REWIRING SINGER CORD PART 1: How to Rewire a Vintage Singer Single Lead Sewing Machine Cord

[@victoriagideon-mcree6072]

My boyfriend drove up to the convenient store near our home and came back with 2 antique singer machines, 185K & 51-91. A woman was walking to the end of her driveway putting the sewing machines in her garbage as he drove by. I am restoring these 2 machines and have never done any type of restoring. I find it relaxing & rewarding. Your informative videos have been a huge help. Thank you

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

You are quite welcome. Your boyfriend is my hero for having the foresight to rescue machines that, once you have given them proper overhauls, will likely outlive any new machine you could have bought today. And the other good news is that each of these 2 models have LOTS of spare parts both vintage and new reproduction. Singers are the easiest machines to get spare parts for. Good luck with your new projects.

[@ameliathompson3751]

Your comment on machines in landfills caught my ears. In 2007 I rescued a 1908 Singer treadle sewing machine from our local public dump. I have restored it and it works well.

[@melissashaw1008]

Thanks so much for this video! I just finished rewiring the cord for a sewing machine I inherited from my grandmother. It's amazing how easy it is to fix things that were designed to be fixed - what a difference from today.

[@ronalddevine9587]

I agree. I've tried to rewire them, and it isn't fun. Singer must have had petite ladies on an assembly line to make them. I've given many parts to the sew-vac that I go to, and he in return has been very generous and kind in return.

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

OMG I’m the first!!! The wiring on my 201 worries me, so perfect time for this lesson.

[@lisareed5669]

Just love your videos!

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Glad you like them!

[@jsmxwll]

Those broken plastic plugs can often be repaired with epoxy putty. The bonding surface usually needs to be sanded a bit to ensure a good bond, it also gets rid of any oils that might interfere with the bond. In rare cases a mold will need to be made and then cured separately, and then interfaced with a liquid epoxy. Mix the and shape it like playdough to fill the void. Protect any parts that you don't want the putty spreading into. Leave it a little large and then sand it back into shape. You can get epoxy putty pre-pigmented to be similar to what you're repairing or you can try a pigmented liquid epoxy coating afterward to color match. To be honest, color matching has a lot of options and none of them are universally effective. Color matching is probably the hardest part for me. Probably not super important here, but sometimes you have a part that you can't easily replace and that has worked well for me on some vintage radios and power/hand tools. If I had anything to repair I'd make a video on it because I can't find any on YT.

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Thanks for the suggestion. Have you ever tried using Sugru? I mention it in one of my videos (I think its in the tools/equipment list. It's a silicone based moldable putty that has a lot of cool uses.

[@jsmxwll]

@@VintageSewingMachineGarage I have not, but it has now been ordered. It seems very cool and if it bonds to hard rubber well, I have about a dozen small fixes I can think of immediately. I also need to watch your equipment list video apparently, lol.

[@SommerRiley]

Hi there!! Do you happen to have a video on converting a single lead, button style foot pedal for the Singer 201 to a new electronic pedal? I thought it was going to be part of the foot pedal series, but I’m only seeing Videos 1-3 for that series. My button style seems to go from 0 to 100 (it’s mounted in a cabinet, so I’m using the knee level) when I start sewing which makes it difficult to backstitch at the beginning. I’m looking for more variability so that I can start slowly and then speed up after I’ve backstitched. Thanks so much!!

[@barbiedesoto7054]

This is so helpful! I have a Singer 128 I need to rewire and want to put it in my early 60s cabinet. The 128 has the little box for the knee pedal, and it also has a light. I’m not sure which foot pedal to order that will work. But I am confident I can rewire once I get the right item.

[@lapalma1928]

Great video! I just purchased a Singer 201-2 that seems to have been with the original owner’s family. It works, but it is a bit dull. Do you have any suggestions for what product to use to clean the black and silver parts to make it shiny? Thank you very much!

[@RI0T999]

I have that same brass nesting screwdriver that my grandfather had at turn of century . love that thing!

[@surfearth1]

The exact video I was looking for. I picked up a 66 with a cord that apparently got warn by the belt pulley wheel rubbing on it.

[@Mr.SLovesTheSacredHeartofJesus]

Good video. Will save this for future reference.

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Excellent!

[@heatherrandle1307]

Great video!! The cord on my 401a was frayed thanks to a cat, now I can fix it. I was wondering if you might be able to point me in the right direction to identify my New Home Treadle. It is missing the front plate so I have no serial number.

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

I'm not sure, but you might find some info. at a site called Treadleon. They are a great resource for treadle machines and not just the large brands.

[@MildredGlutz]

I want to switch my 15-90 to a new double lead power/foot control cord just like the one you showed and said is on your 15-90. Right now mine has a single lead power cord and the foot control is attached to the terminal. Do I just detach the old foot control from the terminal and then plug in the new double lead that has the new foot control already attached to it? (My dearly departed dad used to often say, “Waste not, want not.”)

[@MildredGlutz]

Ended up switching back to the original foot control and original cord configuration. The new foot control (or changed cord arrangement) seemed to cause the motor to growl/buzz after a few minutes of sewing. I was able to use a new power cord with a modern plug, though.

[@susannethur5044]

Thank you for the info! I bought a singer machine with this plug system at a flea market. I love the machine it sees really well but the electrical cord needs to be replaced. Thoughts on doing it myself?

[@susannethur5044]

Sews.

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Not everyone will want to take this on, but fortunately, you can get new reproduction cords with these plugs at many online sellers. They sell both the Single Lead and Double Lead versions.

[@experimentallytheoretical3116]

Any idea if it's possible to rewire the old electric knee control boxes in a similar manner? I just got a Singer 66 with a "Boco(?)" Knee control that I want to keep but the wiring is rotted all to hell.

[@StichyLins0703]

I just received a 1947 Singer 15-91 and the foot pedal and main power cord need replaced. Do I need to purchase a power cord in addition to the foot pedal you showed? The power cord is not one in the same of the foot pedal, correct?

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

You can purchase them separately, but if you need both, it is less costly to buy the pedal prewired with the cord. You can find them on Ebay from multiple vendors or other sewing supply online websites.

[@pamelaleitman9305]

Can this double lead set up replace my singer 128k sewing machine’s direct wired pedal to the motor? How do i get this done? Any suggestions?

[@mrmillillion96]

What gauge wire did you use

[@annwarren4171]

I cannot seem to find at all the replacements for the flat pinned version of this. Do you know of any websites that stock it. I'm based in the UK. Thank you.

[@donovanjoubert3486]

Amazing video

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Glad you think so!

[@sharonoddlyenough]

I was going to rewire my power cord, but the plug is missing one of the little brass terminal. Along with other mistakes that some previous owner of my machine made, the result is that pressing on the pedal only results in the light coming on. Thankfully, due to your video, I know there is an aftermarket cable to be found and I don’t have to hunt down one of those tiny pieces. The old pieces will of course be saved.

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Thanks for sharing

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

Can’t you patch the case with Sugaru? (Silicone putty) Not pretty, but keeps you sewing while waiting for the mails.

[@davesingh1033]

Can you help me? What type and gauge of wire to replace my wiring? Thanks

[@davesingh1033]

My 99K

[@nicholasvankersen4436]

Hey I've got a problem if anyone knows. I was sewing on my Pfaff 30 and it felt like I poked myself on something. So I did as a scientist does and said "I wonder why that hurt" and did it again. Turns out my machine was shocking me. My confusion is that all the wire is fine and still flexible. So I'm wondering if anyone knows why I'm getting shocked. Should I break down and just rewire it?

[@berylenerossouw9939]

I got a vintage protea deluxe power plug with 4 Tring plug

[@MichaelWBall-jc4we]

I believe that knot is called an Underwriters Knot

[@thinkpositive2092]

I NEED HELP! PLEASE HELP ME! I have been using a Singer sewing machine for more than 30 years. This month the foot pedal (controller) stopped working. As parts are not available for that old model, so the foot pedal can’t be fixed. Then I bought a new foot pedal. Now I am getting different opinions. One of them is that this new pedal and motor can’t work together , and if I try it will damage either new pedal or motor. So now I am trying to find a good motor for this new pedal. PLEASE HELP ME! My question is: What things I should see in a motor so it works properly with the NEW Foot Pedal (Controller)? Old Motor 230-250 volts input 90W 50/60Hz Old Foot Pedal (Controller) volts 150~250 input 80W 50/60Hz NEW Foot Pedal (Controller) 100V 120W Here Electricity Standards are: Voltage (volts) 230 V Frequency (hertz) 50 Hz Thanks a lot for your time

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

The issue is likely not that you are trying to use a new foot pedal, but based on the specs you provided, the foot pedal's voltage rating should match that of the motor. I'm assuming you do not live in N. America and that your location's power grid is based on 230/250 volts. Try finding a new pedal that has same voltage rating as your motor. As long as the pedal and motor are based on the same wiring standard (2 wired cords for example since some machines used 3 wire cords for the pedals), then your overhaul should work ok assuming everything is wired properly.

[@thinkpositive2092]

@@VintageSewingMachineGarage Thanks a lot for taking time to reply me. Your suggestion is VERY important for me. Thanks

[@michaelbowdish3000]

It’s called a Underwriters Knot!

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Thank you Michael.