Rehab of a Singer 66-6 (La Bruja)

This sewing machine is a Singer 66-6, made in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It was part of a 35,000 unit batch that started November 9, 1929. Not sure of the exact date of manufacturing but the next batch of 66's on that factory started at the end of January in 1930, so I'm calling it a Christmas 1929 machine. It came with the wooden cabinet that I later learned was also manufactured by Singer, it is a model 40.

I saw the unit for sale on my local Craigslist, wanted a 201 but didn't want to get one shipped. Once I saw it in person, it talked to me. The machine actually worked somehow as intended when I saw it before committing to purchase it. Before getting it, I did some investigation about the machine and even with its limitations I figured I can make this work for me, I knew I was sick of the crappy modern Singer made of plastic. And I didn't want to invest close to $1K or potentially much more to get a reliable machine. For less than $200 it was a very low risk and the more I read about this heavy all cast iron machines the more fascinated I was.

This machine was almost 100 years old and had the potential to work as smoothly as it did when it was first made. What modern device has that durability?

This turned out much longer than I expected. Longer in reality and longer on the instructable, but it is a true reflection of what it took to bring it back to a workable state.

The main item required is patience. Started trying to vacuum as much crud as possible, the little adapters I already had served me well.

I read everywhere against using normal screwdrivers when removing parts, for sure when dealing with stubborn screws, the recommendation is to use the tips that can be attached to either a ratchet or manual handle, I've seen videos of people using power drivers, I didn't have to. All the experts mention the "Chapman" set of drivers. Looking back I think any driver could mess up the head of a screw if not used properly, so it is the person not the tool that causes the damage.

Download the parts diagram and the service manual to be able to label the bags with parts as they're removed. Take a million photos, from different angles. I watched several videos of people disassembling similar machines, found out the most informative for me were the ones made by Bob Fowler. Also read blogs of people's preferences on one penetrating oil over another, and what substances to use to clean the black finish of the machines. some people feel very strongly about some products. I try to considered facts the best I could.

I already had an ultrasonic cleaner, so I used that with a 1:4 ~5ish concentration of Krud Kutter, for any metal without paint. Already had the "Collinite" metal cleaner bottle and took turns using that and generic white polishing compound.

Rotary tool was the #1 tool I used, wish I had 4 or 5 available so I could have clean tips ready to go. I did a lot of small part cleaning and polishing.

Gloves, eye protection, and a long stick with a magnet at the end to retrieve little pieces that fall off your hands. A million Q-tips, wooden toothpicks, and little bags to keep things organized.

New wires/cables. I found a source for vintage style cables covered with cloth. Used that to rewire the light, the motor and the controller.

I had a plan to only remove just a few parts, put then right back and start sewing.

That didn't' work. After I remove a couple parts, I realized there was almost 100 years worth of fabric lint together with dust and dried-up machine oil covering every internal part of the machine. The more parts I pulled and cleaned, the worse the rest of the parts still attached looked.So I ended up taking everything but the main shaft.

That main shat was also dirty, but I was able to clean while in place since I removed everything around it. There was space to wipe and wipe. I used cotton cloths and long Q-tips, until the cloth came out clean, so it wasn't polished but all the accumulation of dried-up oil was gone.

I decided right away, the old wiring had to go. I wasn't sure how much new wire I'd need so that was a good starting point, ended up only needing a couple of feet of flat cable. I bought 3' just to be sure. A google for vintage cloth wrapped cables produced several options. They were all pretty similar as far as inventory and price, so I picked the one closest to my location.

The wiring was straightforward. I took notes and many photos just in case, but having basic wiring knowledge is all one needs. There's also many diagrams available online, I attached one as a sample.

I started taking very good notes and bagging parts, unfortunately I ended up removing more parts than planned, without meaning to. I didn't keep things as organized as I should.

Not to excuse my process, but as a warning for anyone doing this for the first time. The following are a few factors that derailed my typically organized approach to projects:

• I found 2 types of videos. A- people well organized removing one section at a time, but with terrible camera angles and explanations impossible to follow. B- people (mainly Bob Fowler) that just puts everything on a tray without labels or any way to ID them, takes something out of the top, then something from the bottom, and just dances to his own personal music. However his explanations are super-clear and he must have professional video equipment. Every part he touches is 100% visible from several angles.
• The whole process takes different approaches, some items go to the acoustic cleaner, others to the sink outside to be scrubbed with soap and water, then others to be clean/polished with the rotary tool.
• When you encounter a stubborn screw, there's a need for penetrating oil of course but also time for the oil to do its thing. So if you are into it, you want to do something while the oil is soaking. So you remove another part or two, then you may encounter another stubborn screw... more oil, more time. So you go to another area and pull a few more parts.

My plan for the next machine rehab is to have 4 well-marked trays/boxes/whatever, so even if I end up jumping from one section to another all the parts stay within the section. Instead of ending up with everything together. I was lucky that with the help of my husband, the diagrams, photos and some luck all the parts when to the correct location, but there were moments when I was worry I'd end up without enough parts or with too many.

I found this one special screw. I noticed right away it looked different, the slot for the driver doesn't go all the way to the edges, but what do I know about screws from the 1920's or 30's? well, turns out it is a reverse screw. Luckily I discovered before buggering the head. But that is something to be aware.

There's also the screw at the bottom of the fork for the stitch length regulator that is odd looking and needs to be adjusted, they call it an eccentric screw.

Everything else is normal. The main requirement for each section is patience and the confidence that nothing in the machine requires specialized knowledge.

Carefully while changing the wires, you can open the motor and clean all the dirt inside, wipe as much as possible. I was able to find new carbon brushes for few dollars. The old ones didn't look bad but I figured a set of brushes every 100 years or so was worth it. I also replaced the old oil wick, that one was threads.

Following the photos when it was time to reassembled, everything worked correctly. I was concerned if the wiring wasn't just right it may rotate the opposite direction but I tested it before installing it on the machine. Was nice to see the it turn properly of course, but such a satisfaction when I heard the smooth purring of the motor, that was an unexpected surprise.

For the light, there's some rings holding the bakelita together and carefully you can remove the old wires and solder in the new ones. After everything is done I will probably change the light bulb for a new one, because this old one seems to heat up the whole room when is on.

The removal ended up being a bit chaotic , or at least it felt that way in my mind. I did take many many pictures, the ones I uploaded here are about a quarter of the total, maybe less. That was helpful but for sure it felt scary and many nights were filled with dreams (borderline nightmares) of the machine becoming a paperweight.

As the parts were being removed, they would go to the sonic cleaner or to a tray for hand washing, then each part would be polished with the rotary tool and a cotton rag.

In between loosening of screws and polishing of parts, I would wipe the body of the machine with clean cotton rags and machine oil over and over. The black on these machines isn't paint, it is a type of finishing created in Europe as an attempt to copy the lacquer-work from East Asia, called "Japanning" . One of the ingredients on this finish is asphaltum, so I figured it dries as it ages, asphalt being an oily substance could possibly use additional oil. So I tested the area by the motor with some of the Feed-N-Wax I was applying to the mahogany cabinet and it seemed to remove the encrusted dirt without any damage. I never applied any force but every day I would wipe and wipe with that stuff and also machine oil. Eventually the rag came out clean. All the decals remained as they were and the finish in general feels very smooth. It does have a few chips but not very noticeable, nothing worth the effort to go for a full paint job. She is over 90 and it's ok to have a few battle signs.

After what felt like an eternity, the parts went in smoothly, there was more polishing. That additional polishing was not planned but I guess, we developed a better polishing technique as we worked the parts. The ones that were treated first didn't appear as shiny, so it was back to the rotary tool and polishing compound. Eventually everything look nice.

Next was to put her on the cabinet.

Just like the machine, the cabinet was pretty dirty with similar accumulation of crud. The controller that is activated by a knee lever is attached to the cabinet. This was all new for us, but with the help of YouTube, we disassembled everything, and approached each item individually. The controller needed new wiring, the knee lever got cleaned and polished. the cabinet itself (surface table, legs and inside boards) got cleaned and nourished with the Fee-N-Wax. We didn't remove 90+ years of use, but the structural capacity of the table appears to be all there.

As far as all the mechanical parts all of them were in good shape, the only "new" things added were the wires and lubrication.

The day came to put the Bruja in the cabinet and finish the connections between the motor and the controller, test the fit in and out of the cabinet and more importantly check if all this work produced a sewing machine.

I'm thrilled to say this machine sews beautifully. The first try was successful, it did require 1.4 of a turn to reduce the tension for the testing fabric but I couldn't be happier. The video shows the sewing after adjusting the tension.

Fixing this machine was an adventure, I highly recommend to anyone that was generous enough to read all this to try to fix before buying new, it gives you more than a working device, it feels you with satisfaction.