Movement needs to be clean and any any wear issues (if present) should be addressed. In these movements, worn pallet lever pivot holes will rob a lot of energy from the escapement.

@@okbridges I figured as much. I discovered the pin wire levers have a tendency to bend and "catch" on the escape wheel, which can do the same thing.

Check the pin spacing on the clone to be sure, but yes, you can put a 15-90 in a 15-91 cabinet. The 15-88 to 15-91 are all the same machine.

Thank you so much.

You may need to disassemble the gear from the shaft and clean it. The shaft has a shoulder and the clearances are tight and any gunk from dirt and dried oil could easily bind them up.

The engine was originally installed in a zinc smelter in a Blackwell, Oklahoma, a town about 1 hour to the NW. the smelter closed in 1974. During its peak in the late 1950's and early 1960's, 20% of the zinc used annually in the US came from the Blackwell Smelter and 10% of the zinc used worldwide annually came from the smelter as well.

Pawnee Oklahoma

@@okbridges Thanks! It reminded me of a place here in Denton, North Carolina.

It sounds like the stitch length lever needs attention. The lever pivots on a shouldered screw and has a belleville washer which keeps it tight enough to stay parked in the position you put it. Too loose is caused by the screw being loose or the washer being cracked or missing, and too tight would be from old gummed oil, dirt or rust. Remove the balance wheel to gain access to the opening in the arm under the mainshaft and remove the front stitch regulator plate and the rear access plate. Then remove the shouldered screw and belleville washer and clean. If you can't work the lever out of place to clean it outside the machine, clean it in place, and clean the lug the shouldered screw screws into where the lever rubs against it. Check the belleville washer as well, it is made of thin copper/bronze and is slightly dished. It is possible the original was replaced with a plain washer and is the reason for your problem. Once everything checks out, oil as you reassemble.

They are rugged and they work. And if you don't mind the sloppy feel of the crank they are a great value over finding an original. That said, once you've used an original crank, you'll want at least one to go on your favorite machine.

@@okbridgesgreat to know!! I will look for the originals!!!