now visiting shops for sewing machine ?

Don't know of any toy machines that sewed well, but there are a number of German Saxonia type machines that are half-sized handcrankers, and then there are 3/4 size machines like the Elna Lotus...

Kay

The Lotus is about the same size as as Saxonia (I have examples of each)

- but much lighter. The Lotus is a tad heavier than a Featherweight without its box, but doesn't need one. Both the Lotus and the Featherweight are proper sewing machines, but small enough that a 6 YO can use one fairly easily.

The 99 is a 3/4 size machine, if you think of the 66 and the 15's as full sized. The FW and the Lotus about half size(ish!). :) I have a

66K hand crank, a 99 electric, 2 Lotuses and a FW. One day I must line them all up so folk can see the differences in size.

My Saxonia is a treadle. Some toy machines did sew very well initially, but like most toys, they tended to get hammered...

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Liz W

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After reading your post I checked my machines. I still have my grandmother's old Singer which I believe she received in the early

1950's as a Christmas gift from my parents. Bless her heart, she saved every attachment and the instructions, all in the original boxes too. There is a black buttonholer but it only makes really small ovals, not true eyelets. The only model number I can find on the machine is Singer 66-16.

Thanks for the idea.

Liz W

Liz W

You're welcome! Try both brands to see what fits. Pfaff make some marvellous machines with feature's I'd love (like the built-in even feed facility), but they just don't fit my fingers - every button is in precisely the wrong place! HV, on the other hand, feel like they are tailor made just for me. :)

I do all my eyelets this way unless I get a mad customer who insists on nasty metal things! :)

[snip]

well i did it ! won an ebay 401A , $120 inc. shipping

at first I missed out on a couple 401A under $100 one at $87 with load of accessories feet/disks/etc, i was just starting, i hesitated, was not sure yet then when i started bidding there was a run of 401/403 in $200-300 range when that run stopped i won at $96 + shipping

so now i clean up/tune up/ test and look for problems any one with good source of cleaning/tuning/testing links or advice

my first inclination (being a bit engy) is to disassemble and check wear tolerances and such... is this practice in general considered a *bad* or good idea ??? that is, i am familiar the notion of letting the Singer/Anderson air out of the machine and that sometimes dis-assembly of such devices can introduce operational problems

thanks for any advice

robb

Woo Hoo! Nice one! :)

Check for electrical faults, rub over the outside with a dry duster, and test on some cloth to see how the motor is running and the stitch quality. The instruction book will tell you where to oil, so do that. Clean out the bobbin area and the feed dogs if they need it, but unless you need to, that should be about it.

If you get into the habit of cleaning out the machine after every project (or every 8 hours of moderate sewing time), and give it a new needle for every garment (and part way through on tougher projects or if the needle gets blunt or hits a pin) and oiling it regularly (once a month for moderate use, once a week for plenty of use, every 6-8 hours sewing time for heavy use or very fluffy projects), it should purr on for years. I can't remember if that's a belt driven one, but if so, check the belt for wear and replace if needed. If gear driven, make sure there's enough CLEAN grease where required (anything dried or encrusted will need scraping out first: I use a firm plastic toothpick!). I'm not sure it'll need it, but if you are electrically oriented as well as mechanically, you might like to check the motor brushes for wear and the coil for carbon deposits. I wouldn't advise an electrical virgin, as it were, to do this, but if you are experienced with the innards of electric motors and it feels a bit tired, these areas are worth a look. Replace any worn cables, and make sure the plugs are firmly and correctly connected, and fused where appropriate.

If in doubt about anything, take it along to a sewing machine mechanic for an MOT! :)

Good luck! Do let us know how your machine goes, and keep us posted on your projects! If you get into any muddle with the mechanics of the machine, there's a Yahoo group, Wefixit, dedicated to the care and feeding of old sewing machines. I mostly lurk there, posting occasionally. There are a couple or three Old Sewing Machine Guys/Gals on there: trained sewing machine mechanics of many years experience, and very helpful.

Congratulations! ;-)

If it comes with a manual, the routine cleaning/lubricating information is in there. A few weeks ago, I sent Ron Anderson pictures of one of my 401As, and he posted links to some additional spots to apply oil. I didn't seem to have saved the links, maybe Ron will jump in here.

Do the routine stuff first, and take it for a test "drive". If it runs well, I would advise leaving well enough alone. If it has problems, a good check up with a real sewing machine technician would be worth the cost, IMHO. Kinda like having your shift key checked and repaired. ;-þ

NAYY,

Beverly

Beverly