Hmm - yeah - good point....Originally Posted by jellyfish
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Hmm - yeah - good point....
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“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.”
The old machines are really solid. I have been using my wife’s singer from the early 90s which works well. It is a slant shank. Feet are a little harder to get for the singer slant shanks.
My mom recently gave me her pfaff from the 60’s though and I am psyched because it has an attached table - boy, is it heavy and smooth- it feels like it is made of cast iron. It is just a little more difficult to thread, and more points to oil.
Last edited by DrPhun; 11-15-2017 at 19:31.
I have a 1936-vintage Singer 201-2. Straight stitch only (but can go in reverse to lock the stitches) and it has the potted motor versus the belt drive. I've sewn thru 4 layers of thick denim and as thin as 30 denier 1.1 oz ripstop. It just purrs like a kitten. Really nice stitching once you get the tension dialed in for the fabric you're sewing. Crazy simple to work on and maintain. Once it is operational, just keep it cleaned and lubed and you can pass it along to your grandchildren. There are free user's and adjusters manuals on-line. Only thing in the photo that caused me to pause was the foot controller--I'd replace that and all associated wiring very first thing. YMMV.
Using old machines is very satisfying. I love thinking of the history of objects and every time I sew something with one of my older machines I like to imagine what it was used to sew in the past. I have a 105 year old treadle I use occasionally that may have been used to make entire wardrobes for families. Cool stuff. Good luck!
Don't let life get in the way of living.
THanks squidbilly...I hope to get over and tinker with the machine tonight some with my neighbor...ill likely take it home perhaps this week....she (neighbor) likely has all the maintenance supplies to grease and oil the unit...gonna get with her and look at it in more detail, inspect the wiring more closely...im itching to check the serial number...
I need to order the little rubber doohickey for the bobbin winder too...one on there is pretty dang old....im told ebay is the place to go for such things....I know its odd, but I have yet to ever buy an item on ebay....
Bubba....I see the appeal! For me if this sews pretty consistent, it should be a perfect addition....and I do love the simplicity of this device....ive watched many youtube videos of it sewing and boy, it seems impressive.
Besides fiddling with thread tension...are these units far more "fiddly" to get to work on projects than a modern unit? I have no idea.
I had a concern that many things would need replacing and it would be a money pit, but it seems the machine is so simple that I should be able to get it going for not too much work/money.
Aesthetically it is a bit beat up...I can live with that....seems like repainting it would be a significant endeavor...for now I will get the mechanical bits and electric all happy and working and just clean it up.
“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.”
https://www.sewingpartsonline.com/bo...BoC0kIQAvD_BwE
This should do the trick. A few othe rplaces sell them as well if you don't want to go through ebay.
Don't give up on the foot controller- they're pretty simple and there are tutorials on line showing how to repair them. Even if you get a new electronic controller keep the old one in case you want to sell the machine.
I actually think (or hope) that the cord and the foot controller was in ok shape....but just dirty/dusty....but I will need to inspect it all closely and make sure it is pliable, non cracking, etc...and inspect I suppose inside the motor to ensure it is clean/neat connection....I fear when I do that it will look bad...but we shall see...
“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.”
I say go ahead and do the deed. My wife collects certain Singer machines for quilting and they are all rock solid and designed to run forever with the right amount of TLC. I use her 301 for all my DIY stuff and it's built well and is super easy to use. Hopefully, the 201 you're looking at has all the extra bits that originally came with it.
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