Leonidas' Surgery - Part Two

Well, after taking apart the motor and the foot pedal, it was time to start disassembling the rest of the machine.  I decided that since his innards do turn easily I am not going to completely disassemble him, however I am taking him apart.

So, every part that can be removed has now been removed, and this is a brief synopsis of how I did that.

DISCLAIMER:  Again, I do not intend for this to be a comprehensive tutorial, nor am I giving any advice here.  I am simply sharing MY experience.  I am not doing anything that I am uncomfortable doing, I know the risks I am taking and IF I screw this up, I'm "OK" with that.

The Hand Crank is the largest piece still attached to the block (the term for
the main body of the Machine) so I decided to start there.

One little Screw and the knob slipped right off.  Notice how badly pitted the
chrome is here.  Nor sure yet what I am going to do about that...

I took many, many pictures like this.  A part that needed to come off was
moved slightly, a photograph taken so I can see how it was when I
removed it, so I know how to put back together again!

Next was the Bobbin Winder assembly.  A simple screw holds the arm in
place.  Easy to remove, BUT, I am having a hard time figuring out how
to remove the wheel from the arm.  It HAS to come off as the arm needs
to be refinished and the wheel needs to be refinished.  The wheel is
supposed to be chromed, you see how rusted it is...

Large Bronze "screw" next to the spool post.  I removed this piece only to
realize what it is...  It is a PIN that keeps all of the innards aligned properly!
LUCKILY, I realized this and with the help of my son, lined everything inside
back up and got this bad boy back in place before things got whacky in there!!

 

Stitch Regulator Arm

Stitch Regulator Face plate.  I am thinking of stripping off the black paint
and redoing it with Maroon... Not sure though... We'll see.  I've got time.

Face Plate Removed.  This is the only Chromed
piece that is half decent.  All of the other chromed
or "silver" pieces all look terrible.  Not sure what
I am going to do about this yet... Suggestions?

Part of the threading assembly, again, looks bad.

Foot Presser rods, lifter and needle rod.

Removal of the Presser Rod was a little tricky
due to the spring you see here near the bottom
of the rod.  Due to the spring I could not lift the
assembly through the hole at the top.
Putting this part back together is going to be
interesting...

The completely removed presser foot rod.

The thread take up lever.  Again, looks horrible,
but I can't get it off to refinish it.  It looks like two
simple machine screws, but they won't budge.

So, next is the thread take up lever, the tension assembly and the needle rod and then I think I will be ready to start stripping this bad finish and preparing him for the "Ultimate Makeover".

I haven't been doing much quilting lately because my wife and I have decided to put our home on the market and we are looking to buy a larger home.  Much of my time has been spent preparing our home for market.  It's amazing how much STUFF accumulates over 15 years!  Watch for a blog post about my sewing "Space", which is nothing more than storage space in my garage.  But since I am now cleaning it out and organizing and deciding what I need for the next four to six months and what can go into storage, I am realizing how much Quilting Stuff I have!

I have been able to squeeze 15-30 minutes here and there to work on Leonidas, but sewing requires set up and tear down, etc. so for now, Leonidas is going to have to suffice to satisfy the creative spirit in me.  Thus far, he has...

As Always, Thanks for Reading...

Until Next Time,

Paul