On Fri, 24 Oct 2014 14:31:21 -0700 (PDT), just fixed it
wrote:


Just fixed one of these and found this ancient thread. Thought I might put =
this up for people finding this thread. The carbon discs get burned, so go =
through the stack and discard any that have broken, then take a very fine s=
and paper (600 grit)and lightly sand both faces of each disc. Make up the s=
pace for any discards or accidentally broken while sanding discs with some =
small washers. It is important that the gap be filled with something strudy=
, not foil or steel wool. We don't want springinees to the stack. The discs=
are poor conductors and need to pushed very hard together to decrease the =
resistance, therefore increasing the motor speed. You don't want the little=
metal nub at the end of the tube that engages the arm to be mobile. Do not=
bend the leaf spring unless you think it has been changed, it's tension is=
set to not break the discs. Good luck.

Very interesting. I started with my mother's treadle machine, and I
have a barely "portable" from about 1950, but I mostly use a White
rotary that 35 years ago my girlfriend's roommate found on the sidewalk
being thrown away in NYC and managed to squeeze into the back of her VW
bug, even with the table. She was gay and said that I was the only guy
she liked at all.

But I'm posting because, in my search for zig-zag, I came across a
Singer that depended on vacuum to control the speed. The person who
gave it to me had lost the foot pedal, but I could test it by putting a
hose on the connector and sucking on it. The harder I sucked the faster
it went!!! Eventually I found a used pedal that wasn't too much money.

I wonder if that uses the same carbon discs. I sort of doubt it, but to
find out I'd have to take apart the machine, not just the pedal.