach!

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

I don't even notice anymore! :-)

[@samfox1312]

Wonderful video!! Appreciate your showing "when things go wrong", as things DO go wrong, and it's so good to know how to deal with them!! Learned a BUNCH! Thank you, again, Bob!

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Thanks Sam, this one was a PITA...

[@samfox1312]

@@BobFowlerWorkshop LOL! One of my favorite words!!! :)

[@jomercer21113]

Repeat that exploding grommet in slo-mo! I had the same problem with the tab on a brush holder a while back. I could think of a lot worse reputations you could have.... Ez Outs are cool. Bravo!

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Thanks Jo, I'll have to go back and look at the raw footage!

[@beckybreyen7573]

Bob am speechless…watched this video of my Clara getting fixed. There are no coincidences! I stumbled across your videos a year ago or so for a reason. She would have hit the curb side box along with all the rest of her had I continued down the path of fix it my self. It’s good to hear that its not always as easy as it appears in the videos. Lesson learned: accept help when it is offered, check your ego at the door. Oh! I didn’t clean of a lot schmmoooo before I mailed her out. 😮. Say hello to Liz and Roscoe.

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Becky, as much as I bitch and moan sometimes, when things get difficult is actually when this work is the most rewarding. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is the best way to advance your skills, and has the added advantage of keeping you humble! I'm very thankful that you entrusted me with Clara's motor and light, and I'm sure she'll provide you with many years of safe and effective service!

[@rene8570]

Awesome video! Thank you for showing us how to troubleshoot when things go wrong, because I always seem to have things going wrong! 😂

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

You're not alone!

[@CherylSimser]

thanks alot Bob. you rock. excellent video, simple explanations and love the fact that you show your videos even when something isn't absolutely correctly right from the get go. well done and again, thank you so much! peace and love from Canada. peace!

[@terrymcclean4582]

I was afraid that it would turn out that my tool for removing the carbon brush tubes had damaged the tube.. Whew!

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Nope, to even close. This one had issues that went way back...

[@deboramunoz1084]

I think that this is one of your best informational videos yet, with all the bark on! I liked the procedures for troubleshooting of your motor non starting problem. I have rewired successfully about ten non potted motors. I have had three problem motors since I’ve been fixing machines; one that was bad with a short in the field coil, second one ran fine initially then I put aside for awhile and failed to start again, third one just failed to start after rewire rehabilitation. Any recommendations? As always, very enjoyable. Thanks again.

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Thanks, it WAS a royal PITA... I just got off the phone with the owner (Becky), she should have it back in her hands in a couple of days!

[@SewPerky]

Sadly, my FIL stored his mothers 15-91 in a barn. There is a lot of rust to be removed. I’ve started on the parts that I can get off the machine. So far, just the face plate and tensioner as well as the back screw/plate. I don’t know some of the technical names…lol. The potted motor/light/foot pedal will need to be replaced/rewired. If you have any videos about rust removal, I would appreciate some suggestions! Or if you say to not even try, I can respect that too!

[@michaelthompson9127]

Hi thank you for the video. Do you use the wool felt wick or do you have an alternative? And is there a grease available other than those little tubes?

[@toobacat]

Where could I get one of the brush holder removal tools like you used?

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Email me for details, [e-mail]

[@jimmynolan5291]

Anyone here ever use impact drivers to get stubborn screws out? I have great luck with those. I have a small one that I use with caution, just getting that pop pop and that’s it.

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Yes, I have a Milwaukee 18volt impact driver that I occasionally use. It didn't work on this motor though...

[@jimmynolan5291]

@@BobFowlerWorkshop I never see anyone use them in their videos so I thought it was maybe taboo of sorts. Funny thing is I had the same problem with the same screw but I had luck with pb blaster soaking and the impact gun.

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

@@jimmynolan5291 that's awesome. Drilling that screw out wasn't exactly the hardest thing I ever did, but it was one of the most nerve wracking...

[@meganmills6545]

And I thought the snap ring was mean?

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Oh you have NO idea how much profanity was removed... 😉