Vintage Sewing Machine Shop.....Come on in and sit a spell
08-07-2011, 05:26 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Idaho
Posts: 6,442
Nancy, my A.G. Mason machine that I just got (Mamie, the New Florence) is closely associated with White, and some maintain that it IS a White (I disagree). It takes the 20x1 needle too...
White DID badge a Challenge machine btw....
White DID badge a Challenge machine btw....
08-07-2011, 05:32 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 1,049
Well we did it again. Went to an auction yesterday and came home with two more machines. One is a 301 dated 1955. and the other is a Singer Tiny Taylor Mending Machine made in France. Paid only $32.50 for both and the 301 came with 3 boxes of attachments and orginal manual.
08-07-2011, 05:49 PM
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Location: Huntsville, AL
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Originally Posted by BoJangles
Here are Kathie's machines! She just got these! I don't know what I did to take out the first message!
Anyway, I think the Challenge is a Davis from the size of the needle. Davis had a machine called the Challenge. National also had a machine called the Challenge, but since Kathie is describing a Davis long needle, I'd venture to guess this Challenge is made by Davis and it is a pre-1900 machine with the wood pitman.
Kathie, the Elite is a 15 clone. You will probably never be able to date that machine, but it will thread and run similar to any other 15.
White also had a badged machine called a 'Challenge VS,' but I don't think that machine is the White version.
Nice finds!
Nancy
Anyway, I think the Challenge is a Davis from the size of the needle. Davis had a machine called the Challenge. National also had a machine called the Challenge, but since Kathie is describing a Davis long needle, I'd venture to guess this Challenge is made by Davis and it is a pre-1900 machine with the wood pitman.
Kathie, the Elite is a 15 clone. You will probably never be able to date that machine, but it will thread and run similar to any other 15.
White also had a badged machine called a 'Challenge VS,' but I don't think that machine is the White version.
Nice finds!
Nancy
08-07-2011, 05:49 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Rescue, California
Posts: 4,585
Here are my latest finds.
My National Two Spools, Willie Sue, had one owner before me! She came with her attachments, manual, warranty, and several letters of correspondence between Ms Willie Sue and the National Sewing Company! Pretty Cool!
The Rocketeer is a 500a from 1961 that I have been playing with all day. I got her yesterday from a yard sale for $15, and she is perfect!
Nancy
My National Two Spools, Willie Sue, had one owner before me! She came with her attachments, manual, warranty, and several letters of correspondence between Ms Willie Sue and the National Sewing Company! Pretty Cool!
The Rocketeer is a 500a from 1961 that I have been playing with all day. I got her yesterday from a yard sale for $15, and she is perfect!
Nancy
National Two Spools Warranty
[ATTACH=CONFIG]238154[/ATTACH]
National Two Spools w/Attachments, etc.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]238155[/ATTACH]
National Two spools
[ATTACH=CONFIG]238156[/ATTACH]
Singer 500a Rocketeer 1961
[ATTACH=CONFIG]238157[/ATTACH]
Singer 500a Rocketeer open
[ATTACH=CONFIG]238158[/ATTACH]
08-07-2011, 06:04 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Bikini Bottom
Posts: 5,652
Originally Posted by BoJangles
Here are my latest finds.
My National Two Spools, Willie Sue, had one owner before me! She came with her attachments, manual, warranty, and several letters of correspondence between Ms Willie Sue and the National Sewing Company! Pretty Cool!
The Rocketeer is a 500a from 1961 that I have been playing with all day. I got her yesterday from a yard sale for $15, and she is perfect!
Nancy
My National Two Spools, Willie Sue, had one owner before me! She came with her attachments, manual, warranty, and several letters of correspondence between Ms Willie Sue and the National Sewing Company! Pretty Cool!
The Rocketeer is a 500a from 1961 that I have been playing with all day. I got her yesterday from a yard sale for $15, and she is perfect!
Nancy
Billy
08-07-2011, 06:05 PM
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Location: Bikini Bottom
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Originally Posted by Crossstitcher
Well we did it again. Went to an auction yesterday and came home with two more machines. One is a 301 dated 1955. and the other is a Singer Tiny Taylor Mending Machine made in France. Paid only $32.50 for both and the 301 came with 3 boxes of attachments and orginal manual.
Billy
08-07-2011, 06:16 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Idaho
Posts: 6,442
Originally Posted by Glenn
Originally Posted by BoJangles
Here are Kathie's machines! She just got these! I don't know what I did to take out the first message!
Anyway, I think the Challenge is a Davis from the size of the needle. Davis had a machine called the Challenge. National also had a machine called the Challenge, but since Kathie is describing a Davis long needle, I'd venture to guess this Challenge is made by Davis and it is a pre-1900 machine with the wood pitman.
Kathie, the Elite is a 15 clone. You will probably never be able to date that machine, but it will thread and run similar to any other 15.
White also had a badged machine called a 'Challenge VS,' but I don't think that machine is the White version.
Nice finds!
Nancy
Anyway, I think the Challenge is a Davis from the size of the needle. Davis had a machine called the Challenge. National also had a machine called the Challenge, but since Kathie is describing a Davis long needle, I'd venture to guess this Challenge is made by Davis and it is a pre-1900 machine with the wood pitman.
Kathie, the Elite is a 15 clone. You will probably never be able to date that machine, but it will thread and run similar to any other 15.
White also had a badged machine called a 'Challenge VS,' but I don't think that machine is the White version.
Nice finds!
Nancy
08-07-2011, 06:22 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Renton, WA
Posts: 2,045
I was wondering if anyone here is a member of any of the Yahoo groups for vintage machines. I am thinking about joining, but I feel uncomfortable with all the info they ask about. The problem is I am not finding much info on how to actually take apart the motor on my 500a or how to check the brushes on it and my 301. Any thoughts?
08-07-2011, 06:27 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,972
Originally Posted by Bennett
I've just been catching up from everyone's weekend haul. Such fun to see everything and know it's going to be cleaned up and loved.
My new job(s) schedule lets me have all weekend off (yay!) and I finally got out to clean up my Red Eye yesterday. I didn't expect her to be so shiny! (Posted before and after on the pics page). I can't wait to try treadling. Thanks for the tutorials Billy--they are wonderfully detailed, and I would never have thought of attempting to break down and clean a machine without them.
I also did some FMQ last week on the 15-91. :) I had attempted FMQ years ago on my mom's Huskvarna, but I wasn't really happy with the results so stuck to straight line patterns. Then I saw where people here have been using their vintage machines to FMQ, so I bought another foot and tried it out. It was okay, but not spectacular, kept having some skipped stitches and tension problems. Then I found a random darning foot that I had stuck in a box in a closet, probably because I had no idea what it was. It worked better. Then I found the information by Leah Day on FMQ, kept up my feed dogs, set the stitch to zero, and away I went. It was fun, and the stitch quality looks good to me. No snarls or skipped stitches on my little FMQ doodles. Can't wait to try more! If you're thinking of trying FMQ on a vintage machine, I say go for it.
My new job(s) schedule lets me have all weekend off (yay!) and I finally got out to clean up my Red Eye yesterday. I didn't expect her to be so shiny! (Posted before and after on the pics page). I can't wait to try treadling. Thanks for the tutorials Billy--they are wonderfully detailed, and I would never have thought of attempting to break down and clean a machine without them.
I also did some FMQ last week on the 15-91. :) I had attempted FMQ years ago on my mom's Huskvarna, but I wasn't really happy with the results so stuck to straight line patterns. Then I saw where people here have been using their vintage machines to FMQ, so I bought another foot and tried it out. It was okay, but not spectacular, kept having some skipped stitches and tension problems. Then I found a random darning foot that I had stuck in a box in a closet, probably because I had no idea what it was. It worked better. Then I found the information by Leah Day on FMQ, kept up my feed dogs, set the stitch to zero, and away I went. It was fun, and the stitch quality looks good to me. No snarls or skipped stitches on my little FMQ doodles. Can't wait to try more! If you're thinking of trying FMQ on a vintage machine, I say go for it.
Work work looks good enough for me! Next time I free motion quilt with my 15 in treadle, I will give this technique a try. Thanks for posting!
08-07-2011, 06:29 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Rescue, California
Posts: 4,585
Originally Posted by Charlee
Nancy, my A.G. Mason machine that I just got (Mamie, the New Florence) is closely associated with White, and some maintain that it IS a White (I disagree). It takes the 20x1 needle too...
White DID badge a Challenge machine btw....
White DID badge a Challenge machine btw....
It is interesting that my Hitachi treadle is not even listed as existing at all!
http://www.ismacs.net/needle_and_sha...eedle-list.pdf
Nancy
Ps for those of you going to this site for the first time, you use the second column, which is the machine name. The second column is in alpabetical order, followed by the first column, which is the manufacturer's name!
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