Singer 15-91 Part Two - Remove, Clean, Install and Adjust the Bobbin Winder System.

[@jimcavanaugh9351]

The tails on the stop latch spring are not the same length. They are slightly different length. The longer tail should go into the machine and the short one out to go into the stop latch. If installed the other way it will fit but the longer tail will protrude through the stop latch and the shoulder screw will press against it. It may work but l believe it will add unnecessary stress on the spring.

[@andytubesewing1953]

Thank you for the thoughtful input, Jim. I appreciate your time taken to share this info and I will pin your comment to the top and put a mention in the description below the video. I took my bobbin winder apart this morning and measured the two tails with a digital caliper. I get the same reading on both tails; 4.75 MM. I'm measuring from the backside of the coils to the tip of the tail on both tails. I do not have another spring to compare to. I do know that a few models from Singer have a similar spring and wondering if one of us has a different part number that is not original to a model 15-91. The parts manual I have shows part No. 66610 and has a picture of the spring but unfortunately, it is an oblique angle and only shows one spring. I do believe models 66 & 99 have a different spring with one long tail and 3 full coils of spring compared to the 2 full coils on mine in the video. If you found a way to properly install the spring you have that is great, and again thanks for sharing that info as other viewers may have a similar spring or even a different model and their spring could also be different.

[@jimcavanaugh9351]

@@andytubesewing1953 I looked at my 15-91 again today. I was mistaken about the spring tail and screw head interference as the hole is completely visible tangent to the screw head. When I received my machine the spring was broken and the long tail was inserted towards the machine and the short tail out through the stop latch. I had not discovered your video at the time I replaced my spring. In the video I watched he stated he put the long tail in towards the machine however he did not provide any reasoning for it. There must be a reason why the tails are not the same length otherwise they would be the same to eliminate assembly errors. I have photos but I don’t think I can post them here. I’d be happy to email them to you if you like.

[@andytubesewing1953]

@@jimcavanaugh9351 I think the part you have is an alternative to model 15-91. As is common with vintage machines, some original parts can't be found easily. Some parts are being made new when there is a big enough demand, and sellers often use these new ones to replace (or try to replace) an original part. As I mentioned, there are newly made springs for models 66& 99 and a couple other models that have a similar, but slightly different size. I think you may have part No. 15291 made for models 66, 99, 115, 15-30 www.vintagesingerparts.com/products/singer-sewing-machine-model-66-99-bobbin-winder-thread-guide-spring-15366?_pos=63&_sid=e4e79c3b7&_ss=r Here is a seller with both springs he says are for the 15-91; www.vintagesingerparts.com/products/singer-replacement-bobbin-winder-springs-fits-model-15-88-15-90-15-91-201-201-1-201-2?_pos=81&_sid=e4e79c3b7&_ss=r and he makes note that they do not work on the 66 or 99 models. If someone is using a spring with one tail longer it makes a lot of sense that the long tail would go towards the machine b/c that space is about 4 times thicker than the latch part. Also, the springs can have different diameters. You said when you got the machine it had a broken spring, so maybe it had the wrong spring? You can send pictures if you like, but it would be better to post them online somewhere all the viewers could see them and send me that link. You can't post pictures or links; I can't post pictures but I can post links so it is up to you what you send. [e-mail]

[@augustcanyon3438]

You're a joy to listen to and full of wonderful wisdom, thank you for providing these videos.

[@andytubesewing1953]

I appreciate your very kind comment. Helping folks keep these machines in service is the whole purpose of my 600 videos. If a video doesn't help you then please ask for more info. Thank you for your interest and take care.

[@billmaguire6216]

That assembly can be so fiddley especially with the spring. Andy, another great and informative video. Thank you.

[@andytubesewing1953]

That's for sure! It's a good thing I edited out the parts where I spoke out loud about that spring, haha. Thanks for watching, Bill.

[@pietie3]

Thanks to this video I managed to dissassamble , clean and put everything in the right place. I feel like an experienced mechanic. ☺️

[@andytubesewing1953]

Very nicely done and congratulations. You are a mechanic now. Then on my homepage there's a playlist with all the videos for this model if you find any other issues. Thanks so much for your nice comment and for watching my channel. Take care

[@mygrommi]

I’m so glad to see you talk to the screws and ask them not to fall out when you are trying to put them back in. Now I know I’m not the only person who carries on a conversation with my machine parts. 🤓. I have a Singer 201 that was missing its bobbin winder springs when I got it. I ordered the springs but have not put them in yet. I probably just learned something from your video that will help me when I replace my 201 springs. I so appreciate the design and function of these beautiful vintage machines and enjoy them so much. I feel sorry for people today who sew on machines with plastic parts inside and don’t know about these sturdy machines. There is no comparison with these fine vintage beauties and the detail and precision with which they were made. Keep the videos coming, Andy - I can’t get enough of them. You’ve taught me so much.

[@andytubesewing1953]

Thank you. I do talk to the screws quite a bit and not always nicely, but I edit those parts out, haha. I've never even seen a 201 in person, but I have the parts list and the BW of the 201 look the same as this 15-91 so I'm hoping my video will be the solution for your assembly. I'll tell you a little story... My wife never had a new machine in her life until she immigrated to the US. I took her to the last Singer store in town and she was fascinated with the modern machines. I bought her a $400 Singer machine. After 3 months she hated it, complaining she could not even hem her new jeans with it. Then the BW broke and she lost timing while sewing some fleece pants for winter. A couple weeks later a friend asked for help at an animal shelter thrift shop and she volunteered for a 10-hour shift. Someone brought in a Singer 600E and she bought it for $25. It had all the parts but was not running. She asked me to fix it and I did. I did not care for the "Auto Reel" bobbin system and neither did she but she loved the heavy-duty feel of sewing with it. A month later I found a nice used 301A (Palomino two-tone model) and restored it. After using it once she donated the 600E back to the thrift shop. She sewed on that 301A until I finished Coco and then "borrowed" Coco just to try it. I never got Coco back and she shipped the Palomino to her home in her birth country. Before the COVID pandemic, we traveled there each year for about a month and she would sew on her original 301A. She feels just like you; pity for the people who don't know/understand about a vintage Singer and she has always supported my KZbin Channel efforts. She later "borrowed" Regina the 403A for the rare times she want to sew Zigzag and a friend gave her a Brother Serger from 1974 that was going in the trash. We fixed that up nicely and easily and those three machines are all she uses. Well, sorry, not so little of a story I guess, but maybe fun to read anyway.

[@mygrommi]

@@andytubesewing1953 A great story - thanks for sharing. 😊

[@anthonywhitmore8402]

Thank you mr Andy for your video, I've been in the buissness since 1974, My father taught me everything I know about sewing machine buissness but sometimes you forget what you were taught, I appreciate your video it reminded me of step 3 wich I completely forgot thank you so much, as for the rest of the blow hards you can learn a lot from the old guy.

[@andytubesewing1953]

Thank you for the comment, Anthony. I have to admit there are times I need to go back and watch my own video to be sure I'm on the right track, haha. With so many different models and parts and designs, it's hard to remember them all. Yep... Blow hards, haha. My Grandpa taught me long ago that when you come across roadkill you just steer around it and continue on your path. Thanks for watching my channel and take care.

[@sewterie]

Thank you so much Mr. Andy. I have a 15-91 that I love. I am happy you did this video for when we need it. You are so knowledgable. We love our vintage machines and we love seeing you on here.

[@andytubesewing1953]

I appreciate your support of my efforts and my channel. Thank you for keeping your machines in service. They have served us well over the decades and I'm happy people are interested in maintaining and using them. Happy sewing.

[@carolemagnusson5044]

My bobbin winder is back together! Your video showed me the big picture of assembling it. After watching, I knew where to hold my hands and what to hold on to while I put the springs and screws in. The still pictures you showed were so valuable to me. For example, the notch for the sting ray spring and how the latch and tripping arm fit together. Much appreciate the way you share talent and skills.

[@andytubesewing1953]

Nicely done, Carole. Now you know all about the BW. I'll admit I'm getting good with those still pictures. I like to put them in b/c too many videos I've watched I just can't see the details. Thanks for keeping your machine running, and for your support of my channel. Take care.

[@DrStrangechilde]

Andy, thank you for all your videos. I have a beautiful hand cranked centennial Singer 99k that I bought in my local Oxfam shop. I had no idea where even to start, but thanks to you, she is sewing beautifully again and I feel happy that if something goes wrong, I could fix it. I especially appreciate the care you take to show (and crucially name) each part and how to go about accessing it-- since I can see and know the name of the gubbins, I was able to find the few parts I needed easily and even found a buttonholer attachment, which with a little help now makes the nicest buttonholes. These old machines really cannot be beat-- simple, elegant, rock-solid and a real pleasure to use. Thank you so much for giving people the instruction and the confidence to restore them to working condition. I'm sure I speak for many. You are a gem!

[@andytubesewing1953]

Thank you for such a thoughtful comment. I love that you put your 99K back in service and agree with your opinion of the machines. It speaks to Singer design and manufacturing that they are still working beautifully 50 to 100 years later. It's so rewarding to buy one for a song at a thrift shop or yard sale and restore it to find it sews like a dream. Thanks for watching my channel. Take care.

[@maria2400]

I had issues with my 201. This video really helped. Thanks Andy

[@andytubesewing1953]

Good news, and thanks for sharing this. I've never seen or worked on a 201 so it's good to know. Thanks for watching my channel and take care.

[@Sunsetluver1]

As always, a very comprehensive video. Love the close up pictures,thank you Andy.

[@andytubesewing1953]

I appreciate your recognition of the phots as I spent a bit of time on them. Thanks for the nice comment, and for watching my channel.

[@Sunsetluver1]

@@andytubesewing1953 you’re very welcome,hope you are well.

[@MyMike509]

Perfect timing! Had just dismantled my 201 bobbin winder and this is a fantastic resource for putting it back correctly! Love how you mark the pinhole. Note: I use your great "marking" method on the stop washer as well (on all my machines). Before I remove, I mark both the washer and handwheel stem, so when I put back together - I just match up the marks. Eliminates the 50/50 guessing! Thanks Andy!

[@andytubesewing1953]

Thanks for the great marking tip! I appreciate your watching my channel.

[@marilynhesemann5735]

Another excellent tutorial! Thank you so much for sharing your expertise!

[@andytubesewing1953]

Thanks for watching, Marilyn

[@r.duroucher225]

What a fine video! Thank you.

[@andytubesewing1953]

😊 Thank you very much.

[@heidicountryman3347]

Many thanks Andy.

[@andytubesewing1953]

Welcome, Heidi. Thanks for visiting my channel. Take care.

[@meganmills6545]

What a nice Sunday morning treat (where I am)! Thank you Andy - the two videos on the bobbin winder system have been so useful. I've struggled so much with one of these in the past - especially with that sting-ray tail. (It was a different model, but the winder was very similar). Next time it's going to be so much easier with all these new hints I've learned on how to make it do what I ask it when I'm putting it back together. The last one I tried was like a wildcat biting the hand that was only trying to feed it. And it hurt a bit too - that's one mean spring. :-)

[@andytubesewing1953]

Thank you, Megan. I think many of us have been "bitten" by that spring, haha. It is a clever design and functional though. That spring gave me such a good whack on the back of my thumb that my wife asked me a dinner; "what happened to your hand?" I've enjoyed working on the different BW systems over the years and seeing how the engineers simplified and streamlined them. The 221 Featherweight just uses a tension washer. The Slant Needle machines have the one strong spring for the frame, etc. No latches or kick-out springs. Thanks for watching from beautiful NZ and hoping you are all safe from the Tonga Eruption.

[@meganmills6545]

@@andytubesewing1953 Ooh - your poor thumb. When you've got a sore one you suddenly realise the huge variety of things you use it for, eh? :-) I hope it's all better now. Thank you for thinking of us with that Tonga Eruption. In New Zealand we've only had a minor bit of damage with a small tsunami at a marina (no harm to people, but some of the small boats were didn't come off too well). So we're all okay. We are, of course, feeling very concerned for our fellow Kiwis who have friends and family back in Tonga. This morning communication was still out so we're hoping to learn more after a couple of reconnaissance flights get a chance to survey damage from the air. On a slightly different note - wasn't the satellite footage awesome (in every sense of the word)?

[@andytubesewing1953]

@@meganmills6545 My thumb is A-OK, and it was my fault for playing with the spring to see how strong it is. (very) Awesome is a good description of all the satellite footage and pictures I have seen. I guess for the planet it was a small pimple popping, but the power of it was just incredible. Here in the US, I read this morning (1/17) that comms are still down in Tonga and they are waiting for the results of fly-overs. I know Tonga has over 150+ Islands and not all are inhabited and that reminds me of the Philippines. 100,000+ souls living there and we are hoping they are OK.

[@deniseking3422]

That you I have now fixed my Bobbin winder and understand how to use the adjuster.

[@andytubesewing1953]

Nicely done and thanks for keeping your machine and service

[@graymaquilter9641]

I swear, you have a video on everything I need (with 30+ machines!). I did the random google search for replacing the fat little tire and first result is Andy Tube! I will be smacking myself upside the head all day, haha! I took it off because it wasn’t making contact with the handwheel. Handwheel was a bit gunky, so if that doesn’t work I may need to adjust that. Working on a Kingston Deluxe Japanese/Brother clone of the 15-91. Thanks, Andy - thinking about you!

[@andytubesewing1953]

Nice to know you're still working on machines. I tried to cover a lot of situations with the machines. You never know what you may find in my 600 videos. Working inside on a VSM is a good hobby for the summer, hehe. Take care.

[@marlenebudnik3133]

Thanks Mr. Andy Tube. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@andytubesewing1953]

Very welcome, Marlene. Thanks for watching my channel.

[@lindacampbell6810]

I restored a singer 15 built in 1901. Cleaned and repainted the machine. I seem to have lost the screw used to reattach the belt guard. That black metal like fender. Can. You tell me which screw i need to order so i can finish my project. Thank you. And i find your videos helpful! Thank you

[@andytubesewing1953]

The problem is the different "sub" model numbers of the 15. I think there are something like 20. ie 15-1, -11, -22, -30, 41, etc. That screw may or may not be the same on several models, or the model may not have a screw. You can go to this link, scroll down to the 15s, and download (for free) several of the parts lists in PDF format. Most of them will have a description of the part number and a picture of that part number somewhere. www.universalsewing.com/tek9.asp?pg=parts_singer If you do figure out the part number/name you can google that and find someone selling a used one. Back then most of the Singer screws were "proprietary" and of odd sizes that you won't find at a hardware store. A part like that screw probably does not have near enough of a demand that an after-market manufacturer would be making them. I usually try to find missing or defective part replacements on eBay where a seller is "parting out" a model I need parts for if I can even find them. Rarely on a machine that old did Singer use standard screw/thread sizes.

[@retasmith409]

What would we do without your help with our old treasures…

[@andytubesewing1953]

What a nice thing to write, Reta. Thank you. Over the years I have seen more do-it-yourself channels arrive here on YT. I'm happy to see that and to see more viewers being interested in vintage sewing machines. It's been rewarding to me to make the videos and thinking that they will be around for a long time make me happy. Thanks for watching my channel. Take care.

[@cynthiajohnson5814]

Hi Andy, I just acquired a 15-91 and have and issue with the friction wheel not lining up with the flat ledge of the balance wheel. The photo at 27:10 looks like the tire should be centered on the flat. Mine sits about 1/8" or more to the left and doesn't make good enough contact even with the pressure adjusted. I'm thinking that the bracket that holds the bobbin assembly on might have been bent in the past. I don't want to try and bend it back for fear of breaking something. Any thoughts on this? Thank you.

[@andytubesewing1953]

Yes, the friction tire should run in the middle of that ledge. 1/8" to the left is actually way off considering the close tolerances Singer used on their machines. If the bracket is bent that much it should be obvious to you. The only part I ever tried to "bend back" in place just snapped off so I get you being nervous to try that. When I have something like this I always figure it is "User Error", meaning I messed up somewhere. I go back and check the installation of the handwheel to see if it is completely onto the arm shaft (like the wheel is 1/8" to the right, not the tire 1/8" to the left) and then check or reinstall the bobbin winder parts to be sure I put the washers or whatever in the correct side and the error was mine. I've had a handful of viewers who have had odd problems with this BW and a couple of them told me that watching my video for the BW on my model 99K was helpful to them. I do not know if that is the case for you but the video is here if you want: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX-Vgn-Prb-BrJY

[@cynthiajohnson5814]

@@andytubesewing1953 Thank you Andy. I also emailed you a photo of my setup for you to see.

[@andytubesewing1953]

@@cynthiajohnson5814 Yes, I got it. I think you're OK there. It's off but the center of the tire runs on the wheel ledge. I added a picture and documents to my reply to your email to show you my machine as a comparison.

[@ShaneB666]

Hi Andy, a bit off topic but can you please tell me what machine treads are use in vintage Singer machines, Im guessing UNF, Im assuming not metric.. thanks

[@andytubesewing1953]

just a bit, haha. Singer had their won tap sizes "TE" but can also use UNF and UNS You'll enjoy this chart from the UK: www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/screw_threads

[@ShaneB666]

@@andytubesewing1953 Appreciate that, nice chart..

[@andytubesewing1953]

@@ShaneB666 Good luck, Shane. 👍

[@ahmadmjadamy3681]

شكرا لك

[@andytubesewing1953]

مرحبا بك

[@connieworcester55]

👍❤

[@mariamarfil1620]

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼❤️

[@andytubesewing1953]

Thank you, Maria. 🙏

[@marilynhesemann5735]

Another excellent tutorial! Thank you for sharing your expertise!

[@andytubesewing1953]

I appreciate your comment. Thank you for watching.