I have a Simplicity sewing machine, made in the 1980s. It works fine sometimes, but often it goes crazy. I hold the pedal about halfway down, and the speed changes drastically (super fast to super slow to fast to slow, to a dead stop, then starting again). I have oiled the machine, and when the needle is disengaged (as if winding a bobbin), it runs perfectly smoothly. Any idea what could cause this problem? Thanks!
By Mia
When was the last time you had your vintage sewing machine serviced by a sewing machine repair technician? It sounds like a wiring short or a failing gear - something you can't identify and repair yourself.
You need to take this machine to a professional - negotiate the price ahead of time and be sure he/she understands you want to be consulted before making any expensive repairs to the machine. You may find the cost of keeping the vintage machine running smoothly is close to the cost of simply replacing it with a comparable modern machine (which will come with a warranty!).
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but vintage machines from the 80s were loaded with parts made of silicone and plastics which wear out and are hard to find newly milled. I do mainly Singer repairs here in the UK and if the repair is going to cost close to the cost of a new machine I try very hard to convince the owner to buy a new machine - a lot of parts used in vintage repair come from salvage machines and who knows how many sewing hours are already on that part and under what conditions were the parts used - running a machine abusively, under dusty-linty conditions, or without regular quality servicing will mean that part is even less reliable.
Often it's better to replace a vintage machine than to try to repair it as the parts will continue to fail in a cascade - meaning more time in the shop and far less time sewing. The only vintage machines worth fixing are the ones with all metal parts except the rubber or leather drive belts (bobbin and motor or hand turn) - bobbin rings and leather belts for those machines are still being made new and are highly reliable+the metal parts are practically indestructable=ing a machine that will go on sewing forever if kept oiled.
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Hi, I have a simplicity SL415 sewing machine. I can't figure out where the thread spool sits. Usually there is a metal rod. The top right shows where you place a bobbin to thread it but I don't know where the spool goes.
Please help. Thank you.
I have found the instruction manual and in the manual, it shows that you need to go to the back of this machine and pull the spindle for the thread out. Unfortunately, I can not download this manual because you need to pay for it. I did go to the Singer website to try and get the free manual for your machine and it is saying that they can't find this one. All the manuals I have found so far for this machine you need to buy them from the person. Singer does offer free manual download if you can enter certain information to find the book you are looking for.
The little bit of the manuals I could actually see how the spindle for the thread not too far from the bobbin rewind at the back of the machine at an angle and that it needed to be pulled up in order to use it.
I believe you are just missing the spool pin. The bobbin pin should unscrew and the spool pin should screw in.
This site may have the right spool pin: www.sewingpartsonline.com/
Call them and see! They can confirm my memory!
