Lights on Your Featherweight

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LIGHT

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From: Shelley440@aol.com
Subject: light problem on fw

Regarding Pam's problem with the light on her featherweight.
I had the loose light problem on one of my fw's last winter.  The light just
wouldn't stay on as it should.  I was in Montreal visiting a friend and doing
some quilting with him and showed the problem to his Dad.  His Dad said that
the light bulb was not making good contact in the socket.  He got out his
soldering kit and put a drop of solder on the end of the bulb and screwed it
back in the machine.  It has worked fine ever since.  I recently had the same
problem with a machine and the Singer Man did the same thing.  Put some
solder on the bulb to build up the contact point.

Shelley
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From: gjones@ccnet.com (Gordon D. Jones)
Subject: FW 221 light bulbs

I saw a posting about FW lights flickering.  The bulbs Singer now sells are
different than the old ones and may not make good contact in the socket,
hence the flickering or no light at all.  The bulb is of the bayonet type,
meaning it has two small pins on opposite sides that fit into slots in the
socket.  To insert the bulb, line the pins up with the slots and push until
it stops, then turn to the right (clockwise), to lock it in place.  To
remove the bulb, do just the opposite, push in to unlock, turn to the left
(counter clockwise), and then pull out.  Sounds simple enough, but these
bulbs are very difficult to remove and install.  Let me explain why.

The electrical contacts in the socket are two spring loaded brass pins of
small diameter.  The contacts on the bulb (old one), are two spherical
drops of solder.  When you try to install or remove the bulb, the brass
pins gouge into the soft solder instead of sliding over the surface of the
solder.  This causes the bulb to hang up and not turn properly.  The new
bulb, Singer item # 2118, has lower profile contacts, designed to slide
over the brass pins easier without hanging up. However, the new bulb does
not always make good contact because of this lower profile.

So whats the solution?  You can buy a GE #15T7DC appliance bulb, available
at hardware stores (this bulb is similar to the old bulb). Or, if you are
handy with a soldering iron, you can add a little solder to the contacts on
the Singer #2118 bulb.  Lets hope you don't have this problem.  Generally,
the new bulb works fine.  In any case you will find changing the bulb a
trying experience.

Gordy
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From: BXTJ10A@prodigy.com ( ALTON   DAVIS)
Subject: FW Light

Jean,
   I have had good luck solving your light socket problem by using a very
high quality European-made bulb that is Brewers part number 669.  It costs
about $3.00 which is much more than the standard bulbs and was made for
Singer by Phillips.  The base is ever so slightly larger.  I don't think
most dealers carry it but you could probably get Stepping Stones Quilts on
St. Simons Island, GA to order one for you.  Their e-mail address is
71155.1072@compuserve.com.
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