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  1. #11
    Senior Member Fish on's Avatar
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    Question

    Don't want to hijack the thread, but RamblinRev and others, I can get my grandmother's old singer 1591 to use for DIY and was wondering if it was worth it to spend the $ to get it repaired? Probably costs about $150 to get re-wired and serviced. Any thoughts y'all??

  2. #12
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    IMO do it. It will outlast your grandchildren if properly maintained.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

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  3. #13
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KAW View Post
    Drawback is they do not have a Bartack feature. You have to inprovise and multiple stitch stress points. So far no trouble though. The sound of the old clikity clak reminds me of childhood when ma and gram used theres.

    IMO the need for zigzag in a bar tack is vastly overrated. Bartacks were straight stitched for decades before the zigzag appeared on home or industrial machines. I agree there is some thing mesmerizing about the sound of the old machines. I swear it might be possible to distinguish the brand by the sound and rhythm of works.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

    We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series

    Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies

    Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint

  4. #14
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fish on View Post
    Don't want to hijack the thread, but RamblinRev and others, I can get my grandmother's old singer 1591 to use for DIY and was wondering if it was worth it to spend the $ to get it repaired? Probably costs about $150 to get re-wired and serviced. Any thoughts y'all??
    I have a 15-91 also. Seems like it is going to be a great machine. Haven't sewed with it yet, it needs a new rubber tire for the bobbin wheel and a Stitch Regulater Screw to be complete. Love the cabinet it is in. Lots of closed up storage. Lots of information on line for the 15-91

  5. #15
    Senior Member Pag's Avatar
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    I agree with rev, machines made today (save the expensive ones) are disposable.if you break a part on a199 dollar machine would you put $150 in it? Go for the 15-91, take care of it and put it in your will.about the only time you really need zig zag for DIY is when attaching elastic. In that case you could try using a double needle anyways.
    --If a cow laughs hard, does milk come out its nose?

  6. #16
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pag View Post
    about the only time you really need zig zag for DIY is when attaching elastic. In that case you could try using a double needle anyways.
    zig zag on elastic is next to useless in my opinion. Far better to make a casing and run the elastic through that. Zig zag is made for double knits and that's about it. "Stretch and Sew" was a sewing program from the 60's and 70's that introduced double knits to the home sewing market. That's about the time zig zag started to appear on home machines. That technique has been replaced with special stretch stitches and serger overcasts which are used for knits or stretch wovens like lycra based fabrics. Zig zag is a dinosaur in many ways. Sometimes nice to have but most definitely optional.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

    We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series

    Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies

    Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint

  7. #17
    Senior Member
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    Good Choice -I'll second the old Singers.
    I inherited a 15-91 that I was able to refurbish very cheaply with rubber, cords,light bulb and oil from Sew-Classics (link is above). They have all the info you need to do it yourself. Be sure to pick up a fine point oiler - you'll need it. Also, remember that these things were built and sold in a much different time. That small little manual that comes with the machine is packed with detailed drawings covering maintanance - cleaning, oiling, tension, etc.
    These things sew like a dream. I prefer it to the few $150-$250 level modern machines I have tried. It is one of life's disappearing joys to use something so mechanical.
    Enjoy,
    jason

  8. #18
    Senior Member Pag's Avatar
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    For those applications where casings work they're definitely the way to go.i also prefer to use the serger to put elastic on the edges of fabric. I personally use a coverstitch to put elastic in the center of fabric, but it wouldn't be practical for most people to buy a coverstitch machine for the small number of elastic jobs most people do in the center of fabric. Of course some domestic overlocks can convert to coverstitch now. That being said those machines are usually pretty pricey. The double needle works for this though too, kind of negating the "need" for zig-zag. It's just more convenient for some people instead of replacing the needle and re-threading.

    I also have heard of people less focused on asthetics using a zig-zag "improve their odds"on hitting the bottom side of binding. I don't like the look of this though.
    --If a cow laughs hard, does milk come out its nose?

  9. #19
    Senior Member Pag's Avatar
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    I also forgot the number one use I use zig-zag for...button holes
    --If a cow laughs hard, does milk come out its nose?

  10. #20
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pag View Post
    I also have heard of people less focused on asthetics using a zig-zag "improve their odds"on hitting the bottom side of binding. I don't like the look of this though.
    "Stitching the ditch" is an art that is perfected only by practice. When she is on her game my wife can trace a previous line of stitches with <1mm variance. Not me. But then I don't do enough of it. If you really want to practice that part of the craft take the thread out of the machine and follow the lines on graph paper. The more times you can retrace the same line the better you will become.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

    We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series

    Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies

    Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint

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