Kenmore 158.12470 sewing machine broken plastic zigzag actuator gear
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Most vintage (pre 1980) Sears Kenmore home sewing machines, are "all metal" (except of course belts, electrical insulation, etc... ), but like many manufacturers, in the 1960's, more plastic, nylon, & similar materials became more commonly used.
My hubby purchased a vintage Kenmore Kenmore 158.12470 sewing machine in a table for me, which appeared to be an all metal machine, but when we got it home, we discovered it had a plastic gear, under the zigzag actuator, which had split and broken off the shaft it belonged on, rending the machine unusable.
Having a part break, is pretty unusual on Kenmore machines of this age, since the majority of them have pretty simple mechanics, and metal parts, which typically last for generations, but if you have one of these "experimental built in obsolescence models", just be aware this can happen, you can replace it yourself, if you are brave enough to try, and the part was actually available in an all metal part, not the junky plastic, which I thought was pretty smart!
Angie Gorilla glued her broken part (being pointed at by my finger in the lower photo) back together, and the machine worked great! I hope to do the same with mine, at some point, but have so many machines waiting to be rewired, or have other major overhauls done, as well as sewing, which have piled up since my back surgery, because I don't last very long doing anything, before I have to rest for hours. I can usually do 1 thing, each day, if it is work on a machine part, that's all I get done, if I do laundry, that's all I get done, but it feels good to get things accomplished!
Most vintage (pre 1980) Sears Kenmore home sewing machines, are "all metal" (except of course belts, electrical insulation, etc... ), but like many manufacturers, in the 1960's, more plastic, nylon, & similar materials became more commonly used.
My hubby purchased a vintage Kenmore Kenmore 158.12470 sewing machine in a table for me, which appeared to be an all metal machine, but when we got it home, we discovered it had a plastic gear, under the zigzag actuator, which had split and broken off the shaft it belonged on, rending the machine unusable.
Having a part break, is pretty unusual on Kenmore machines of this age, since the majority of them have pretty simple mechanics, and metal parts, which typically last for generations, but if you have one of these "experimental built in obsolescence models", just be aware this can happen, you can replace it yourself, if you are brave enough to try, and the part was actually available in an all metal part, not the junky plastic, which I thought was pretty smart!
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| Notice the bed of the machine has a plastic bag, in which the all metal replacement part is located. It cost $26.99 plus shipping, I think, from sewing Machine Parts Online, in July 2018 |
In an effort to surprise me, since I had just had two large NF2 intra spinal tumors removed during surgery, in May of 2018, my hubby changed the part out himself, but accidentally broke another part, exactly the same thing that happened to my friend Angie, who was working on exactly the same parts, on the same model, at the same time! (Both machines had the plastic gear break, we both bought the metal part, put it in, and broke another part, while doing so!)
Angie Gorilla glued her broken part (being pointed at by my finger in the lower photo) back together, and the machine worked great! I hope to do the same with mine, at some point, but have so many machines waiting to be rewired, or have other major overhauls done, as well as sewing, which have piled up since my back surgery, because I don't last very long doing anything, before I have to rest for hours. I can usually do 1 thing, each day, if it is work on a machine part, that's all I get done, if I do laundry, that's all I get done, but it feels good to get things accomplished!
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| The part my hubby accidentally broke, while replacing the plastic gear that had cracked. It is the same part my friend Angie broke, when she was replacing the same broken plastic gear in the same model. Angie Gorilla glued her broken part (being pointed at by my finger in the photo) back together, and the machine worked great! I had to move this machine out of the way, especially since my hubby took it apart, not me, so I don't necessarily know what went where, now! |
