Kenmore Rotary 1954

This machine has been sitting in storage for almost 10 years.

I thought I should do something with it so I made a little "How to" Movie.

                        

                            https://youtu.be/ql16u6JqEMQ

1970's Badge Machine....well, kind of....

 

Another very nice "BADGE" machine. Yes it says DOMESTIC on it, but the Domestic Sewing Machine Company was long gone by this time. White sewing Machine Company took it over in 1924.

The Tag on the back says "Made in TAIWAN".  Manufactured for, and guaranteed by "Standard Equipment Sewing Corp".   11750  Berea Road, Cleveland, OH 44111. What is interesting, is that "White Consolidated Industries" which "White sewing machine Company" was a part of was right next door at 11760 Berea Road back in the Late 70's. It had something to do with White Sewing Machines for sure.

Regardless of where it came from. This is one sweet machine. Rescued just short of the Goodwill drop off. Nothing fancy but a great work horse for the Mask Making Frenzy we are currently experiencing.

I believe the past owner had a problem with the tension. After a thorough clean and lube, this machine may just have found a permanent home.

Old Oil can turn to glue

I ran into this on a recent machine. A perfect example of what can happen with old oil in a machine that has sat for years. This is where the upper tension release linkage goes on a Singer 221. The upper tension would not release when you lifted the presser foot.

It was "glued" to the mounting surface.

 

That mess cleaned right up with some lacquer thinner.

 

National Sewing Machine Company. Early 1900's

There is so much information out there on the net that I don't think I have any thing to add. A recent customer shared this with me. It is taken from the first page of an early 1900's, owners manual from the National Sewing Machine Company. It is PRICELESS advice no matter what era you are living in.

The "Standard'' Rotary two-in-one machine, with which this Instruction Book goes is the most perfect machine that was ever made, and most complete in its accessories and attachments.
It should be thoroughly understood by the operator in order to get from it all the
advantages that it is capable of conferring, to know what it will do, and how it will do it, you must carefully study the instructions contained in this book from beginning to end.

By so doing you will find constant delight and surprise at the variety of work that can be accomplished, and at the simplicity  and perfection of the appliances that produce such wonderful results. This machine is like a mine which is full of richness for those who dig for it, but which is only a mountain of rock for those who carelessly walk over its surface. For those who treat it as they have been used to treating sewing machines of older types, it will be only a machine like thousands of others, doing plain sewing; but to those who study this book, and follow its teachings, the machine is a mine of delightful surprises. We will not follow this phase of the subject further than to say, study the instructions,  not  only for the management of the machine in ordinary lock stitch sewing, and in chain stitch sewing, but learn the use of the attachments, hemming, binding, felling, tucking, ruffling etc., until  each  part  becomes a friend to do your bidding.

Read and enjoy these words of wisdom from 1949

 

this may offend some people.....

 



The only notable event of 2015 would be finding this old treadle machine that I converted to a hand crank.

 

1922 Model 66

 

 

I will be refinishing the 4 drawer table as weather permits.

Get your sewing machine cleaned regularly

This machine is now having some issues.

 

 

Way past cleaning. May be doing harm........

 

 

 

A look underneath the bobbin case and needle plate.

 

 

 

 

And look at the needle plate......

 

 

 

 

Since I last spoke..........

       
Please contact me at dan-waz@mymetronet.net if you have any questions or comments.

6000 Series Husqvarna Viking

Pre 1980 Viking Husqvarna. The 6000 series

 

 

6430 Pictured above

 

I have had the opportunity to work on several 6000 series Viking machines in the past year.



They are in a class of their own and do require some special handeling.

Every one that I have delt with has had a crack in the internal cam and needed to be replaced.

Other common problems are slugish operation, stuck in reverse and no zigzag.

Whatever Viking used for lubricant back then turned to glue over the years and needs to be completely cleaned and re-lubed. 

These machines are extremely popular to many seasoned sewers.

 

 

 

 

Just another Singer Model 66 Treadle Restoration

Here is another project that I just finished. Nothing fancy, just another classic Singer Treadle machine. I just love these machines. I was able to do this in 2 weeks. This included a complete table refinishing. Not my favorite thing to do, but I love it when it's done!













Singer 31-15 Industrial Machine, I think........

Here is a very old industrial machine that now sews some awsome stitches. Even though I couldn't find a serial number, It does appear to be a Singer 31-15.

It was in bad shape! The finish was chipped and repainted. A good clean and lube and this "Ugly Duckling" is sewing like a champ.

Sorry about the pictures. I hope you can see the great stitches here.

The first Singer Zigzag: Model 206

1953, Singer 206K

I will continue to research this Singer machine and although I called it a "Zigzag", originally, Singer called it a
"Swing Needle"  machine. The term "Zigzag" was coined at some point after it's introduction in 1937 but I don't know the details. The 206 was in a family of machines consisting of the 306 and the 319. I wish I knew more but I will continue to research this family of machines and post any new information.. This is the first "206"  I have come across. Originally, singer used their industrial bobbin case for these machines but changed it sometime before the end of production in 1953. The 206k, which is the only machine in this class that I have experience with, appears to be a work-horse of a machine. I hope I just have a "Lemon" because I had a horrible time getting this baby going. First of all, these machines use the 206X13 needle.
Next, way too many issues. The needlebar was at the wrong height. The needle was hitting the hook. I finally realized that the needlebar holder "hinge screw" was missing. What?

( Needlebar holder lined up but hinge screw missing at top)

I finally found a screw in South Dakota, wow.........Duane at http://www.singeroriginalvintageproducts.com/

had one.(Great Guy)  I really tried hard to fall in love with this machine. I finally got it sewing well with regular thread. The owner of this machine wants to use upholstry thread to sew horse blankets. I could not get it to sew consistently with the thick thread. It did show up with a new, aftermarket, bobbin case. I have no idea if it is the correct one for this machine.

Looks very similiar to a class 15 machine from this side except for the "Pfaff looking" zigzag width control.

It is hard to see from this picture but the needle swing bar controller is on the outside of the machine.

The motor, bobbin case and portable carrying case are all new to this machine. Someone had worked long and hard on this machine before I got it. I have now found out that some owners/techs are modifying these machines to work with the more traditional 15X1 needle. This causes additional problems. When you raise the needle bar to compensate for the longer needle, it throws the needle out of time with the hook, then when you advance the hook to compensate for this, it throws the hook out of time with the feed dog, which causes tension problems. Then, one must run the upper tension high to compensate for the loose stitches. Could this be the problem with the machine from the start? I couldn't get the owner to admit to anything.
This was an adventure and I do look forward to the next 206, 306, 319 Singer just for reference purposes.

And here is the rest of the story. Thank you Richard Beman.

Singer purchased he basic Pfaff #130 patent in the 1930's with the provision that it not be completely identical, hense the needle situation, The same fiasco occurred in 1956 when Singer was designing the #401 "Slant-O-Matic".. The cam-stack was a patent purchased from Bernina, another mechanism from the Italian firm Vigorelli and the Brother company was suing Singer. It's a wonder the machine was ever produced. It was ready for Christmas 1957 ( It amazes me when Ebay sellers tell prospective buyers it was made in 1951 )...

Singer 15-91 time again!

All of a sudden, the 15-91's are back. Models seem to go in a cycle. I haven't seen a 15-91 in almost a year.

1951

Below is a garage sale find and it is cleaning up very nice.

what year is this? Go HERE and find out







1916, Singer Model 66 "Red Eye", Treadle Refurb

I recently had the chance to work on an old treadle machine. This machine was in pretty good shape.
The table and stand were also in pretty good shape. I cleaned the machine up and refinished only the top of the table. I also cleaned and repainted the iron treadle stand. I thought it turned out beautiful and it sews a perfect stitch.

 I kept the refurb cost low by just working on the table top and the stand.

I just love these old machines. The engineering and wood work is amazing. 











1958 Singer Ad

Not a lot of new stuff this summer.
I did open up a Featherweight Case, in for service, and discovered this newspaper ad inside.

This ad is from a 1958, Pontiac, IL newspaper. No credit cards back then so "Singer" the manufacturer, had to carry the note. At $1.33/week, how long did you pay? 2 years , or 110 weeks would make the total pay-off with intrest  $146.30. That is my guess. Does that sound correct to you?
It looks like you had your choice between a Singer Model 221, or a Singer Model 99.
What was the down payment ? Even back in 1958 we had "Fictitious List Prices". (now called MSRP)
What does "NO EXTRAS!" mean? It sounds sort of harsh for an advertisement.

This ad was hand ripped out of a newspaper and saved for all these years. Here is what is on the back side.
Was the ad taken for the Sewing machine info or the cookies?

Some one should follow this recipe and post a comment on it.

Ruthie has made zillions of cookies including "Molasses Cookies"

and has never seen anything like this.

I never really new what "Sew and Vac" meant until now.

What a strange summer. Very hot and no rain to speak of. I haven't had a

good reason to post until now. I had a machine come through for repair that did

spark my interest. What was this strange tube running to the head of the machine. I thought it was some oiling system at first. After I got the rest of the machine working, I realized it was a "NEEDLE THREADER".  What? It uses suction to thread the needle.  This is a Singer 640 with an internal Cam Stack.

Here is what I'm talking about..........

and more pictures..........This is where it is stored..........You fold it down to use...........

What a great Idea!

This is the actual pump that is located under the machine.

Now I know "The Rest of the Story"

The Hand Crank Caravan to Haiti

I recently had the chance to "rejuvenate" some old machines and convert them to hand crank units. They will be traveling to Haiti this summer and become part of a Vo-tech Mission sponsered by a local Church  here in the Lafayette, IN area. It is absolutely amazing what these old machines can do once they are cleaned up. The engineering on these old Singers is phenominal and they require minimal power to sew just about anything you can get under the foot. I have 5 machines ready to go. The first convert is an old treadle, model 115 Singer that I mentioned in an earlier post. I tend to get so envolved in working on these machines that I forget to take pictures. These machines turned out beautiful and the pictures just don't do them justice.

1918 model 115

Next came a Singer model 99 which is a 3/4 size machine that has the top load, drop in, class 66 bobbin. One of the first "Portable" machines that usually came in a bentwood, Dome case.

1922 model 99

Another Model 115 that didn't have a bobbin case. 115 bobbin cases are very hard to find. Some one out there is watching over this venture because 2 showed up out of nowhere on e-bay after hundreds of searches.

1915 Model 115

I had a couple of  old model 66 machines that I couldn't seem to find a home for. Both had motors and standard hand wheels. You must have a "Spoked" handwheel to run a hand crank.

So, I bought some and converted the model 66 to a hand crank machine and they work just perfect.

1928 Model 66

I actually sewed some heavy leather belt strips with the model 66 using the hand crank. Wow,

as long as you start with the needle down, it sews it with ease.

One of the machines didn't have a back plate. The only material I had was some plexi-glass.

I traced around another "Back Plate" and with the help of a belt sander, I made a back plate that

you can see through. I'll bet there will be at least 1 kid watching the works on the inside through that window on this 1948, model 66.

I will be posting pictures from Haiti when the Mission sponsers return in late July. I have never been so excited about being part of a project that will make a world of difference to so many people.