Singer 15-91 Bottom End: Sunday Morning Quickies, May 15, 2022

In this installment of the Singer 15-91 for the New Jersey Blind Citizens Association, we take apart, clean, and reassemble the bottom end of the machine. Roscoe also shows up to supervise...
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[@billminckler6550]

“This ol’ girl did a lot of work in her life.” Endearing. Noble. Authentic. 😉. I just purchased a 201 that needs some TLC. I smile at the various worn notions and joy that the previous owner enjoyed.

[@MooRatsThomas]

Thank you for this wonderful video! You sharing a knowledge will help safe many a vintage machine!

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

You are so welcome!

[@romelfernandez7013]

Thanks for the video. My favorite part is when you said “I’m going to tap that from the backside 😂

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

LOL

[@samfox1312]

THANK you!!! :) Hey, Roscoe!!!

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Don't encourage him!!! 🙂

[@samfox1312]

LOL!

[@pn4775]

you make this so easy to do. zip zip zip and these are connected. i"m learning all the terminology for the basic parts and every video makes it easier to understand how everything fits in. I watch the videos even if they don"t relate to my singers because most of the terms apply. thank you and KEEP THOSE VIDEOS COMING

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Shooting video of the process really slows me down. As an example, it took me three days of shooting to completely disassemble, clean, and reassemble a 15-91 - something that should only take a day at the most...

[@leekro1]

Thanks Bob. Particularly your discussion surrounding the mucked up screw and the reason you chose your battle wisely. It's most satisfying to make these decisions based on context and ramifications -ultimately showing such respect and admiration for these beautiful machines. Embrace the obvious! "They don't make 'em like that anymore". Such a positive video as always. Roscoe approves.

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Thanks Lee. I looked and yes, I DO have a spare connecting rid, but making it fit properly might have been too much. This is a 72 year old part that has been "run in" for a long, long time!

[@marydeignan2183]

Roscoe is such a handsome cat!

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Thanks Mary, I'll tell him for you! 🙂

[@meganmills6545]

Awww Roscoe - he lies there cradled in your arms like a baby - he's a "snuggle puss" if ever there was one!. I loved this episode, the as-yet new owner is in for a treat.

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Oh boy, is he ever...

[@cedar0girl]

You make that look SO easy. (the Fred Astaire of vintage sewing machine repair) That bobbin shaft PIN is killing me! Is it a 3/32" punch? the 1/16" isn't doing it and I have scored the back now. ugg

[@Deb-wi5ye]

Great video Bob😊

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Thanks Deb!

[@TealCheetah]

This video may have given me too much confidence 😂 I swear half the screws have been frozen on this section, and it's been slow going.

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

A little penetrating oil can work wonders...

[@TealCheetah]

Great stuff! Im about to tackle the underside of my 15-90. It's reassuring that it takes you so long to clean all the parts, I feel less silly for how long it takes me.

[@meganmills6545]

I know how you feel - I spend untold hours cleaning and polishing a machine. It's like weeding a garden - once you clear one spot of weeds all-of-a-sudden the weeds you didn't even notice before jump out at you with flashing neon lights on them and so you have to pull them too... Same with housework - you start off just cleaning the bath and handbasin and then the walls look grubby, and then you notice the lampshade's a bit dusty and then there's a spot on the mirror (just one - but it has to go)... I need a cuppa and a lie down just thinking about it! :-)

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Anything worth doing, is worth doing right, regardless of the time it takes.

[@TealCheetah]

Hello Rosco!

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

He purred for you Vee... 🙂

[@marvinmcdonald416]

Hi Bob. A possible addition to your toolkit in the war against the stuck screw. Walmart sells a kit used to freeze warts. If you warm the area around the screw and then use the kit to freeze the head, you may get enough expansion difference to free the screw.

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

I tried using an aerosol "freeze" product, but honestly, it didn't do much except slow me down! 😜

[@donnatrevino4903]

Remember Bob Fowler videos

[@boephco]

Thanks Bob, why did they put a set screw and pin on the crank arm; take stress off of the pin?

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

No idea what their thinking was, it certainly doesn't seem necessary and earlier machines didn't have it, just the pin.

[@gavinkaylhem8038]

Really good video. I've got a necchi lycia 522. Timings out needle hits front of shuttle. Would taking apart and rebuild fix this. No info available.?

[@thelefthandedknitter1186]

You mentioned the wick in the lifting rock shaft, but didn't show what you did. I saw it briefly as you put it back in. Would you please tell me what you did? Mine doesn't even have a wick there anymore. -Karen

[@clementihammock7572]

This is always be the tough ever lasting reliable Singer sewing machine. Sadly, my part of the world. Young girls prefer lighter plastic sewing toy.

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

They are work horses, that's for sure...

[@SewPerky]

Any tips on getting the pins out of the connecting rod? I have used penetrating oil (which might not get in there) and I bought gunsmithing punches/hammer. They are not budging *at all*......ugh!!! This is on a 1952 15-91

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

The connecting rods don't have pins, they are screwed together. I hope you're referring to the bottom shaft that IS pinned together. Yes, they can be a problem. I would suggest cleaning as much in place as possible rather than damaging a shaft.

[@SewPerky]

@@BobFowlerWorkshop yes! Thank you for the correction. OK, that's what I was leaning towards as well. You are awesome and I'm enjoying your channel so much! We need shirts that say Schmooo....LOL!!!

[@r.duroucher225]

I have a question: How tight should the mounting screw be for the stitch length regulator? Should the screw move when the stitch length is adjusted or should it be tight and not follow the movement of the stitch length regulator?

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Excellent question. You shouldn't crank it down hard. A firm, snug connection, combined with the spring washer, will give good action on the stitch length regulator handle.

[@r.duroucher225]

@@BobFowlerWorkshop Thanks Bob! I'm working on a Singer 15 and it looks like my issue might be that I'm missing a spring washer. I don't see one in there at all. To get a snug connection, I end up with the lever being very hard to move and when I loosen it, the screw moves when the lever is moved.

[@r.duroucher225]

Found the washer!. It was "glued" by some gummed on the screw hole. Invisible without a bright light right on it. And someone installed it upside down or wrong-side up. The result was that either the stitch length lever was either far too loose or far too tight. Fixed now. The lever now works beautifully! Thanks again Bob.

[@yoerim360]

disassembling a german "copy" of this machine and tryiing to get the arm losse from the base. sadly one of the three bolts doesn't move ( used oil and impact wrench but no usc6) any tips on getting the damm bolt out?

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Yeah, I would leave that alone unless it's absolutely necessary. I rarely take the arm off machines. If you HAVE to remove it, my method is to use the best fitting bit I can find in my Milwaukee 18V impact driver and to secure the machine in my 10" woodworking vise... Even then, those can be VERY stubborn. I must caution, it's very possible to damage the casting...

[@yoerim360]

@@BobFowlerWorkshop had to as some small screws didn't loosen up and where bad reachable due to the head. It is off now, extra oil and my annoyance did the trick

[@cliftonmcnalley8469]

Why do cats and sewing machines attract the same people?

[@jdhtyler]

1951 Centennial badge machine - sorry I am a bit late to the party time slot 14:37 looks like the blue 1951 badge. I have by luck a 1951 201K before I bought it in the UK I did ask the lady seller about her mother and did 1951 mean anything, she said NO and I payed the asking price £50. [If she had said yes I would have told them its real value] At one point I wanted a 201 potted motor but not now I like a belt to slip if I get a jamb while sewing. The 1951 was dry as a bone and now works well and is use for our sewing projects. ASIDE Medics in the UK take the "hypocrite-ical" oath BUT doing NOTHING is not the same as "do no harm" They have been scared off by court cases - I would prefer a medic who does his best and keeps me informed of the risks. Apparently I have just recovered from "heart failure" After I begged them to give me antibiotics while I was in hospital since I was sure I had Bronchitis. 6 days on the ward going down hill fast,,,, I begged them and they gave me a dose of antibiotics they then released me 4 days later and I was in a golf competition 6 weeks late on a very hot day. Still coughing like mad but health wise OK.

[@lindahanke]

Why don’t you use parts dip to clean the parts?

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

For a couple of reasons, actually. My shop is small and I don't have the space for a dedicated parts washer, taking the "non-shiny" parts to the wire wheel removes the thick crud far faster than chemical dipping ever could, and last, I have pets and don't want to take the chance of any of them getting into potentially toxic chemicals. I am experimenting with a small scale operation out in the garage that will chemically remove rust (not Evapo-Rust) which I will report on in the future. I'm not a huge fan of Evapo-Rust, which while it works, tends to discolor the base metal more than I like to deal with later.

[@jomercer21113]

@@BobFowlerWorkshop yes, EvapoRust can not only discolor, but also etch metal. I very rarely use it.

[@terrigelbaum8066]

Where did Roscoe go?

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Roscoes doesn't go anywhere, he's always right there, or hanging in the front window with Forrest or Wilson, his buddies.