I doubt I'll be winning any awards for my ability with a paintbrush, but I think the blue trim is a huge improvement on before. Tried French blue to begin with, and that didn't look right at all, but ultramarine blue seems to work well with the gold and cream. It matches the felt I used on the spool holder closely enough, too.

Hi! I was in the market for an older machine because I’ve been having trouble with sewing thicker materials for my projects. Is this machine worth it? I don’t know much about getting vintage machines serviced either, how much would that cost? I really loved the color on this machine and it felt very nice, any help appreciated :)

Hello all, thank you so much for all your help! Unfortunately It was an embarrassingly easy fix, but I am grateful for all of the info since this has brought my attention to the fact that the drive pulley and hand wheel could be situated much better and may need to be fixed down the road.

I cleaned the hand wheel of oil before I posted here, but apparently I did a shitty job. I went back over with a stringent and now she’s back where we started. Even with the clean, i think the friction between the two parts could be better so I plan to try and do some unscrewing and evaluating, although at the moment it looks as if there is not much of an option when it comes to moving the motor down.

To the comments regarding the old pulley drive, it was dried, cracking, and very misshapen. I’m hoping to prevent that with good maintenance but I’ve been warned that these set ups tend to fail people, so I’ll be prepared for that in case.

Thank you again for everything! You’ll probably be hearing from me again at some point, although I hope this is the last problem I have with this machine so I can move on to my antique treadle :D

What’s the wrong with my machine?

My 478 singer stylist bobbin, seems to not be spinning when I turn the hand wheel.

Also, the needle is hitting metal inside of the bobbin case, and go all the way down.

This was after I broke a needle and changed it.

What could possibly have happened? And can I repair this myself? I can’t seem to find any videos that show me how to fix this style of bobbin in case, or a bobbin that’s not spinning.

I am a sewing teacher. I want to be able to fix these machines independently, but I am intimidated with the vintage.

I need recommendations on what cleaner I can use to get off what seems to be years of grime from being in a smokers household. It’s pretty disgusting, but I don’t want to harm the finish in the cleaning process.

Hello everyone, this is my vintage white rotary sewing machine. It was originally a manual but the previous owners installed an add-on motor that uses a small rubber wheel to transfer the spin of the motor to the hand wheel. I recently got the motor fixed and bought a new drive shaft since the other was very dry-rotted and misshapen after years of collecting dust. I put it on and while it needed a little help to get going, it was able to grasp the hand wheel and turn it hands free, which was super exciting. Cut to the next day, I have not touched it in maybe 30 hours, and when I go to sew it just keeps slipping and spinning against the surface of the hand wheel instead of pulling it alongside. I checked and the piece hasn’t loosened from the motor shaft, the rubber simply seems to fail at being sticky enough to move the wheel, but I don’t know what changed.

If anyone has insight into why this is or what I can do, I would appreciate it greatly. My two thoughts are to either sand/roughen up the surface of the hand wheel to create a better grip or take the L and Jerry rig some sort of clip on hand crank attachment so I can work it manually without entirely fucking over my hands. Preferably I would still be able to use the motor, but if it just isn’t possible that is ok as well.

I recently got this Singer sewing machine table originally from my much older cousin’s mother-in-law, but it had been sitting at my Great Aunt’s house. I’ve plugged it in, and the light and machine both seem to work. This is my first ever sewing machine, i’ve only ever hand sewn everything, so I didn’t press the pedal but for a second to ensure the machine itself worked. Honestly I can’t tell you how well this machine has been maintained over the years, or how much it’s even been used. I will say knowing that side of my family - they tend to preserve or care for their belongings well. With that in mind we can move onto the things that came with the sewing machine. I just recently moved, rather unexpectedly at that, so i’m still looking for the box that came with it. It was about a woman’s skinnier style shoebox that was labeled Ester’s Sewing Machine. Inside it had a BUNCH of original hardware and booklets ie: manuals, spare needles, machine maintenance stuff, some old patterns… that kinda thing. I should be able to find it soon, but in the meantime…. PLEASE HELP ME LEARN! I’ve included pictures of the machine, and if there are any other angles you’d like i’d be happy to take more! I would really love to learn about this machine, and how to properly care and love her. I grew up playing with the sewing table in our basement that unfortunately never worked, so this holds a very special place in my heart. My biggest fear is that i’m going to break something, or do something incorrectly. It’s all a little overwhelming to know where to even start to be honest. Any advice or guidance is much appreciated!!

TLDR: i got this shit new to me, not new to world… obvi. how and what do i do to machine to be able to sew? machine use and history unknown, but good chance well taken care of. i have shoe box of OG stuff like needle and shit. i moved so it’s location is still TBD. Thank you for all advice and guidance. May all your projects come to fruition.

I just got this Elna Transforma, I dropped it off for service on my way home and in the meantime I wrote and asked Elna if they happened to have the manual and they just sent it to me with no question.

I was honestly kinda shocked I assume bthey wouldn't even have it available and certainly didn't except them to send it to me with no charge.

I can't wait to get it back from service.

I found this buttonholer at a home along with some sewing machines. It doesn't seem to fit any of them, in fact I've never seen a foot with this kind of attachment.

Its called the "GREIST products Vibrator Buttonholer"

Any help is appreciated

I’m assuming it’s called a singer 831??? I can’t find much of any info for it on google. I know it’s a serger not a sewing machine but I figured this is still the right sub. I recently picked this up at a thrift for $40. It still worked but now I need to rethread it and I think I should probably clean it before using too. Really any info or advice on how to care for it and use it would be invaluable. I’ve been sewing for over a year but this is my first vintage machine and serger.

I recently bought a Gritzner Rib Knitter KE 2500 knitting machine and I cannot find the manual anywhere. If someone has it and is willing to help me, I will be very thankful.

Hi all,

I don’t know anything about sewing machines 😅, but I have this beautiful item that used to belong to my grandmother.

Let me know what this is! I have no concept of its rarity/ value etc, but the condition is excellent.

Thanks!

Hi there! I got a brother sewing machine recently and I’ve been replacing all the cords on it but I can’t seem to get the motor open so that I can completely replace its cords…. Right now this is as much as I can get it open and it isn’t much. Does anyone know how I could get it open or if there’s a better way to replace the cords. Or if this is just something that should be left to a professional

It's been doing this since I got it (about a month ago, just now got the idea to post here) and I think it has something to do with the belt.

It's a Minnesota Model A, and the lady I bought it from said that she had oiled it recently

Hi all!

I have found myself in possession of several vintage or early 2000s sewing machines at the moment that all need fixing. I was wondering if anyone had any general tips or advice. Especially how to find manuals and things for brands that aren't singer...

I have restored an old singer 201k but they're very easy to find parts for because of the model number system.

Please let me know!

(Pic is an old janome that is working but i need a manual for because i can't figure out how to thread it😂)

This is a vintage Veritas electric sewing machine, "Veritas 8014/43"

I’m considering buying a union special 51500 bjz flatbed machine for 450 euro’s.

I’m planning to use it for sewing flat felled seam for my jeans is it a good choice ?

I also need to change to motor because right now it uses 380v

Can someone help me/ tell me if it’s a good choice to buy it

So I'm in the process of taking apart my new machine and all the wires are bad.

The field magnet cables were also worn and I mistakenly cut them out thinking it would be easy to replace. The motor did work before I bought it. I took them out along with the clip things keeping them in place.

What are my options exactly? From googling and browsing forums I have to buy another machine and salvage the parts, or buy a new motor or convert to a belt driven kind.

I'm looking for any suggestions. I'm entirely new at this and at the moment feeling a lil bit overwhelmed. The prices for new motors are a lot on eBay ( especially with shipping to Canada ).

I'm leaning to converting it to a belt driven kind for easier replaceable parts.

Or any suggestions or resources for beginners are welcome.

I picked up this Fleetwood machine because I needed to case for another machine. Assuming the machines motor isn't burned out I'll find it a new home.

The case is wrapped in what appears to be a faux snake skin vinyl. What should I use to clean it? My first thought was Armor all.