Hi ya'll!
I'm looking at this machine and although the knob is in the right place for a 15-91 I haven't seen one in this style/color. Anyone familiar with one like this?
Oh man. There is a #503 Rocketeer on craigslist, with table for $100. I'm trying to decide whether or not to motorize my 66-1 and get a piping/zip foot or just get a different machine altogether... help!
Edit: 66-1 cannot be motorized, and it looks like it will be significantly easier to switch out the shank to side clamping than to try and locate a zip/cord foot.
Oh, and I did not buy the Rocketeer. What can I say? I just want to stubbornly use what I already have...
I brought home an Elna Supermatic last night. I didn't mean to!
It seems to be in good shape--I bought it from the granddaughter of the original owner, though it hasn't been used in a couple of decades. It needs a good oiling to start. I sew regularly on my great-grandmother's 15-91, and have been wanting something with a built in zig-zag to experiment with knits (the zig-zag attachments for the 15-91 just aren't easily enough controllable for nice stitching for dresses), so I'm looking forward to giving this a shot.
I've got about a dozen cams though maybe only one foot (I didn't have time to really play with it and look closely at everything yesterday). I know all the Internet resources for information on Singers, what's out there for the Elnas?
Howdy all! I am trying to find any and all information about this machine, and figured this just might be the community to tap. This machine is not exactly vintage, but forum members here have proven themselves to be knowledgable about machines other than those standardly vintage.
This is a machine that has been sitting in the back of our shop at work, covered in dust, looking pathetic. We know it's a grommet press, but aside from that, we know nothing about it. We have a few mismached dies floating around (we were trying a few on in the photos), but I suspect that at one point over the years somebody used the dies manually, because one of the shafts looks a little splayed out at the end, as though it were struck by a hammer. There is a little motor, and it seems as thought that's only need to run a hose that sucks air up through the male die/keeps fabric flush with the top part of the press. At least, that's the best we can figure. It doesn't look like the motor has anything to do with the actual force used to set the grommets. We can see that the table for the machine is "homemade." We don't know if it came with a table or not. This is the one machine in the shop for which we don't have the manual, so we're a little screwed there. There's no clear brand name, either, though maybe a "C & C" can be deciphered on it? Our Google-fu is failing us here.
So:
Does anyone know who made/makes this machine?
Where can we find a manual?
Does anyone know how exactly to use this machine? (I've never used anything but a manual grommet setter, with a hammer, so I don't know if the holes need to be pre-punched, or if there are dies that will punch and set the grommets at the same time?)
Does anyone know where to find dies for this machine?
( Cut for pics )
If I had more space this interest in vintage sewing machines would be a real problem. The more I learn the more interesting they are!
I found this at a thrift store for eight dollars. It's a Kenmore model 52. I don't know the real date of manufacture, but it was during the 1950s or 60s. It was a period of time when Kenmore machines were being manufactured by the Jaguar company in Japan. I got it because it has feed dogs that drop so I can do free motion quilting, but after experimenting with it I found that I just loved sewing on it.
It's just so cool.
Hi everyone!
I'm a novice sewer and know NOTHING about vintage machines. But I picked this up at the local thrift store and I would really love to get it running again. It has feed dogs that drop, and I wanted to try quilting with it. When I plug it in it runs - the only way to get it to stop is to unplug it - and the light turns on. It's missing its bobbin case, but I think I can find a replacement on eBay.
It says it's from JC Penney, and the model number is 6120. I have NO information about it and I don't even know where to start. Googling didn't turn up much information. Also, the oval says "STRETCH" in the middle, but I'm not sure what that refers to.
Does anyone know where to start?
Katexxxxx I'm particularly hoping you read this as this is more your field.
I may be looking for a second machine to do bridal alterations on to be kept at an in-store workshop. All my secondary machines are straight stitch Singers and a Jones but I'd prefer to have something with a few other stitches and a free arm for this. It needs to be reliable, and still fairly basic. I don't need a lot of extras as I have them on my main home machine, just the main selection of practical stitches. I don't have much spare cash for this so I was looking on ebay for something suitable. It needs to be tough enough to handle some corsetry too, but I don't make them armour plated so that's not a huge problem, most reasonable machines should cope. And, I could always take one of my Singers for that anyway.
Any suggestions?
I'm watching a Bernina 1008 as that looked viable, but it might go too high. Am I on the right track?
Edited to add:
Picked up an old Toyota EC1-FZ on Freecycle today. Seems to be all in order and in pretty good condition (not stitch trials as yet. It's a late 60s/early 70s model. Metal bodied with a basic zig-zag and 3 needle positions. I'm still watching a few on ebay and got word of a local shop with a few in stock which I'll look at on Monday. But the Toyota may just do the trick as a back-up machine. I've still to try the stitching so may be speaking too soon. But it's all cleaned up, checked and oiled. Fits my standard Singer feet, which is a bonus too.
Man, I meant to get around to this sooner but life got in the way. So, behind the cut are a bunch of photos of the Singer 201 I got for Christmas. I spent some time cleaning it up a little and getting rid of some of the gunk hiding in corners. For those of you who use your old machines, is there a way to protect the decals on the bed? I've been brainstorming and thought about buying some thin clear vinyl and cutting it to size (kinda like an oversized screen protector), but I wondered if anyone had any ideas. I was also gifted with a featherweight but I haven't gotten around to photos of it. Anyways, photos! They're click-able thumbnails.
( Read more... )
Howdy y'all! I recently got my grimy little paws on an old Pfaff, and finally had the time to clean her up.
She's a Pfaff Model R, and according to here, she was made in 1906. I found a lot of images and whatnot for the very closely related Model B, but only one image reference to the Model R, which is why I decided to do such a pic-heavy tutorial.
I stumbled upon this machine and fell in love with her mainly because I love Pfaffs ever since inheriting my late grandmother's Pfaff 1475, and also because I'd never come across a machine with this kind of shuttle mechanism. For those ignorant as I was, I've learned that this kind of machine is called a "transverse shuttle." The bobbin moves in a straight line below the bed of the machine, unlike the vibrating shuttle, which moves in an arc. When the needle goes below the throat plate, it bobs, and a loop is formed which the bobbin in its shuttle passes through.
( BEYOND PIC HEAVY. )
And there you have it! Hope I haven't bored y'all. Please let me know if I'm totally off base with any of this information. I really was in the dark with this machine, so I appreciate any knowledge thrown my way.
So about three weeks ago, I found an old Singer needle threader/seam ripper combo tool.
The only problem is that the little hook for the needle threading part had since broken off. Does anyone know if there is a inexpensive place to find these, or how to make one on your own? The material left of it feels like thin carbon steel, and I bet that aluminum, like from a soda can would work, or perhaps even a hard plastic.
Also, in the "it oughta be a crime" catergory, I found this in a snow bank when I arrived early at the flea market one day:( Picts and story after the jump )
coldNavigate: (Previous 10 Entries)
