Singer Featherweight Loop Guard Service Guide
Greetings, and thank you visiting my site. Hope my simple guide to keeping your Singer Featherweight in good running condition. This guide has been put together using simple English, and hopefully, will allow you to make simple to perhaps, if necessary, some complicated repairs. This pamphlet will deal strictly with servicing the Loop Guard. A little about myself: My qualifications are 10 years as a service technician for the Singer Company, and 10 years owning my own sewing machine repair business. Im going to assume, hopefully not a mistake on my part, that you have fair knowledge of your machine and the basic parts locations. Again, Ill make every attempt to make this as simple as possible. SAFETY FIRST!!!! Never work on your machine while it is plugged into the wall outlet. As a precaution, remove the needle from the machine. Dont use any force to remove a part, if done correctly, itll come apart easily. Use good common sense when using screwdrivers. Dont hold parts in your hand while attempting to loosen screws with the other hand. One slip and the screwdriver has now traveled through the other hand, requiring a trip to the hospital, or your local practitioner. Lets start off with one of the basic problems that Ive always encountered with the Featherweight. Looping of the bottom stitch underneath Constantly breaking threads Jamming This generally is caused by the LOOP GUARD (see picture below). The loop guard is located behind the bobbin case and hook assembly. What happens here is that the needle rubs the loop guard, causing it to become very rough and develop scratches in the surface. This is unavoidable and is a factory setting. So lets get to work and fix this common problem. Loop Guard Hook Assembly
Bobbin Case & Hook Assembly is located under the needle plate.
LOOP GUARD CLEAN UP Follow the procedures and you shouldnt have any problems at all. As a precuation, when you remove the parts, keep the items together in little separte piles. This way you know which screw belongs to which part. Just a handy tip for those of you who hadnt thought about it. Tools & Materials required: Regular screw driver, preferrabley long shafted medium bladed one Regular screw driver, preferrabley a good sized jewelers screwdriver A very good tension screw driver, like the one that came with your accessories kit Flash light, a small one if you have it A Dremel, or similar moto tool would be nice, with a gray buffing stone. If not a small file and about 800 grit sand paper will do Box of bandaids and your doctors phone number near by just kidding Ok, parts removal 1. Remove the needle 2. Remove the bobbin case 3. Remove the presser foot and presser foot screw 4. Remove the needle plate 5. Using a soft towel, or padding of your choice, lay the machine on its back 6. Remove bottom pan from machine 7. Loosen the two set screws that hold the hook assembly to the shaft, about two to three full turns. DO NOT REMOVE THEM ALL THE WAY. One of the screws is set into a flat spot on the shaft. Take one screw at a time out all the way. Use your flash light, if necessary, and look down inside the hole to determine which screw is on the flat spot. Once you have located this screw, put it back into the hole just eenough to keep it from falling out. Remove the other screw all the way. 8. Remove the hook assembly 9. The loop guard is attached to the back of the hook assembly by one screw. 10. Pay close attention to how it is attached to the hook assembly. We dont wish to install it backwards 11. Remove the loop guard 12. Clean up the rough area until it is nice and smooth. Not to much now, we dont wish to destroy this part. However in my opinion, any good sewing machine shop that works on Singers will stock this part. You may opt to just replace it, or have them clean it up for you. Ok, our part is nice and smooth and ready to put it back together. Basically youll reverse the removal instructions. But lets go through it step buy step. 1. Slide the hook assembly back onto the shaft 2. Taking note which screw was located on the flat spot, align this screw with the flat spot and slowly tighen the screw up. Not all the way yet. Lets hold the hook again and move the hand wheel forwards and backwards to help us locate the center of the flat spot. We do need to tighten the screw down far enough that it starts to make contact inside the flat spot area. Once you have located dead center of the flat spot, tighten the screw down. Now tighten the other screw down. 3. Position the bobbin case base tab facing upwards 4. Install needle plate so the tab is located between the slot on the bottom of the needle plate 5. Install the presser foot and screw 6. Install your needle, making sure the flat side of the needle is facing towards the left end of the machine. You knew that didnt you. You should be ready to go, providing you got the hook assembly back on the flat spot correctly. If not, the needle will promptly break and perhaps jam up. Test you installation first by slowly turning the hand wheel towards you until the machine makes one complete revolution. Please note that your machine timing should not have been affected, unless it was already out of time. Which by the way, under normal conditions, Ive never seen a Featherweight out of time, unless someone not familiar with them has already tinkered with it. Happy Sewing! Added Bonus:

Wish to know how old your machine is and its approximate birthday. Here your go.
Elizabeth, New Jersey machines
AK AM AD AG AJ 1950 to to to to to 1950 AL AN AF AH 1952 to to to to 1948
Kilbowie, Scotland machines
ED1 to ED 999.999 Jan 1941 to April 1947 EF1 to EF 999.999 Mar 1949 to Sept 1950 EH1 to EH 999.999 Jan 1951 to June 1953 EK1 to EK999,999 Nov 1954 to Jan 1956 EM1 to EM999,99 Dec 1956 to Dec 1957 EP1 to EP999,999 Feb 1959 to Mar 1960 ES1 to ES999,999 Oct 1960 to Oct 1961 EV1 to EV999,999 Dec 1962 to July 1964 EY1 to EY999,999 Oct 1966 to Oct 1968 FA1 to FA999,999 May 1969 to Apr 1970 EE1 to EE 999.999 April 1941 to Feb 1949 EG1 to EG 999.999 Sept 1950 to Dec 1951 EJ1 to EJ999,999 June 1953 to Nov 1954 EL1 to EL999,999 Jan 1956 to Dec 1956 EN1 to EN999,999 Jan 1958 to Feb 1959 ER1 to ER999,999 Mar 1960 to Oct 1960 ET1 to ET999,999 Oct 1961 to Dec 1962 EX1 to EX999,999 July 1964 to Oct 1966 EZ1 to EZ999,999 Oct 1968 to April 1969 FB1 to FB999,999 April 1970 to June 1971
St Johns, Canada machines
JB 1945 to1948 JC 1948 to 1959 JD 1959 to 1963