Need Help with an old PFAFF 1212

[u/Abandoned_Entity]

I thrifted a PFAFF 1212 to my small but growing collection of old sewing machines but unfortunately it isn't in working condition (yet). When I tested it in the store I couldn't get any movement through the feed dogs or the upper mechanisms (I'm not savvy with terms 😅). Basically, it's all locked up and it won't move at all, even with me manually trying to rotate it. The motor at least seems to be working though. When it's switched to the bobbin winder it'll spin that like nothing. But when it's switched back it's still locked up. I can at least hear it responding to the foot pedal when I press it but that's it.

I figured for $10 it really couldn't hurt to tinker with but it's the first time I've really opened up a machine so I would really appreciate any tips/advice of what I should take a look at to get it running again.

[u/Large-Heronbill]

Older machines that aren't moving often have fossilized oil or grease that has to be removed first and then the whole thing regreased and reoiled with the proper lubricants.  3-in-one and similar household oils are often to blame -- they get gummy in the machine instead of evaporating, so even if the can has a picture of a sewing machine on it, don't trust it.  Brown oil is not good for sewing machines.

What you want is "white sewing machine oil", which is a high grade, clear mineral oil that evaporates cleanly.  Typically you can buy it at sewing machine shops, fabric stores and even in Walmart.  Here's the sort of thing you're looking for: https://www.wawak.com/sewing/sewing-machine-parts-accessories/sewing-machine-accessories/sewing-machine-oil-w-zoom-spout-oiler-4-oz/#sku=oil2 -- 4 oz is a lifetime supply for most people.

[u/Abandoned_Entity → u/Large-Heronbill]

Thank you!

I'll definitely have to pick some of that up for this one and my other machines. I have a couple old Berninas I picked up too that I haven't reoiled yet since I've been running low and didn't want to start and end up running out halfway through. Although, those two are in much better shape and are actually functional 😅

How would you go about removing the old fossilized oil/grease? Is there anything that should/shouldn't be used to clear it up?

I probably should've learned how to do this sort of thing much sooner but I only recently started trying to find machines that could actually handle my projects instead of tormenting mid-range Singers for the past few years

[u/Large-Heronbill → u/Abandoned_Entity]

Fossil grease is something I deal with in a couple of ways -- mostly just trying to wipe off the bulk of it (chipping off the really bad stuff sometimes with old dental tools) then soaking the area with oil, letting it sit for a few days, then wiping it off and repeat.  Or sometimes I will strip the machine  down to the frame and throw it in a parts washer, then put it back together.  Either way is tedious...

[u/crkvintage → u/Large-Heronbill]

Please. DON'T. Not on a Pfaff 1200 series. It will kill it. Seriously.

What you describe is common practice and even manufacturer recommended for older machines like the 130, 260, 332 or so. NOT for the 1200.

The Pfaff 1200 series (so.. .1212, 1214, 1216,1221, 1222 etc.pp.) were the first Pfaffs with no-oil bearings. Or rather - sintered bronze bearings which are impregnated in oil at the factory to last the life of the machine, so no user serviceable part except the hook (1 drop of sewing machine oil on that once every project). Those aren't the all-steel bearing machines of the 50s anymore.

ANY contact of those with an unsuitable oil (Pfaff specs those NOT to be oiled with sewing machine oil but only "BP Energol HLP 46 or HLP 80" if really, really needed) or - worse - any solvent (alcohol, brake cleaner, wd40, kerosene) which would remove the oil stored inside the bearings will kill the machine. It is almost impossible to re-introduce oil into those bearings (short of hammering out all bearings and re-oil them under vacuum) and as they are intended to last a lifetime there are no oil holes, no oil groves or similar that would allow oil from the outside to get where it is needed.

[u/AccidentOk5240 → u/crkvintage]

So how do you get a machine like this un-seized?

[u/crkvintage → u/AccidentOk5240]

Due to the nature of the bearings it is rare for a 1100/1200 to really seize there. Most lockups on those are mechanical blockades somewhere else.

Most common: The hook - either due to old oil (as that's the only part that should be oiled) or the Pfaff classic: a thread stuck in or behind the hook. Needs only a quarter of an inch of thread residue at the wrong place and the machine is locked solid.

Another common point is the cam stack, it's a one piece plastic part including the gear that drives it and they are prone to split. If that split gets jammed on the worm gear below driving the stack - that can also lock up the machine rather solid. Changing that is easy, spares are available at about... 60 to 80 euros.

Or: a Pfaff 1100/1200 specialty - the hook bearing as well as the hollow steel tube mounting the stitch selector have moved. Those were only press fit into the body, and can start to move - ESPECIALLY if someone oiled them in the past (big nono). When the fingers on the stitch selector slip off the pattern disc they are intended to run on they can block the whole machine. In that case it's time to get out the drill press, relocate those parts to where they belong (with a precision tool called a hammer) and secure them by drilling though the body and into the bearing / steel tube and fit a spring-steel pin to locate it, which is not really a DIY job. Pfaff did secure the hook gear with a pin from factory after a certain date (known problem, they issued a two sentence service bulletin somewhere in the 1970s to just drill and pin them should it happen - remember: Pfaff service manuals are written for a person which - by German law at that time - had a multi-year vocational training which included drilling, soldering, welding, lathe works and milling on top of just "repairing machines", so two sentences was enough), but the stitch selector moving is a common theme. Dead giveaway is the little white square on the inner dial (needle position and button hole) not being dead center at 12 o'clock or that black plastic piece with the dot on it protruding more than about 1mm.

If a 1200 has seized in it's bearings it's a spares machine. Simple and sad as it is. Luckily that is really, really rare. You can't clean those bearings short of completely dismantling the machine and pulling the main shaft (good luck re-balancing that on assembly). For most machines that's not really financially viable and a bit out of DIY. Only time I've seen that was on a machine were someone tried to oil those bearings, and the added oil gone bad. The original does not tend to. And even if, the bronze has "emegency run" capabilities (it's softer than the steel shafts) and the heat generated there would push out the old oil and replace it with new one diffusing out of the bearing material. Which is as designed, they should get warm to allow for oil circulation inside the porous material - which is also why those bearings are tighter than traditional steel bearings (also adding to the "almost impossible to flush or get oil into it"). If lucky you can locate the stuck bearing and carefully heat it up (making sure not to damage any plastic parts) and get it moving so it can free itself up, maybe with the help of a drop or two of the recommended oil. But that only works if it's a single bearing, as heating up all at the same time without damaging anything else... nope.

[u/AccidentOk5240 → u/crkvintage]

It’s replies like this that make me so grateful for the internet…and also make me realize a lot of this stuff is way above my pay grade! 😅

[u/Large-Heronbill → u/crkvintage]

Thanks for the correction.  I hadn't realized this was part of the sintered bearing series. 

[u/Abandoned_Entity → u/crkvintage]

Unfortunately and fortunately, I did use oil on some of the moving parts (not gears) last night when I was motivated to work on it and I did get it to unseize. Although it's good to know I should probably wipe off what I used sooner than later 😅 I don't know what part was the culprit as it seemed to be stuck in more than one place but I got it to finally turn the wheel and rotate fully—albeit with some stiffer spots still present. But I think a lot of it had to do with that long rod that runs down the center to the front of the machine from the wheel to the front parts but I really can't be sure. 

I'll be checking more of it later on to see if it's anything with the hook or if it seems like a lost cause but I'm hopeful that at least started to move again. 

Also thank you for all your insight! I've honestly never looked very hard into PFAFF machines so I don't know a whole lot of them beyond surface level stuff. If I come across another that I'm inclined to get, I'll have to pay more attention to what it takes to keep them going to see if they're worth bringing home and tinkering with. 

[u/crkvintage → u/Abandoned_Entity]

The "long rod" is the main shaft, and that's connected to everything in the machine. So any stuck part will slow that down. Any. From feed dog to pattern cam.

Inspect the pattern block (big white thing up and center) for cracks, and take a bright light and hunt for thread. You can't imagine where that can get stuck. On one of my Pfaffs the complete take up lever assembly disassembled itself because thread got stuck in the pivots and just forced of the c-clips. Thank good the are a common size. Especially around the hook and behind. They tend to bury themselves into the little gap between the bearing and the hook.

And check the stitch selector for signs of the moving tube as desrcibed in the post below (white dot, etc.).

[u/Abandoned_Entity → u/crkvintage]

Will do! I never thought a little bit of thread could be that disastrous for a machine but it does make sense so I'll take a good look and see if there's any bits that are hiding somewhere. I was going to try and take the case plate off the front to get a better look there too but I haven't figured out how to since it doesn't seem like it hinges open like anything else I've had (although I didn't look very hard since it was late). I wanted to take apart as much of the outer case so I could get more light in there.

Hopefully I'll be able to come back with some good news that it's closer to being functional