A BROKEN
FEATHERWEIGHT LIGHT SOCKET
The light bulbs socket of a Featherweight is made of Bakelite
and as such it can be broken. There are many who struggle with removing a light
bulb from the machine. Some manage to complicate the light bulb replacement
project by forcing the issue. Sometimes even picking the machine up can place your
lifting hands fingertips on the glass of the bulb and this can break the bulb
as the machine is lifted, and the socket gets itself broken when they use the
chain saw to try and remove what’s left.
I personally have never done this. Never.
Removing the metal base left behind by a
broken light bulb can be a problem and lead to the socket being broken and in
need of replacement. The socket within the lamp assembly can be replaced or the
entire lamp assembly can be replaced as an assembly. Elsewhere within this
manual I tell of how to remove the light assembly as a whole and replace it. To
just replace the socket within is simple enough if you follow the steps I’ll
run through with you. The trick is finding a replacement socket. eBay can help.
It is somewhat easier to replace the socket within the lamp assembly than it is
to remove and replace the entire lamp assembly from the machine, wires and all.
As I intimated, finding a socket might
be the trick. Purchasing the entire lamp assembly on eBay is one way to get a
socket. It’s the ease of installation that makes replacing the socket attractive
compared to replacing the lamp assembly as a whole. If you fish around on eBay
for a while you will find lamp assemblies on auction that are not going to sell
for much because they look like snits. The black painted shade portion could be
in sad condition but the socket that is protected within it is probably OK. Search
for the auction and when found ask the seller if the socket is in one piece. On
the auction page there is a section for asking the seller a question. I have on
occasion seen just the socket for auction as well.
If you choose to replace just the socket,
begin this way. Remove the light bulb. Turning the machine upside down so you
can see the light bulb will help a lot. Wearing a rubber glove can give you a better
grip on the bulb. Set the machine right side up as if you were going to sew on
it once the bulb is out. Look under the near edge of the lamp shade to see the screw
that secures the lamp shade to the body of the machine, about half way between
left and right on the shade. Remove that screw and roll/pull the lamp shade out
from the body of the machine toward you. Roll it out more than pulling as the
assembly will not pull out very much. The lamp assembly will be held up (supported)
by the wire to the lamp that is shrouded in a lead tube. You will bend this
lead tube covering the wire and this is OK. This lead tube covered wire works
well as a third hand but don’t horse the shade around mush. At the right end of
the shade assembly there is a part of the shade that extended into the side of
the machine through a hole provided for it. The portion that rolled out with
the shade has a slot that the lead shrouded wire is secured into by a set-screw.
The set-screw is on the top and perpendicular to the wire. Loosen this set
screw about four full turns. At the right end of the lamp shade there is a
small screw centered in the end of the lamp assembly. Remove that small screw
and the lamp shade can be slid off of the lamp socket sliding the metal shade
to the right in relation to the socket. There is a black felt washer/pad that
is sandwiched between the socket and the lamp shade with the small screw we
just removed through its center. Retain the felt washer and we’ll use it later
on reassembly. To make life easy I use a touch of rubber cement to secure the
felt pad into place within the shade so I don’t fight with it while trying to
reassemble things. Somehow holding the felt washer in place, aligning the
socket and getting the screw through all this makes the hassle of gluing the
washer in place look pretty much worth doing.
Now the socket that is still secured to
the wire is exposed so the socket can be worked on. There are two small screws securing
a cap at the closed end of the socket. You guessed it, remove them and the cap
lifts off. You can then see how the wires enter the socket and spread into a “Y”
within slots that guide the wires to the electrical contacts for the light
bulb. It might look like “what do we do now” but the next step is easy. The
wires are soldered to the contacts under this cap but we do not have to remove
the wires from the contacts. Without cranking the open end of the socket around
too much, look within the open end of the socket and note the two electrical (metal)
contacts you can see within. Go scrounge around the house and find a wood
pencil with an eraser on it, or the like. Reach the eraser end of the pencil into
the socket’s open end and push firmly on the contacts and they will push out of
the cap end of the socket and the body of the broken socket can be taken away.
To continue with the replacement of the
socket I suggest you wash the new socket with soap and water. With these
replacement parts ready to receive their electrical components just align the
wires and their funny telescoping contacts with the holes in the end of the
socket and gently push the telescoping electrical contacts into the holes from
the outside end of the socket. The wires of course fall into the “Y” shaped slot
for them and the cover is secured with its two screws. None of these screws
require that they be tongue bitingly tight. Snug, but not hard.
The rest of the project goes back together
in the reverse order of having removed them. If you didn’t glue the felt washer
inside the shade assembly make sure it gets back in there where it belongs.
Slide the lampshade to the left over the socket, install and tighten the small
screw centered with the end of the shade that secures the socket into the
shade. Now tighten the set-screw into the lead shrouded wire, again not hard,
and roll the lampshade back into the body of the machine. Install the screw
that secures the lampshade to the machine and installing the light bulb is
next. Gently turn to the right to install.
One last thing; remove the drip pan from
the bottom of the machine and look inside for the lead shrouded wire as it
comes down through the arm and makes a turn toward the electrical receptacle
where its wires terminate. When we were working outside the machine we pulled on
and manipulated the shrouded wire somewhat. The object of the lead shroud was
to make it so the wires within could be pushed away from the gears in the
bottom of the machine. Is the lead shrouded wire still clear of the gears? If
not; reach in with a finger and push the wire shroud out of harm’s way.
ends of the individual strands of the wire. Then with a
soldering iron apply solder to the eyelet you have fabricated so the solder
penetrates the wire strands and makes for a firm eyelet.
