"Industrial Archaeology®" or How to tame wild Speed Queens

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Yes Sir, Mr. Jet Cone>>

There were only two...

28 1/4

30 1/4

 

Let's hope the longer one is it. Both 1/2" width.

 

LaVidaBoem
 
Well, I tried...

I only have a few reference books for those...

 

Let us know what it turns out to be, need to add that to the old 'noggin file system...

LaVidaBoem
 
Vida,

It's funny you should mention Varisol. Several years ago I restored my Grandmothers Singer 401 Slant-O-Matic sewing machine and the service manual recommended using Varisol to clean the machine with before beginning a complete tune-up. I started looking for Varisol and soon realized I was searching for a rare substance. I suppose this is only to be acquired at a specific location and for a substantial price?

Brian

www.automaticwasher.org

Singer 401A Sewing Machine

Here are some pictures of my recently restored Singer 401A. I obtained a service manual and bought some Tri-flow grease and oil from Jenny at Sew-Classics.com and went to work. It took several days and a lot of work, but it was worth it. This thing sews like nobodys business. It will sew through...
www.automaticwasher.org www.automaticwasher.org
 
after talking to Bob Salem

who is a wealth of information on Speed Queen he tells me the commercial belt should be a 24"-25" belt, that the exact size is not crucial because of the motor adjustment ability and that SQ belts should never never be tight, loose is the way. 

 

So using the handy dandy "belt-0-matic" I was able to confirm what he told me today.

Domestic machine, large pulley =6" small = 1 1/4"  distance = 7 1/2" and small pulley speed is 1725.

Large pulley (spin) is 630.

 

Commercial machine : spin pulley is 4 1/2" spin speed is 725 so a belt between 24-25 " is whats called for. 

 

 

 

 
Yes, nearly impossible...

It seems that way now...the greenies have made just about anything petrol based difficult to find...

 

I had a buddy tell me that in Cali-Land, you cannot hardly buy even normal paint like thinners/strippers without an Act Of Congress.

 

That is one slick sewing machine restoration...

I had inherited one of my grandmothers machines...almost forgot the number...A 640 or 642 Singer with the drop in discs for embroidery and zig-zag...

I had just finished the work on it circa 2008, and lost my home to fire...it melted that singer into a pile of molten pot metal.

I was sick...

Anyway, thanks for the post, and keep me in mind if you have a singer that you want to get rid of...SC has a nice environment for keeping the machines out of the Cold, wet, nasty winters some of you boys have...
smiley-cool.gif


 

Thanks,

LaVidaBoem
 
JetCone>>

When you get the belt, would you mind posting the brand, and part # for reference??

 

"Here" I have a Napa buddy, and I stock many belts for farm/auto/industrial machines.

 

I like to be able to cross any other vendor over to the Napa # so I can always give someone the actual part # to ask for.

 

I am sure you all have ran into situations where a vendor would reply..."We don't have, or can't get, OR They don't make that..."

 

With a direct #, it makes the task easy.

 

Thanks Again,

LaVidaBoem
 
I learned too that the belts have to be a bit loose for it to operate properly....

I also use Brake Parts Cleaner for many cleanup jobs, and for items you wouldn't think of getting wet.....it will dissolve grease and grime quickly, wash it away, and dry within seconds...

fantastic work Jon......how I wish I could be there to watch all of this in person....
 
Last two days the job

has been to address the spin tube bearings. Although they sounded great , when I discovered the amount of use the machine has seen I had my doubts as to the lubrication in them.

 

When I got the spin trunnion  out all by itself I found the turning of the spin tube to be stiff. So in we go>>>>

 

Sure enough, the lubricant has dried out and cracked around the supply area, see #3. You can see where the lubricant has separated from the bearing race and is no longer supplying lubricant to the bearing.

 

That means its time to go!

 

 

[this post was last edited: 12/15/2015-19:07]

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Rebuilding An Early SQ Washer

Great job Jon, I have only ever torn one SQ this far apart.

 

Your final spin speed will be close to 800 RPMs with the 4 1/2" spin pulley.

 

That "heat stress " on the spin tube is from when they made the spin tube , the spin tube could never get that hot in operation or there would be no grease in the bearings at all and the seal assembly would have burned to ash, LOL.

 

Can't wait to see and hear this machine in operation next time I am up there.
 
Thats what I was thinking John! That heat stress looked deep

deep to me for any lubricant to be left in there.

 

 

Yes when I talked to Bob, he said that Jeff had shot his machine with the 'scope and Bob said he hit 745 RPM!

 

Can't wait to see that! Thanks for throwing in that pulley! Bob also had a belt for me. So this baby should be up and ready to go soon!

 
 
.
A rebuild/restore thread, thumbs up and thank you!

It has been my thought, born of experience, that when a mechanical device "realizes" it's being worked on all manner of stuff lines up and breaks while the breakin' is good.

Given your extensive experience I wonder how you have learned to cope with this fundamental law of
Contraptions?
 
Well Robert what I've noticed more so is this

I find two kinds of machines. One that really doesn't want to come back, that is the beast to restore. The other is one the does want to come back. On those all the nuts just pop apart no forcing, all seals are good or come off easy to replace. Those are the joy to work on by a wide margin. The Philco Hula-Matic was dying to come back, in fact I've never worked on an easier machine , I was amazed at how well the mechanics stood up because that machine was once in a home and then it appeared to me be have been a garage machine due to the type of grease build up in the tub and Hula-tator. 

 

I only force the ones that don't want to come back if they are rare examples of something.

 

The one that beat me was the Launderall, it didn't want to come back, once I got it actually running dry it caught fire and had to be hauled out of the basement, smoking' and choking' the house up.

I have one very recalcitrant machine in my stable, its the Lady Kenmore Combination that John & I have been trying to save for 30 years !! I get her up and running and something else breaks, so she's up on the docket for the winter , right after this speed queen. It's now do or die time for her! 

 
 
Jon, that was quite the challenge to get everything turning again so smoothly and you did an outstanding job.  I only saw the finished product for the transmission, but it turned like it was brand new!  Can't wait to see the machine put back together again. 
 

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