I have a Singer Esteem II and it was sewing fine and then slowed way down as if in slow motion, then stopped. I was able to lift the foot and at that point the needle was up, so I got my project out. But the hand crank was almost impossible to move. I did get it to move a bit, but now the needle is down into the needle plate and will not move at all now. I have re-threaded the bobbin and checked the bobbin area for lint. I have checked the parts of the machine I can get to, to see if lint is the problem.
I took it to a service guy, who said he didn't see anything that looked wrong, and was confident he could oil and clean it and it would be fine, for a mere $90! Well I am a mom of 4, and only paid a $100 for the machine new. He said I should consider buying one of his machines and proceeded into his pitch.
Please, I need this thing to work. I have tried to Google Singer Esteem II hand crank froze, but I am not finding anything. I am hoping some of you crafty, intelligent sewers will have advice for this very frustrated mom.
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Dear Sad, I'd be mad / frustrated and so on; kudos to you for reaching out. It sounds to me like things have siezed up in and around the bobbin area. Have you been able to check between the top of the bobbin holder and the interior of the sewing arm? If you can't see into that space, try probing gently with a seam ripper? I did find this link and hope it helps: www.youtube.com/
Do you have the manual and does it have a trouble-shooting section?
Last not least, check out Singer resources at www.singerco.com/
Best of luck,
Rose Anne
After 50 years in the US, I now live in Scotland where I teach total newbies sewing - they frequently bring me vintage machines like yours for refurb-repair. It sounds to me as though you had a very unfortunate experience with a repair tech who should have known immediately the problem is a worn-broken bobbin gear. He acted unethically by not telling you that and instead saying he couldn't find a problem but for $90USD would clean and oil your machine (usually costs around $35-50USD - however, the proper repair, parts and labour plus the servicing would cost you right at $100USD if you'd found an honest repair tech).
Adding to the unethical bit is that he didn't explain to you why he and I and many other repair techs try to steer vintage machine owners to new under warranty machines - here's the reason.
Vintage machines (and yours is) of any make are wonders, gracious beauties that clothed our grans, mums, and children from cradle to wedding, and made our homes more cosy and gracious (oh, the number of tablecloths and napkins I blind hemmed growing up!).
But they were built (from about the mid-late 60s) with more and more and more plastic and silicone parts, and those parts DO dry out and break, dry out and crumble, and dry out and fail. Later rather than sooner those parts do fail even though those machines were built (usually) to last, and when those parts fail it's been harder and harder for repair techs to find 'new-milled' parts - we're stuck using 'salvage parts' with sketchy previous owner histories (meaning we've no real clue what conditions that part laboured under on the machine we/the parts seller salvaged them from). So we can't guarantee the longevity of those parts even if/when we can find them.
A reputable repair tech would have explained this to you, and a reputable tech would have told you it's 99.9% surely the bobbin gear (because trust me, it usually is with the symptoms you describe). And then he/she (I'm a pushing-60yo woman:) would have tried...
To steer you to a new modern under warranty machine for several years of trouble free sewing. Especially because your beautiful (and should be retired) vintage Singer has reached the point of becoming a money pit - once the bobbin gear goes, the machine goes on to have several other parts fail, usually within a year of the bobbin gear 'dying'.
I'm so sorry you had the experience you did because it makes it harder for those of us who are more, em, caring towards our students/repair customers - we're so in love with sewing and our machines we'll go on for pages and hours explaining or trying to help sewers resolve a problem. If money is a factor we'll try to get you sewing by 'duct tape and bubble-gum' or find you a little newer vintage (read inexpensive but working) machine until you can afford a new modern.
The guy you talked to just wanted to get the hours in for his paycheque or get your machine in his workshop to 'clean' (then tell you, 'Oops, it's dead, I'll give you $10 for it' so he could use it for salvage parts), or BONUS (for him): get you to buy one of the machines he's flogging. Not. Cool.
I wish I could give you better news, but I hope at least I've helped you understand that even an ethical repair tech would have charged what seems a large sum - although that price should have included a 'new' bobbin gear, the labour to switch it out, and his/her version of what I'm saying in this reply - and encouraged you to buy a new modern instead of beginning the slide into MoneyPitVille.
If you decide to avoid money pits and can swing the cost of a new modern with warranty, user guide, and good features you won't outgrow any time soon, I would recommend a top drop-in bobbin Singer (currently around $99-$150 depending on model and store you shop, and if you have the $150 or so I highly recommend the Talent 3323 (one-step buttonhole) or the slightly less expensive Talent 3321 (4-step buttonhole). Janome also make a couple models of 'basic' sewing machines at roughly the same cost.
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