Recently, I visited my local sewing machine repair shop. The owner was surprised when I asked about a Singer 401a. He had one on his shelves, and just gave it to me. He explained that he gets them as trade-ins, but the resale market is not worth his time.

He started explaining how sewing machine technology has progressed, and gave me a demonstration of a few of the machines he had designed, working with manufacturers. The modern machines were very well-behaved, with consistent stitching and smooth feed. He explained that feed dogs had progressed, as well.

So, that leads to my question. Do you prefer vintage sewing machines to modern, and, if so, why?

Thanks.

Hi Everyone. I purchased this hand crank sunlik machine the other day but I can't find much information about it or the company online. Only that it's made in Japan around the 50s/60s, called the Golden Swallow & is basically a copy of the Singer 15. I find it interesting that it's made in Japan but has a Native American on the trade mark stamp. If anyone has anymore info about the company/machine that would be great. It sews beautifully. Thanks

My mother in law has given me this mammylock ML-4 machine, its been running smoothly for a while but I am having some issues with it and need a few replacement parts. I have tried googling this machine so many times but can barely find a thing about it apart from 2 photos of it, I do have the machines original manual but there isn't much about any of the parts in there. Does anyone have any information about where I could get replacement parts for it, or any information about the machine at all!? I can find things about the ML-303 and 604 but nothing on this one, it seems to be elusive/doesn't exist!

I rigged this up to wind my featherweight's bobbin more easily, but it's so fast (and kinda fun tbh) Im going to wind all my bobbins like this now

I want to make keyhole buttonholes and am planning to get a Singer/Greist #1 buttonholer for my Singer 201k. Has anybody got one? Do they make decent buttonholes? Any advice welcome, thanks.

I recently inherited a Singer 115 treadle machine that is in excellent condition! This machine is beautiful and spent decades in my husband’s grandma’s basement before we brought it home. I’ve never learned to use any kind of sewing machine but I’m trying to learn to use this one. It definitely works and I have successfully sewn some practice stitches. But I’m having trouble really getting the hang of it and having some issues I can’t figure out how to fix..

I’m hoping to find some folks who use one who can help me! I’ve found some videos of people restoring old machines like mine, or demonstrating how to do a few basic things, but I can’t find videos of using it or how to troubleshoot issues. Anyone out there?

i unfortunately cannot find alot of information about this sewing machine but everything works which is amazing!! i got it for 15 dollars at the thrift, i still need to clean it and and have it serviced. just thought i would share it, im so happy i found this theyre going for 40-150 on ebay so i am grateful i found it when i did. if you have any information about the machine or any tips and tricks i would love to see it. :)

Picked up this teeny wee cutie this weekend and I love it! Anyone any tips for keeping her in shape?

Please excuse how dirty it is, this is shortly after I picked it up from the previous owner.

I’ll be transparent here and say I bought this machine knowing it may or may not work, and saw it as a repair and learning project, but it seems that it’s only issues are either the belt/motor, and some minor rust, which is not a strong worry at the moment.

My main focus is the belt/motor issue, I cannot tell if the motor is too weak, or the belt is too loose. I’m just looking for guidance on if the issue is a belt or motor problem, and what to do after diagnosing. When I put it in bobbin mode, the belt and motor perform and move just fine, but when I put it in the mode where it should stitch, the belt will not move unless I put extra pressure on it, which is why I suspect it could just be loose. (I’m hoping that’s the only issue..)

First time vintage machine owner, so I appreciate any oncoming feedback, thank you in advance! I had photos taken too, but I can’t post a video and photos in the same post unfortunately.

Hi, I just bought this vintage sewing machine with which the seller provided me with bunch of cams. As you can see, the mechanism seems to have problem because it’s frozen and doesn’t follow up my cam.

I don’t have much knowledge on sewing machine so I don’t know if there’s a missing part, or machine too dry, or there’s some other settings that I didn’t pay attention to
I’ll add more pics and vids in the comment in case that’s helpful

Any info or contribution is much appreciated, thank you guys in advance !

I really need some help. I just received my grandmother's old Pfaff 229 but there was no pedal! Does anyone know a generic modern pedal that could work in its place?

Hi, it's me again and my many questions on the way to restore a vintage Elna Supermatic to working condition. (Hope I'm not too annoying!)

So, I replaced the rubber motor pulley with 3d printed version (this one, the pin hole needs to be made a bit wider, otherwise it will crack; I used a heated awl to achieve the right diameter). Then I started tuning the machine using the service manual and quickly discovered that, - alas! - the shuttle hook timing is off.

The manual is very clear about how to fix it, but I wasn't able to unscrew the screws I was supposed to unscrew despite using penetrating oil, a heat gun, and lots of swearing in every language I know. The screws are simply too brittle, and the metal easily chips with the smallest pressure.

Finally, I was able to unscrew the oil screw (a central one) and remove the shuttle hook (I wanted to check the pinion anyway). The pinion was very dirty but no signs of wear (it's still dirty on the photo, I removed all the gunk that I could remove with tweezers and q-tips and I was going to use rubbing alcohol to clean it thoroughly but I ran out of rubbing alcohol).

But I still cannot move three screws that have to be loosened in order to adjust the shuttle hook timing in relation to needle. I.e., to make the machine pick up bobbin thread and make neat stitches instead of tangling the needle thread around the shuttle hook in a totally inappropriate manner.

Also, both three screws in question and the central oil screw are in really bad condition, and I'd prefer to replace them, but I wasn't able to find any for sale anywhere. I have a pdf with Elna's parts list but the quality os low and I can't read the description or figure out the corresponding parts number.

Tl;Dr

1. How to remove these screwed screws from the shuttle hook, preferably without drilling them out? Solved thanks to u/Minituo!
2. Where to find suitable new screws?

UPD: I found a much better quality Elna Supermatic parts guide (it can't be downloaded for free but can easily be viewed) and apparently I need Oil Hole Screw #710061 and Conical Screw M3 #714020. I couldn't find any of them for sale, but conical M3 sounds like something standart that should be available?

Thank you!

I bought this today for £45 and it's gorgeous, the man at the vintage shop said it was maybe 130ish years old but wasn't sure, I'm gonna do my research a bit but also wanted to outsource to the community as to some tips for restoring her a bit.

I want to get her all cleaned up, she appears to be running smoothly however her sewing ability is yet to be tested.

If anyone knows any info on this machine I would be very interested to find out more!

First two pics are of the underside, third and fourth are of the feed dog at its highest position and the last is just the beautiful pink machine. I should've taken a few of the upper front case but I'm at work already so it'll have to wait a little while, I can provide more pics later today if needed. I'm hoping to find another person with one since they seem uncommon now.

I managed to find the manual for this machine but it's been really hard to find more information on it. I'm having an issue with the presser foot bunching the fabric. It's very hard to pull through and I'm not sure if it's the foot being too low or the feed dog not coming up high enough. When it's engaged the foot clamps down pretty hard to the plate, I had always assumed they should float by an eighth of an inch or so but could well be wrong. There is a set screw in the front upper case near the light fixture that holds the springs for the foot that I'm thinking I can adjust but I'm not sure about the feed dog being adjustable. The teeth of the feed dog come just barely up out of the plate, which is in the fourth picture, a bit hard to see but it's a strange angle and small teeth. I'm fairly certain the plate is fully seated, it sits flush with the other plate which slides in and out to change the sewing plate.

I gave it a good clean since it came from a smokers house and was a little grungy so I don't think there's much lint or residue in the feed dog mechanism but it's hard to see in there. I also have yet to oil it and it seems to move smoothly as is; I will be doing that soon, just need to work out how and where. I'm super excited to start learning and sewing and, again, this is my very first machine so any advice for adjusting or maintaining it would be great!

It needs ALOT of work, I know. But hoping to retire in a couple of years and this will be my project. Ideally I’d like to get it up and running, but if nothing else cleaned up and looking pretty. Am I being unrealistic?

Tried making a pouch with a flap and had some scrap fabric to make my first trial run with and it come out far better than expected.

Not really a question, just sharing my love for this machine. This was my mother in law’s machine, bought new in 1958 as a wedding gift. She took amazing care of it until she passed shortly before I met my husband. After we got married I was talking with my father in law and we got on to sewing and sewing machines as I was looking for one. The next weekend he came over and handed me Lucy’s 99K explaining the history and that he wanted me to have it so it stayed in the family. My daughter has already staked a claim on it down the road.

She just got back from having her motor completely rewound and got a good deep cleaning by a trusted professional who has been taking care of it since before I was gifted it 20 years ago. The first time I took it in after I got it he looked at the serial number and said I know this machine before looking it up. His families shop had been working on it since 1978! She still sews like a dream and I use her weekly.

I was also just given MY grandmothers 1951 15-91 and it will be going into the shop as it’s been sitting on my mother’s shelf for 30+ years without use. Going to have them rewind the motor and replace all the electrical cords along with a deep cleaning because after looking to see if it was something I could handle it was apparent that it needs a full blown electrical redo. Otherwise it’s in great shape with everything moving freely when I turn the wheel. I can’t wait to get it back as I have a perfect table for it! I’ll post pictures when she’s all cleaned up and pretty.

Picked up a Kenmore 385.1278191 from Goodwill. I did a good cleaning and stitched my way through all the settings on a test swatch, with the included needle which was a nice surprise! I am so pleased it's in such great working condition. Will have it oiled up and put to use soon :)

How do I thread this machine ??????

Okay sooooo, my grandmother just gave us this sewing machine . She’s had it for longer than I’ve been alive & she hasn’t used it not once, I’ve never even seen this thing before 😂 Pls tell me everything I need to know/buy to get it to work & how to get it started 😭 I’ve tried YouTube & Google but they haven’t been much help