Disappointing

I spent a full day dismantling, cleaning, mantling, oiling, replacing, and tweaking this 128 (from 1937). When I finally threaded her up and plugged her in yesterday, she sewed a beautifully balanced stitch on paper while I learned where her stitch length regulator was (not where/what I expected!) It's the big silver knob right between the bobbin winder assembly and the gold medallion.

I did some HTS 6" squares on her (just following the penciled line with the edge of her presser foot), then marked a 1/4" seam allowance on some tape on her bed, sewing several 2" squares together to make sure I'd got it right.

Then I started sewing 4.5" strips together end-to-end for the borders of the next flimsy I'll be turning into a quilt, and that's when I noticed something strange. Her go-go juice would run out after 8" of sewing. She'd start out strong and powerful, sew that way for about 4 inches, then slow down and finally crawl to a stop at 8 or 9 inches. After several minutes of rest, she'd start strong again then run down after 8". So strange! I double-checked this phenomenon with more 6" HTS squares, and sure enough: eight inches (the diagonal length of a 6" square) was the max the motor would accomplish. There was no surge/flag/surge/flag business going on--it was all 60-to-0 in 8 inches.

I spent a great deal of time adjusting the tautness of the belt on her motor, then finally came to the conclusion it had to be the motor itself. If the belt was the problem, the issue would manifest at the first stitch.

So...yeah. Disappointing after I spent so much time, effort, and money on this one (especially knowing she worked wonderfully 30 years ago), only to confront a problem I can't fix. I'm listing her on Craigslist for $25, with my usual over-full disclosure of strengths and weaknesses. There's absolutely no reason she needs to be taking up valuable real estate in my studio any longer. If there are no takers after 45 days (even with price adjustments), I'll see what I can salvage from her for other machines lurking about this place.

I keep reminding myself of things learned during the maintenance day spent with this one, and that softens the disappointment a little. A few bucks will lessen the sting a bit too. Here's hoping someone on Craigslist wants her!