| title | layout | keywords | description |
|---|---|---|---|
Husqvarna 2000s |
normal |
Husqvarna 2000, viking 6000, sewing machines, sewing, vintage, melbourne |
Sewing machine services with more than 10 years experience based in Melbourne, Australia |
The 2000 is now the machine I like the best but when I first came across these I didn't like them at all.
This changed after a lady contacted me through a worldwide Facebook group that I was accidentally given the admin of. By an incredible coincidence she happened to live in the same city as me (Brisbane).
She asked if I could tell her what she could do with a load of old machines she had inherited. She sent pictures and most of the Singers I liked and all of the European machines were well represented. One was an Elna 62C which I really wanted, so I went for a visit.
There were 32 in total, and six of them were Husqvarna 2000s. Her father in law had been a mechanic who appreciated a really well engineered machine and kept his favourites where possible.
I couldn't understand why an ex-mechanic who seemed to have impeccable taste in sewing machines would have so many of these stupid plastic machines. All but one had a broken camstack/gear, and it was in pretty good condition. I cleaned and adjusted it and was surprised to have sold that one very quickly (it was a 6460).
Replacement camstacks were available for the others but at $125, it wasn't really worthwhile for a machine I wasn't keen on.
I agreed to fix as many machines as possible, sell them and we would split the money. She had few options with 32 non-working machines, and was going to sell them for $10 each. Her husband wanted to take them all to the tip!
I held the Husqvarnas until the more familiar Berninas and Elnas were all fixed up and sold.
It took me many months to figure these Husqvarnas out. They are purely mechanical but very complex and difficult to work on. Once I had them figured out, however, I made a couple of things on one and liked them a lot.
Later, a 6440 (which I bought a year later) became my favourite machine.
Regardless of which Husqvarna 2000 you have, they were always top of the range machines and when the company wanted to update something, they just changed the sub-model. All were free arm machines with a removable extension table. All use any of the pattern cams, which Husqvarna called "Stitch Programmers". All of them have a 'speed reduction gear', a true low gear, which gives the machine the ability to slowly pierce just about anything! They all have a more powerful motor (than other domestic machines). All Swedish Husqvarnas I've seen also have a front loading full rotary hook. They have all the features a technical nerd who sews could want. The gentleman who bought the only working one had been looking for a maroon 6460 for a long time.
- Plastic covers. They all had plastic covers and almost everywhere place the self tapping screws went in, the plastic had either split or come away from its anchor.
- Seized. They always seemed to be seized
- Camstack gears. The cam stack/gears were almost always broken, meaning they couldn't do a zig-zag and had a tight spot.
- Buttonhole mechanism. The buttonhole mechanism never seems to work
- Pattern gear. One of the metal gears inside the pattern mechanism breaks easily (it usually breaks when people force the pattern dial while seized).
- Take-up slide. They have a sliding part in the take-up lever that has a plastic component which can break.
- Capacitors. Like all motorised sewing machines, they have an interference capacitor pack, and sometimes have an additional one attached to the motor. These can explode, but are for the most part unnecessary to replace.
It certainly seems like they have very little going for them, and almost every other mechanic I know (certainly all of them in Melbourne) hate working on these because of all these problems.
After getting one of them working perfectly a couple of years ago, I absolutely loved the result. It's now my favourite machine, and I have been concentrating on this model more than any other to make as many as possible work perfectly.
Once they're broken the best you can do is to try and glue the broken pieces back on. If they're not there, you can sticky tape or glue them, or maybe find one that's good. Not one of these is in any way ideal, so if you have a Husqvarna 2000 that you really want to disassemble and the anchors are intact, you should be armed with the knowledge that they will stay intact unless you cross thread the self tapping screws, or put the wrong type of screw in. It's really that simple. These points only split when the original screws aren't replaced properly. Turn the screw back before turning it forward and you can feel when it lands in the original hole. Remember, if it doesn't, it's not fixable, so take care.
I feel the need here to elaborate now that I know more. Only models from the 6020 have sintered bearings. Models prior can still get stiff, but the lubricant is normal grease and can easily be dissolved, and they don't often seize up.
The sintered bearing machines have lubricant incorporated, so that they didn't need to be oiled. The downside of this is that whether it is used or not, the lubricant leaks out. If the machine never has a long period of not being used, the lube gets used and distributed and therefore doesn't seize up. If it does have a long idle period, the lubricant pools and goes solid in a lump. This is particularly problematic with the pattern mechanism and the stitch length mechanism, and the main problems associated with these are: (i) the pattern mechanism won't move; (ii) the machine is stuck in reverse and (iii) the buttonhole mechanism won't engage.
There are two ways to get rid of the waxy stuff without removal and disassembly. I always disassemble at least the pattern mechanism, because using any amount of force can break the pattern indicator gear. To clean in place, use a hot air source to soften the waxy lubricant. When it's softened a little, brush chemicals (mix of methylated spirits and mineral turpentine) into it using a toothbrush while applying slight pressure to the stuck mechanism. Repeat until it's moving freely. This sounds easy, but it's not. Sometimes you need to do this for several hours, and when it's freed up you think it's done, so you have a cup of something and when you come back it's seized again. This is because it has all cooled down and the wax, which was still there but softer, has hardened again. So, repeat until it doesn't harden when cooled. The same thing has to be done to the rest of the machine, but the pattern mechanism is always the worst. The reverse mechanism is the second worst. Then the buttonhole mechanism.
The correct way is to disassemble them, clean, grease, reassemble and replace. This isn't easy either, and until I became very familiar with them I broke a lot of parts (sintered bearings are porous and more easily broken). It was very fortunate that I had a lot of parts machines.
These are $125 RRP. If yours is broken (and it's obvious when it is by just looking at it), it might make you feel better if you know that you'll never buy such a machine new ever again. If it's in otherwise good condition, the gear is well worth the money. They aren't that difficult to put in, and there are videos about how to do it. If you're lucky, you won't have to re-time the zig-zag. If you're not confident, get a mechanic to do it.
It might make you feel better to know that they do last about forty years.
This usually happens when the rest of the machine has seized due to lack of use. The solution can be a bit brutal. The inner and outer shafts get stuck together, and you have to separate them, then align the cutout. It's not an easy one to fix, and requires quite a bit of force. If you're really lucky, you can do this without damaging the surfaces. When it's quite free, align the cutout for the buttonhole mechanism and test thoroughly before declaring success.
If you break one or more cogs by forcing the pattern mechanism, the inner part of the pattern selector will no longer line up with the marks. It's not a game over situation, but you will have to be comfortable with it not showing you what it's set to, or buy a new or used gear. They aren't cheap.
The problem can be seen when the thread take up lever is sloppy. It's not a common issue thankfully, and replacements are quite expensive. Most people would try and glue the plastic, which doesn't really hold.
The capacitor pack should usually be left alone until it fails. This is because it's a lot harder to remove than the one attached to the power block. I have been told that in addition to the motor attached ones suppression of AM radio and analogue TV signal interference, the one attached at the plug socket slows down wear on the motor brushes. As a consequence, I always replace this one. It doesn't need to be soldered in, and is a very cheap item (less than $1 in Australia). 0.1uF, high voltage (at least 250V). If you see a Rifa capacitor in a Husqvarna 2000, always replace it, but if it's getting toward the end it swells up, begins to crack and goes a darker colour.
Although I repair any machine, I take a special interest in Husqvarna 2000s because other mechanics won't work on them and will sometimes overquote so the customer will choose not to fix the machine. Most of my customers love their machines and tell me about other mechanics saying their machine can't be fixed or the parts are no longer available. Both of these are false, parts are available and the machines can be fixed.