Kenmore Sewing Machine Sews Stretch Stitches in Reverse
Is your vintage Kenmore sewing machine, suddenly only sewing in reverse?
If your model takes cams, and if you put a cam in, but only pushed it halfway down, it only engages the reverse cam follower, which makes it sew in reverse,only.
Another issue can be if you set your stitch modifier to S (which controls the length of the reverse stitch, in stretch stitches on models with S M L kno, other models have -/+ levers on the back of the machine), it may only sew in reverse (especially if the stitch modifier needs cleaned, oiled, and adjusted).
Another issue can be the stitch length/reverse pivoting cam, and/or cam follower, may be stuck, due to dry sticky oil, this can also cause it to sew in reverse.
To troublesboot-
If you put a cam in, pull it out. Test stitch. Does it sew forward now? (If your machine doesnot take cams, skip to next line.)
If not, then set stitch modifier (not all models have a stitch modifier knob or dial, some have -/+ lever on the rear or back of the machine, - sews more reverse in decoŕative stitches and buttonholes), + sews less, or shortens the amount of reverse) to the red dot (straight stitch setting for normal forward sewing).
Test sew. Does it sew forward now?
If not, you need to clean and oil the pivoting stitch length/reverse pivoting cam inside your machine.
I use rubbing alcohol or deodorized kerosene on Qtips, or a paintbrush, to clean off old sticky oil, then oil with sewing machine oil or Triflow oil.
Vintage Kenmore Sewing Machines are wonderful, but as the oil in them ages, it dries up and causes parts to stick, which are supposed to move. You may have freed up your entire frozen Kenmore, cleaning and oiling it, but the next time you go to sew a stretch stitch, it only sews backwards, or sews only forward, but no reverse in the pattern of 2 stitches forward, 1 stitch reverse, repeatedly, which is what creates the stretch stitches. Basically the part which controls the reverse part of your stitch, has gotten stuck, in either forward or reverse.
The reverse mechanism is worked by a small part which needs to pivot, to engage the reverse, every third stitch. If this little part cannot pivot, you will get stitches, but they will be either all forward, or all reverse, even if you try to adjust the stretch stitch modifier, which usually will either have a =/- marking, or S, M, L, for short (more reverse), Medium, or Longer stretch stitches.
In the video I used a tiny screwdriver to try to point to this part. I wish I could remember the correct mechanical term for this part, but I cannot, so I describe it the best I can. It is like a little box, with a rotating cam inside it, and the box must pivot, every time it needs to engage the reverse. Basically, the slide box (cam follower) is just long enough to allow a cam to rotate, which allows two stitches forward, then it should pivot, and engage reverse, for one stitch. (This often makes a clicking noise in mechanical stretch stitch sewing machines, only when sewing stretch stitches.) When the cam follower does not pivot to engage reverse, you will only get forward stitches, and when it gets stuck in the reverse position, your machine will only sew backwards, for a stretch stitch setting.
KENMORE 1931 mechanisms
(I looked up mechanical engineering terminology to help me describe parts correctly, but I can't guarantee I get it right all the time, but hopefully it makes sense, lol!) The stretch stitch mechanism includes a cam, which slides inside a pivoting cam follower, underneath the main cam, and cam follower that we see when we take the top off a Kenmore 158 or 148 manufactured series zigzag sewing machine. The stretch stitch cam follower is on a pivot point, and is nearly hidden, below the top cam and cam follower. It is easy to miss cleaning and oiling this lower cam and cam follower, and the pivot point, which allows stretch stitches. The lower cam follower, on the pivot point, pivots one direction for the two forward stitches, and pivots the other direction to sew one back, or reverse stitch.
1750 SEWING WITH CAMS
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| BASIC SEWING MACHINE CLEANING KIT- (not everything is in my photo) Rubbing Alcohol or Deoderized Kerosene -to remove old sticky oil Qtips and/or a long handled skinny paintbrush to use to remove old sticky oil Old tooth brushes - for scrubbing really nasty areas, especially to clean feed dog teeth Offset flathead screwdriver helpful for needleplate removal (not in photo) Screwdrivers several sizes and lengths, flathead & 4 head (Phillips) styles TIP- use screwdriver bits that FIT the screw head exactly, for best results, less stripped out screw heads. Small Quarter inch ratchet with several sets of screwdriver bit sets 12mm socket & adapter if needed usually for motor mount adjustments HEADLIGHT OR FLASHLIGHT SEWING MACHINE OIL or TriFlow Oil (bicycle oil has Teflon in it also) or SuperLube Oil Grease - for gears, SuperLube is synthetic should be safe for both metal and non metal gears HAIR DRYER (Do NOT use anywhere near PLASTIC) ARMORALL - FOR CLEANING PLASTIC especially pedals and cords Paper towels - shop towels, or high quality are best! WD40- DO NOT USE AS A LUBRICANT! Use for emergency penetrant, must be removed! I use it in areas where I cannot clean, without dismantling, and if they're glued together with old sticky oil, of course you can't dismantle it, either, lol! I use a squirt of WD40 (use the tiny tube straw to direct it exactly where it needs to go), followed by a squirt of TriFlow oil, which gets sucked in, by the WD40. I usually let this soak overnight, before attempting to move the parts in question, occasionally a few minutes of a very warm hair dryer is still necessary, but usually this frees up most stuck parts that are only stuck with oil. It will not fix anything with corroded metal. Do blow out the WD40 & oil, with the gunk, and/or soak it out, if possible, then oil area again, and run machine with this section engaged (if it is a moving part when machine is running, run without any thread, for 2 to 5 minutes, allowing lubricants to fully work into machine. For best results, clean off the oils, & oil again, for longer term freed up machine.) |
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| MORSE SuperDial 6100 cleaning makes lots of dirty Qtips, as you get years of rust, and sticky dry oil removed |
I usually use Qtips dipped in rubbing alcohol, or unscented kerosene, to dissolve old sticky oil, and clean it out. I use a paintbrush to get to this mechanism, it is too far inside the machine's main pillar, to be easily cleaned with Qtips. You can also wrap paper towel, or old Tshirt scraps around a toothbrush, or the paintbrush, to try to remove the dissolving old oil, before you put fresh sewing machine oil, or TriFlow oil, in this area. After you clean and oil this area, and get it freed up, run the machine several minutes (WITHOUT THREAD!), with the presser foot up (or removed), with the machine set for a stretch stitch. This allows the mechanism to work the new oil into the tight space it is to lubricate, which also helps to work old dry oil loosen, then clean again, then oil again. You will notice that the oil you remove will be brown, after running for a few minutes, this is because it is removing the old lacquer (dried oil), which is causing the sticking.
KENMORE 1802 mechanisms video
I am using a Kenmore 1802 to help illustrate this issue, because several people in some of the vintage sewing machine groups I am part of, keep having this issue, and think a part must be broken, or out of adjustment, but in fact, it is literally, just sticky, or frozen.
KENMORE 92 90 REVERSE PIVOTING CAM FOLLOWER VIDEO-
shows where this mechanism is, turn stitch length to 4 to allow full pivoting, as you clean and oil. The stitch length settings control how far your reverse mechanism can pivot. Stitch length set to 0, you will not be able to pivot this part, until you reset the stitch length, but cleaning (qtips or paintbrush, dipped in rubbing alcohol, or unscented kerosene), and oiling, will help you eventualy free up these important mechanisms.
After the first cleaning, and application of sewing machine oil, or TriFlow oil, I make sure there is no thread in the sewing machine, raise the presser foot (or remove it), and run the machine for several minutes, to allow the old sticky oil, between the two parts, to warm up, and dissolve into the new oil. Then remove the oil, and clean again. Oil again. Sometimes you need to repeat this several times, depending on how sticky the machine is.
