I documented the conversion in a video on youtube. I had shot a couple hours of video, but it was mostly just me blathering while slowly turning screws. I managed to edit it down to well under a half an hour.
That under half hour even includes the timing adjustment that I was dreading doing. It turned out not to be as terrible as I expected it to be. My main concern was the expectation that I would end up with a gear so frozen to the drive shaft that I wouldn't be able to free it without going to extremes. But in the end it only needed an overnight soak in some BlasterPB and a properly threaded screw to use for leverage.
Me and the boy also used our drill press (he was a little nervous about cracking the cast iron so he supervised and acted as the stabilizer while I drilled) to drill a couple of holes to tap for the 201-1 belt guard.
In the lower right you might recognize the familiar green bottle of Singer oil. That's my metal drilling lubricant. Always use a little oil when drilling metal at 'high' speeds (anything faster than hand cranking). The oil isn't so much for the metal as it is to keep your drill bits from becoming one-time-use items.
If you watch the video, at the end when I'm testing you will probably notice the loud ticking. Weirdly enough it didn't even register with me while I was testing it. I swear I thought Swan Queen was running silently.
The culprit turned out to be the Needle Clamp striking the Needle Bar Thread Guard when the needle bar reached the top of its travel.
I had created the problem while I had been looking for any way to get the machine to make good stitches without adjusting the timing. One of the things I attempted was raising the needle bar.
To correct the problem I just re-lowered it. Maybe a tad too far, I'll test it in the morning. It was way too cold to stay out in the sewing room any later tonight.
For now, at least it's not hitting the thread guard.
Once all is running correctly I will have treadlized 201s in both the main house and the sewing room. My wife just smiles and nods when I explain that it is a massive deal.
At some point I need to get Anna up and running. Then I will also have 15-91s running in both places.
Neat thing about that is that I recently picked up another Standard Desk Model 65 off of Freecycle. So the two named 15-91s will be in matching cabinets as well. Cool huh?
Hi Dave,
ReplyDeleteI converted a 201-2 to treadle myself. I watched your YouTube video, and was wondering, what did you do about the light switch? I couldn't figure out how to remount mine.
Hey Vichou, I continue to use the integrated light on the 201-2s after converting them, so I left the switch and electrical plug the in place.
DeleteCan a 15-91 be converted to a treadle?
ReplyDeleteYep, the process is the same for a 201-2 or a 15-91. But belt driven 15-90 or treadle ready 15-88/89s are much easier to find than a 201-1/3. I would look for one of those first.
DeleteHi David -- does the donor handwheel need to come from a 201? Will other handwheels work? I was hoping to try this conversion, and have a 6 spoke 15-30 handwheel (1906), which definitely doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteThe balance wheel can be from any of the 20th century machines (and some earlier) the 15/66/127/128 balance wheels all will work. Even the modern reproduction balance wheels sold on ebay will work if you cant find any Singer wheels.
DeleteThanks. I'll look for something more "modern" than my 1906, and I'll check the hub dimension before buying.
DeleteIf your 1906 is one of the models I mentioned, even a 27 or 28 as well that late, it should work fine.
DeleteIt's a 15-30, and it definitely doesn't work. (6 spokes, FWIW.) The hub of the wheel is too wide, maybe 1-3/8", so when you install it, the end of the shaft doesn't reach the outside edge of the hub. There's no way to install the clutch washer and clutch knob. But I did remember that I have another 15-30, from 1921, with a 9 spoke wheel. Looking at that one, I'm sure that one will work. I no longer have the 1906, but here's a picture. You can see that the belt guard is attached differently than later machines, and you can even get a sense of the width of hub, looking through the spokes. https://projects.foxharp.net/sewing_machines/html/singer15-10.jpg.html
ReplyDeleteThe 1906 is a 15-30 (I believe), but the wheel (6 spoke) and belt guard are different than later models. In particular, the hub is wider, so when installed on the shaft, the end of the shaft is recessed in the hub. No way to install the clutch knob. But I remembered earlier that I also have a 1921 15-30 as well, and its 9-spoke wheel will work, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteYeah the six spokes are different, same with the older 27/28s. But any 9 spoke should work. If you don't want to cannibalize you can probably get one from Helen Howes.
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