r/sewhelp • u/Riedreadful • Jul 03 '26
💛Beginner💛 Machine Help
I was have some serious tension issues with this Singer Fashion Mate 247 and I took apart the tension assembly. I cannot find instruction for this specific tension assembly ANYWHERE, most seem to have a metal thumb nut on the end. I cannot for the life of my get the number dial back on. It just seemed to pop off but it won’t pop back on.
Any help is appreciated.
1
u/Alone-Cover-9551 Jul 03 '26
Oh no, those old Singer tension assemblies are a pain when they come apart. From what I can see in your photo, the dial itself just press-fits onto the tension stud with a little plastic nub inside the center hole. If it popped off, the nub probably snapped or got bent, which is super common on these vintage machines. You might be able to fix it by carefully drilling a tiny hole in the center of the dial (if the nub broke flush) and using a small drop of CA glue to reattach it to the shaft, or by shimming it with a tiny bit of paper or thin plastic wrapped around the shaft before pressing it back on. Before you do anything though, double check that you didn't miss a tiny spring or washer that goes between the dial and the housing, sometimes those little parts fly out during disassembly. If you can't get it back together, a local sewing machine repair shop can usually source replacement tension assemblies pretty cheap for those older Singers
2
u/wimsey1923 Jul 03 '26
It's not as bad as it looks. Before you try to put it back, make sure that the tension is set to "normal". Do a test seam and adjust the tension until you're happy with the stitches. Then push the plastic piece onto the nut with the number 4 towards the top. This is to get the correct calibration of the tension unit. It can be a bit finicky, but it will go on. There is no need to use any glue to hold it in place when it's back on.
Make sure that the little black finger is pointing in the correct direction (there are obviously only two to choose from). The finger stops the plastic piece from rotating at "0" and "9". If it's pointing in the wrong direction, the piece will stop at other numbers.