One is to help break in the motor brushes, and the other is to make any final adjustments to the sewing mechanism (after they settle in). It is important to do this for two reasons. It is run both with the sewing mechanism engaged (needle running) and disengaged (as for bobbin winding) until the motor feels warm. The machine is assembled and the machine is set for proper needle depth and feed control. To show you the difference between the two, look at the next two pictures. This correct tension assembly was disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled. I was fortunate to find it without delaying the project. I noticed this early on in the disassembly and figured I had a bit of time to find the proper assembly. I don’t know what brand of machine it came off of, but wasn’t an Atlas. If you didn’t notice, the tension control is not original either.
![atlas sewing machine parts atlas sewing machine parts](https://www.sewingparts.co.uk/machines/70x50/atlas-straight7.jpg)
The only item left for this restoration is the upper tension control. Armature shafts and commutator polishedįinally, the motor case is re-painted to match the machine and clear coated to produce the desired gloss.The motor is reassembled and test run.I will use captions on the pictures to describe the steps in this process. Otherwise, the disassembly and motor restoration is the same as any machine. Because the paint on the motor case and bracket is dull, they are spray painted with color matched paint. To keep it vintage correct, I sourced an Atlas motor to restore and use on this machine. This machine did not have an original Atlas motor. The result is a repair that is nearly imperceptible. Following a 24 hour cure time for the polyurethane, the repaired areas are wet sanded with 2000 grit sandpaper to level them and then they are glaze polished to blend them into the original finish. The paint matched areas are filled with paint, allowed to cure for 48 hours, and then coated with polyurethane. After deep cleaning, the badges and stitch length plates are reinstalled and the paint chips are corrected. A gun barrel brush does a fine job for this. All of the shaft bores are cleaned with a round wire brush. The needle bar shaft and the presser foot shaft is polished to a glass smooth finish. There is oil varnish on some parts, but ultrasonic cleaning and then hand cleaning with a soft wire wheel on a dremel tool will remove all traces of this contamination. The disassembled parts are laid out for cleaning…Įxcept for a few parts, the sewing mechanism is pretty clean to start with. Still there… Need to disassemble everything to clear this thread nest.No way to remove this without leaving thread behind otherwise. It is cleaned in placeĭid you notice the thread nest behind the needle bar take up arm assembly? This is an example of why disassembly is necessary in a restoration. “Good Housekeeping” badge is rivited to the machine.Needle bar and take up assembly removed.The arm shaft is moved thru the bushing to access the contact areas and these are cleaned on the machine. Except for the arm shaft, disassembly means removing every part in the machine. Badges that are riveted are left attached and cleaned on the machine. This allows them to be removed and this enhances the cleaning of the machine. The great thing about this machine is that most of the badges are attached with screws. Here is the machine before the restoration begins…
![atlas sewing machine parts atlas sewing machine parts](https://sewalot.com/images/Mermaid_sewing_machine_sewalot_alex_askaroff.jpg)
When complete, this “Pink Atlas” will turn back the hands of time and be a near perfect machine in all respects… dare I say “good as new”? Well, lets get through the restoration and then you decide. and everything will be buffed and polished. The motor and tension assemblies will be disassembled and restored. The mechanical restoration is very straight forward and includes the disassembly and cleaning of all of the sewing mechanism parts.
![atlas sewing machine parts atlas sewing machine parts](https://sewalot.com/images/atlas_sewing_machine_model_b.jpg)
These are no problem for this restoration because they will be corrected by color matching the paint. The bed decals are near perfect and there are only the slightest paint chips here and there. It is a class 15 machine that produces a fine quality stitch, has great speed, feed, and tension control, and is made with a cast iron bed and frame… very stable and very durable.įor starters, this particular machine is in great cosmetic condition. It is an all metal fine quality machine in all aspects you would consider. The Atlas Precision Sewing Machine is just what it’s name says it is… it is a straight stitch precision sewing machine. All in all and between us, it is a win-win and this Atlas has something about it that everybody can love. For me, it is the smooth running and the high quality of it’s stitch and manufacture. For many, it is the retro styling and distinctive color. There is something about these pink Atlas machines that folks love.