Singer Sewing Machine/outside motor, plug re-wire

[lindamay]

I have an old singer sewing machine, converted from treadle to an outside motor making the machine belt driven.
The existing plug is a male at both ends. It plugs into a receptacle mounted on the cabinet that the machine is in. The plug that came with it had two male ends. I understand that this is dangerous and want to correct it.

I want to make a different connection, either hard wired to the machine/cabinet and a male end to go into the wall receptacle or female/male cord to plug into a new receptacle on the cabinet.
What I am wondering is if I need to do anything special to the electrical connection that is coming from the motor to the receptacle on the cabinet or can I just change the receptacle?
Or will I need to take the motor to someone and have them change the wiring so that it ends in a male plug to go into the wall receptacle?

Thanks, in advance, for any suggestions/links that you can provide.
lm

[Woodwreck]

Lindamay-

By golly I have an intact, original, inherited Singer too; while the essence of your problem is clear, please post a pic showing the exact connections/connectors that someone apparently horsed around with and improvised badly. No, you wouldn't want to touch anything but the connectors to preserve the authenticity/value of the machine, and correct safety issues at the same time. Then I or others will be happy to give specific part numbers to use.

[Woodwreck]

Or if you prefer see the Singer Company info.

[stevem]

so basically you have an extension cord with male ends on both ends!!

thats scary

[Woodwreck]

Linda, after the current hodge podge wiring you refer to is disclosed, here are examples of cords to fix it.

[lindamay]

Hi,
my gallery has the relevant photos now.
thanks
lm

[stevem]

thats downright scary looking.

id be correcting that before long.

ive seen my share of scary wiring practises on old woodworking equipment, and that one is right up there

[lindamay]

the good news is that the cord is long gone and no longer a danger.

[lindamay]

thanks for the link. i am thinking that i need a receptacle as well, since this machine has none (beyond the dangerous one). from the pictures i've seen of this particular machine, there should be one located on the right side below the wheel. all the cords leading from the motor are frayed and would need to be replaced as well. should i try to replace them with cloth wrapped cords to preserve its authenticity?
the motor worked last time I used it, but it has been unused for at least 20 years. should i just replace the motor as well? the belt, of course, is split and worn and would need replacing. friends with belt driven machines indicate that the belts they buy for replacements break almost immediately. the ones i've seen for sale definitely look different than what my machine has.

singer has confirmed that my machine is a model 66, but has no further information on if there is more to the number. the person i spoke to indicated that it is most likely a converted machine and originally was a treadle. she gave me a number for a service center in Arizona to ask about parts. i am sending pics to them to see if they know what parts to order, but there were not hopeful that they would have anything but standard parts?

thanks
lm

[Woodwreck]

Sorry but while the pics are understandably hard to discern, the machine is similar if not the same, and the cabinet is identical to mine. I'll go unpile the cat and all the spare stuff stacked on our machine and then PM back to you with part numbers and possible answers as to how to change them, as well as answers to some of your questions above. Please don't try to change anything until we have a plan.

Later today,

WW

[lindamay]

thanks very much for you efforts.
the gallery had a limit on resolution and i have the pictures in higher resolution if that would help. i am not the photographer in the family and when my husband is home i can ask him to take better photos. the ones from the underneath are hard to shoot from the floor. so possibly we could elevate the machine/cabinet and reshoot.
i am in no hurry to do this as i have working machines that are more current. i am interested in doing this right so that it is refurbished to what it should look like. the grain in the wood cabinet is very nice and i would like to do some work on it as well. but i understand that if i do too much refurbishing, it might alter its value/authenticity. since it has been in my family since my mother was first married (she was born in 1915), i am only interested in restoring it and keeping it.
i am patient and also researching on line for others like mine, so i am happy to wait.
so far there is no indication if this machine has more than the number 66. the serial number begins with AB so from what I have seen that is a pretty early number.
lm

[Woodwreck]

but i understand that if i do too much refurbishing, it might alter its value/authenticity.

If you watch Antique Roadshow they frequently tell someone they just blew 30% of the value of an heirloom by 'refurbishing,' it.

Let's stay with the wiring for now.

WW

[Woodwreck]

OK, what you have in a bizarre arrangement (pics off line PM) is a std. duple convenience receptacle wired to the machine into which someone used the double-ended plug cord which is fortuitously missing, to power from the wall source.

The receptacle is badly corroded/rusted which suggests maybe the motor has water weather damage but leave that issue alone until the power cord is repaired/replaced. Snippets of the cabinet suggest weather exposure.

The way this works on most models - there are few differences to my knowledge - is that there was originally a 16 g. power cord from a non-polarized plug to the connector shown att. The connector is a standard type physical connector used to today on appliances with the protected male female housing, but should not be electrically confused with a standard U-ground outlet, remembering that the bakelite plug shown design is c. 1920-something.

Note the connector has two cords (don't get confused with the shadow in the pic.). Thus the plug which goes into the base of the machine is in parallel with the foot/knee rheostat. With some certainty, the third lead is for the machine light. That can be trace readily for continuity.

The wall cords & plugs are standard hardware items. If you are missing either half of the bakelite male-female chassis connector you should try to get those from, Singer. As a last resort a current chassis connector could be purchased and either surface mounted or loose on a cord.

Parts in this seem to be screw assembled so replacement like new should be a piece of cake - the only issue is obraining the SInger replacement male/female connector.

If the motor is defective, it should be examined given the relative historic & sentimental value of the machine.

Good luck on your find.

[SwampDonkey]

We have two here between my brother and myself. Mine is a 1902 model, his is 1908. Mine needs some wood work and a thorough cleaning. Spoiled wood is spoiled wood. I would not be taking value from the piece, because as it is, is not all that desirable. So it depends on condition. These things are not that highly valuable anyway, they are as abundant as rabbits. And all kinds of them in storage of museums and such. If someone pays $600 for one, I can find one for $100, simple as that.

[John Bartley]

I've owned many of these old style machines because I buy them as scrap and convert them to microwave or sofa tables. The wiring is not original, so changing it will not affect the value. They have very little value anyway, so it's not a big deal. I have never paid more than $50 for a complete machine with all the accessories.

But .... I confess to some curiosity ..... why would a person from California, register on a Canadian woodworking forum to ask a question about sewing machine wiring? Not that it's a problem as you'll likely get the answers that you need, but ...... why?

curious in Canada

John

[Woodwreck]

John, your curiosity, with due respect is in itself highly provincial. The beauty of this forum, - have you not read the title? - largely due in part to the wonderful facilitation of Bill MacDonald, is what makes it stand out on both sides of the 49th parallel for its exceptional congeniality, enlightenment, and hospitality - south of the 49th, and indeed worldwide. Linda, coincidentally living near me has subsequently mentioned off line that she admittedly stumbled on it by accident, as have so many forumites, myself included. But who cares? Nevertheless, the forum by its very title is and content far more than "woodworking."

To return to the issue of dollar value, Singer in its time was the exclusive source accounting for the value dilution in volume, but more significantly through having been handed down through maternal family generations, is its true immeasurable value to be found.

[John Bartley]

Curiosity, especially with respect to human nature is not provincial. It's natural.

Title? To which title are we referring? I see nothing in any of the the titles attached to this general forum, or to any of the subforums that naturally invites a question about, or suggests any chance of finding any expertise in appliance repair, especially when that repair is required to meet codes in a geographic area for which few of the members of this forum would have any expertise.

As I said, there is no problem with asking the question, as the very congeniality and helpfulness that you have mentioned is certain to produce an answer, but .... it is neither provincial nor rude to be curious and to politely inquire as to "how" this place was chosen to be the place to ask the question.

Personally I would have chosen a Singer sewing machine group such as this one: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vintagesingers/ to ask about Singer sewing machine repair, but I likely would not go there to ask them a question about woodworking, so that is why I am curious, nothing more.