Even More Singer Goodness - 201-1 Belt Cover Located for Black Swan

Another awesome find on the interwebs arrived.  After a year of part time searching I finally located the final part to complete Black Swan.  If you haven't read about Black Swan, she is a Singer 201-2 that I converted into a treadle machine.



Finally, a 201-1 belt cover. This was listed on Bonanza.com as an 15-88 belt cover.  The Singer part number for the cover itself is the same for both, 125324.  The only difference is the bobbin winder, which I have on the 201-2 motor housing/belt cover.

If you have read the early blog entries, you will remember that I had a cludged together 101 belt cover that I had been attempting to fit with limited success.  Even going so far as to attempt to use pipe fittings as  spacers at one point.

As you can see, not a fit in anyting beyond a single screw holding the cover in place.  It worked to cover the wheel but nothing else.

Here's a comparison of the different covers.  The 201-2 guard/motor on top, the 15-88/201-1 cover on the lower left and the 101 cover on the lower right.

Lucky for me, Black Swan is from 1939, before Singer was sure this whole potted motor thing wasn't just a fad and the two upper holes for the non-potted motor belt cover were already tapped.  Later models didn't have these holes.  That bit of fortune saved me the experience of drilling into the head.  I'm happy for it.

And yes, when I saw the dust I stopped and gave the head a good wipe down.  I know I should close up the cabinets when they aren't in use, but I bounce around the machines so much when I'm sewing that I am never sure which machine is going to be in use at any given time.  Exception being the 401 and 403, those do get closed up most of the time.  Zigzagging just isn't in high demand, other than doing blind stitches on the boy's school uniform pants every few weeks.

After giving it a quick cleaning, installing the hand cover took minutes.  Putting the 201 bobbin winder on was the biggest challenge.  I tried to cheat and use the 101 winder, but like trying to fit the 201 winder to the 101 cover, it just wasn't going to happen.  I ended up taking the one off of the 201's potted motor.

Like a lot of 201 bobbin winders out there, the frame spring for the winder had snapped.  Ugh, the only thing on the 201 I don't like is that darn spring.  Luckily the spring for the 15-88's winder works just fine.

Once it was all together, I spent a little too much time adjusting the winder so the tire hits the wheel perfectly.  Not too firm, which would increase treadling resistance.  Not too light which would result in slow, uneven bobbin winding.  Hey, I've been waiting a year for this moment, I'm justified going a bit obsessive at this point I think.

Here is Black Swan in her new, complete glory.  Marge has given me her highest possible recommendation.  She tolerates it.  So no night in the hole for me.  Yay.

I was going to announce that Black Swan is now a completed 201-1.  But that would be incorrect.  The 201-1s did not come with the integrated light.  So instead I'm going to announce the completion of Black Swan, my Singer 201-1.5.  Woohoo!