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  1. #1
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    Introducing AL501257

    Been looking for a thread in jector for the past few months. Research and good advice told me that the best I could get for maiing gear would be a Singer 201 or 15-91. I'm a regular Ebayer, but the serviced machines I saw there were running arou $300+ once shipping was added, and I'm a little leery of shipping something like a thread injector safely. Most of the rest were running in the $100 range once shipping was added and I knew that something like that was going to require servicing even if the seller said it was in "running condition". Craig's List was no help and aintique stores yielded an old Kenmore and a Singer treadle that would have only saved me the shipping.

    I had that $300 in my pocket budgeted as my Christmas to me, but opted to go for a custom pack by Zimmerbuilt and decided that the next object of my savings program would be $300 for a thread injector---sometime in April.

    Then, a client came through. He was apparently cleaning out his books trying to get all the tax deductible bidness expenses he could before the end of the tax year. He's been paying us on what's supposed to be a net 30 basis, but has stretched that to six weeks for this past year (in this economy, you can't be picky or complain much)---now all of a sudden he pays us for all he owed us right up until last week. I decided that now was the time to jump.

    On a whim, I stopped in a place on the way home. Its a place that sells modern machines and embroidery equipment. The staff was wierdly stereo-typical for a sewing shop: a young girl with frizzy hair and coke bottle glasses, an older woman with a sweater and glasses hanging around her kneck by a gold chain, a slightly overweight 20 something girl with horn rimmed glasses, and a young guy with a pony tail.

    I explained my situation: new to injecting, making gear, the guys tell me an old Singer is best, etc. and pony tail guy says that they don't have anything that will do the job and goes in the back room to get me the address of a place that sells industrial machines. When he comes back and starts writing it on a white tablet, horn rim glasses girl walks up and says "What about this guy?"

    Cradled in her arms was AL501257, a Singer 15-91 in a white plastic case. Frizzy haired girl goes into the back to get "Dave". Dave comes out, looks at the machine and the says. "Its a service job that was never picked up. I'll sell it to you for the service fee: $119.00.

    The sonic boom heard in West Houston Saturday afternoon was me reaching for my wallet and pulling it out. There are scorch marks on my hip pocket.

    AL501257 and I were born the same year and, apparently, we were destined to be together.

    Think I'll go try and figure out how to wind a bobbin.

    Last edited by sargevining; 12-30-2012 at 22:34.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Mountnman's Avatar
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    Wow great find! A lot of good how to videos on youtube, that's where I learned to run my thread injector. Have fun!
    "I love not man the less, but Nature more."
    Byron

  3. #3
    Senior Member dragon360's Avatar
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    Beautiful piece of machinery you haver there! Congrats!
    The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering. - St. Augustine

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  4. #4
    Senior Member Dos's Avatar
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    that's a great story!!
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~

    AT '12. AT '14. FT '15. CA '15.

  5. #5
    Senior Member olddog's Avatar
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    That's a machine that was built in America when America knew how to build machines!
    Most of us end up poorer here but richer for being here. Olddog, Fulltime hammocker, 365 nights a year.

  6. #6
    Senior Member shrineclown's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by olddog View Post
    That's a machine that was built in America when America knew how to build machines!
    I know it is an American company, but I think Singer is/was a Canadian manufacturing company...if I remember correctly from my Gram's machines markings. But your premise is good...they are tough and were built to last. Very cool find.

    Eh...google helps me not. IIRC...made in Canada was stamped on both of them. They were pretty fancy set-ups with a maple table for one and a mahogany for the other. Storage drawers, the unit folded into them and a leather covered bench with storage in the seat. Not sure if that was OEM or a more local manufacture of the wood unit. I do recall the workmanship was as stout as the machines.Oh yeah, and when you folded the top out to get to the machine it made a nice wing shelf for their work.
    Last edited by shrineclown; 12-31-2012 at 00:14.
    If it moves, you can eat it. No promises you will think it tastes good.

  7. #7
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    According to the records, AL501257 was manufactured in New Jersey in 1953. Maybe they're a Canadian company now, but back when AL501257 was made it was as American as I am.

    Edit to add:

    http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/...Singer-Company
    Last edited by sargevining; 12-31-2012 at 13:42.

  8. #8
    Senior Member shrineclown's Avatar
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    Cool, I must have a distorted memory...but I could swear the maple flags and made in Canada were on those two units.
    If it moves, you can eat it. No promises you will think it tastes good.

  9. #9
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    They probably were. Singer has/had manufacturing facilities all over the globe.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by sargevining View Post
    They probably were. Singer has/had manufacturing facilities all over the globe.
    Correct. Singer was based in the USA but at it's peak had plants in many countries.

    Sweet 15-91. That's 3 of us born in '53. It's allotment date is one day off of my B-day.

    I've got a couple of 15-91's and 201-2's. They are very good machines.

    User's Manual.

    Adjusters Manual.

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