Recently my foot peddle got wet. When I turned on the machine, it immediately started sewing in reverse, non-stop, all by itself, as if a gremlin was operating it. I panicked, let the peddle dry for days before I had nerve enough to try again, but when I turned it on, the machine was fine. So, perhaps moisture or high humidity is the culprit. BTW, my machine, a 30+ year-old electronic Singer, is similar to Chickadee's, except that if you press the reverse button WHILE you are stitching forward, it goes to reverse while you hold the button and goes forward again when you stop. However, if you press the button BEFORE you begin stitching, it stitches in reverse until you stop and press again. Good luck, kenglish.

My mom has two newer Vikings and an old type 51 all metal Viking, and I have several old Singers, newest ones being 401A, one of which I built an adapter for to have a zigzag treadle machine. Mom's old Viking, 52 10, bought new in the 60's worked good for years, but then the plastic deteriorated and broke, then the drive belt broke and is unobtainable, so we found a used 6570 Viking, and it has the typical problem of reverse locked up, a common Viking issue.... Trying to resolve it right now. I have oiled the daylights out of it and it still refuses to work. My advice would be to go find a good 401A Singer. It is a pleasure to use, easy to maintain, and really not too expensive. They are all metal and will probably last you the rest of your life. That is what I was told by a school teacher before I bought both of mine, and I think he is right. There is no way on earth I would buy one of these new PLASTIC pieces of garbage. I have seen my mom's Vikings with plastic parts get ozone damage and it breaks real easily once that happens. I have old Singers, all metal, over 100 years old, and they still work great, no zigzag, but still working great. My Singer 401A's are all metal. My mom's old... ALL METAL.... Viking also is still a great working machine. Just stay away from that plastic garbage. You will only get about ten years of use out of it before the plastic decays. As the comment above says, sometimes the oldies are far better than the new stuff. The newest I would get is another 401A Singer. Wayne Bachmann 12march1819@gmail.com

I can't help you myself, but have you tried doing a Google search for information? It's amazing what pops up on the internet. And to think of all those hours I spent in the card catalogs years ago in the public library . . . Good luck, Dianne

There is no bobbin to this little machine. It makes a chain stitch. In order to do this there is a lever underneath the catches the thread. The way it is designed the lever hits the needle and eventually over time the needle form a permanent bend. This will prevent it from catching the thread. What you need to do at this point is to replace the needle. The 24x3 is no longer manufactured. You can order a 24 x1 which is the replacement the size 11 works best. Remember that the flat part of the substitute is on the opposite side from the original 24 x3.