Progress Cometh (Singer 99k pt. 2)

Work on the Singer 99k is progressing along quite nicely. When I began work on this machine, I initially thought it had a lot rust on the steel and plated pieces. After soaking those parts in a cleaner/degreaser, it turns out that most of the gunk as old dried oil, dirt and lint! You can see the difference in both the bobbin area and the needle bar area.

Bobbin area before

Bobbin area after.

Looks much better, yes? I was even able to keep the original red felt piece (in the upper right of the photo) that oils the hook as it oscillates!

I'm really beginning to think this 99k was neglected more than it was abused. There is still a small section of the duct tape that I was unable to remove. It really bothers me being there, but because the decal work is in such good condition, I didn't want to risk damaging it. I did slightly damage the black finish near it...sigh. I'm still pleased though. Hopefully with use, the wear of fabric across that area will help erode the residual tape gunk.

I am really pleased with the needle bar section as well. I fully disassemble that area, cleaned all the moving parts and replaced. This was the first time in taking a needle bar out; I was a bit hesitant, as I have read warnings about the difficulty in re-timing the machine when it is completely dismantled. But I've never been one to back down from a challenge.

Needle bar area before

Needle bar area after.

It helped that Singer was kind enough to place timing marks on the long horizontal thread guide bar. Without those, I would have had a much more difficult time of it. You can also see the that the 99k is sitting in its new base. It is an authentic Singer bentwood case, but this one originally had a knee-bar controller. I may add that to it in the future.

And the almost finished product....

Singer 99k, ready to sew (minus the motor)

I did temporarily attach the handwheel and crank from my Singer 128 (that's another post filled with rust and beauty). Let me tell you, this 99k makes one helluva beautiful stitch! Next up, tackling that mess of wiring that I have been putting off until the end. This machine (Ann) was born an electric, and an electric she should remain. Until next time...