Hotrodding a Pfaff

So my favorite sewing machine has a problem.
It has a clutched motor that is 50 or 60 years old.
It is one of those old universal Safety Motors made by the Mercury
company.
Plus the pedal is one of the type every sewing machine guy tells you
to replace because it is a fire hazard. You know, the kind with either
German resistance wire or nichrome in it. Where they basicly made a
toaster to use power in order to control motor speed.

So being as I use the Pfaff a LOT, and in the interest of not burning
the house down, I am thinking of making some changes. Besides there
is a really loud hum on this machine when it is running, and the motor
(which has no vents!) is starting to heat up faster and hotter all the
time.

Has anybody here ever upgraded their motor?
What did you use?

Anybody upgraded an old motor with one of those new servo motors?
I have to say having the thing start up immediately without having to
turn the flywheel is a dazzling concept. Being able to begin with both
hands on the work, and starting at a constant speed are tremendous
sale points.

I am looking at this one:

http://www.allbrands.com/products/ab...See%20Included

But I need to do more research first.
The current motor is 1/13 horse, a jump to 1/2 seems like quite a lot.
I would want to make sure the machine could handle it, though heaven
knows I could use the torque on some leather projects.

DH is already having a joyous time researching pedal possibilities.
I have been treated to lectures on the differeces between hand and
foot controls, adapting potentiometers to foot pedals, and all such
fun stuff. He is curretly having fun figuring out how to build
controls into an old Cybaby WahWah pedal (a guitar effect). Just
because he thinks it would be majorly cool to have me running the
sewing machine with a wahwah pedal.

Oh! It is a Pfaff 130. Which is why I suspect it could handle a
half a horse.

NightMist
maybe I should shop for wee bitty flame decals while I am at it.
--

Nothing has been the same since that house fell on my sister.

You might get some help from pfaff-talk.net -- there are some really wise
pfaff ' ers there!

http://www.pfaff-talk.net/

--
Kate in MI
http://community.webshots.com/user/K_Groves


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"NightMist" wrote in message
...

So my favorite sewing machine has a problem.
It has a clutched motor that is 50 or 60 years old.
It is one of those old universal Safety Motors made by the Mercury
company.
Plus the pedal is one of the type every sewing machine guy tells you
to replace because it is a fire hazard. You know, the kind with either
German resistance wire or nichrome in it. Where they basicly made a
toaster to use power in order to control motor speed.

So being as I use the Pfaff a LOT, and in the interest of not burning
the house down, I am thinking of making some changes. Besides there
is a really loud hum on this machine when it is running, and the motor
(which has no vents!) is starting to heat up faster and hotter all the
time.

Has anybody here ever upgraded their motor?
What did you use?

Anybody upgraded an old motor with one of those new servo motors?
I have to say having the thing start up immediately without having to
turn the flywheel is a dazzling concept. Being able to begin with both
hands on the work, and starting at a constant speed are tremendous
sale points.

I am looking at this one:

http://www.allbrands.com/products/ab...See%20Included

But I need to do more research first.
The current motor is 1/13 horse, a jump to 1/2 seems like quite a lot.
I would want to make sure the machine could handle it, though heaven
knows I could use the torque on some leather projects.

DH is already having a joyous time researching pedal possibilities.
I have been treated to lectures on the differeces between hand and
foot controls, adapting potentiometers to foot pedals, and all such
fun stuff. He is curretly having fun figuring out how to build
controls into an old Cybaby WahWah pedal (a guitar effect). Just
because he thinks it would be majorly cool to have me running the
sewing machine with a wahwah pedal.

Oh! It is a Pfaff 130. Which is why I suspect it could handle a
half a horse.

NightMist
maybe I should shop for wee bitty flame decals while I am at it.
--

Nothing has been the same since that house fell on my sister.