singerguy

maybe a dumb question - singer machines are mostly made in USA then how come there are more nicer models out there in australia or new zealand? i have not seen a 320 and yet that's a nice machine. welcome and just so you know people here are all enabler so be careful.

Rodney

That's a good question. You can find 306s and 319s with not too much effort but Singer didn't sell many 320s here. Maybe because free arm machines were more popular and common elsewhere? The 401A seems to be the machine sold in the American market. The "G" series machines were made in Germany and sold mostly in Europe and Australia. Again very few of the 431Gs are here as well. The 431G is a free arm version of the 400 series slant needle machines.
Some made it to Canada but I'm not sure if Singer actually sold any here or if the ones you see were brought over by military stationed in Germany.
All this is just guesses on my part.
Rodney

Cari-in-Oly

Although Singer started in the US and it seems most of the manufacturing took place in the US and Scotland, at one time Singer had factories all over the world. Several were in European countries, and I'm sure that models were built in all these factories to serve what the markets would bear.
And Rodney is right about free arm machines being more popular in countries other than the US. Though available from a few manufacturers by the early 1950s, free arm machines didn't gain a popularity here for many years.

Cari

manicmike

Believe it or not here are countries out there with Singer factories who aren't America, and these other countries even designed their own sewing machines. The 222K and 320K2 were designed and only ever made in the biggest Singer factory, which was in Scotland. The US factory wouldn't have wanted to import machines made elsewhere and therefore be their own competition.
"mostly made in USA" mostly sold in the USA. Those other countries also rarely see US made machines because they didn't export many. I've only seen a few. I've had two 401As and two Improved Families.
Generally, the USA got USA Singers, rest of the world mostly got Scotland made machines, then German. Where do you think all those machines in that 1934 film went? They weren't all sold in Scotland.

I've bought three 320K2s. They're pretty rare even here but they come up reasonably often as do 222Ks, the latter being far more common.

ThayerRags

Those old metal free-arm machines are the "Bee's Knees", especially if you're an old through-back like me mending jeans knees.... Wish I had a 320 some times...

CD in Oklahoma

DonnaMiller

Don't allow them to ship it with the thread on the spool pin. Doubt if it would fit in the case that way. Bubble wrap is a no no. Use styrofoam or foam in bags so there is no "slop" A strong cardboard box with foam or styrofoam around the case. Nothing can move. Tell the seller "drop proof" it. From the damage I've seen, they must drop them from a considerable altitude. However, we never have received one we couldn't eventually fix, sometime at great expense. Saw one of those lights on Ebay the other day. Good luck.
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headonz

Thank you every one the welcomes and helpful information.This looks like its going to be cool place to hang out.

For the courier to pick up from Nelson and deliver to New Plymouth (NZ) $125nz so that not going to happen ,I only paid $70 for the 320.So I offered the seller another $60 to pack and send by NZPost .That worked .

All this just so sew up the new sail for the 12ft sail boat I am building but it looks like it may grow into other projects .I live in a bus I converted to a motorhome and even though I may have been living in it for 12yrs I still have bed sheets for curtains in the few windows that remain.Everything else in finished so maybe its time to venture a little further than a 100sq ft sail.Thermal curtains and drapes perhaps or I could just be getting a head of my self.

Every time I venture into the local sewing shop the ladies try and sign me up to their quilting circle !! Its just not going to happen.

manicmike

As long as they're better than Aus post. They've gone down hill badly. Taken them a whole week to send a box from Adelaide to Melbourne.

I would use a 201 for sails rather than any of those other ones. It has hardened steel gears and a tough and effortless machine.

You should enjoy them: They're easy to maintain and repair.

KalamaQuilts

good pointers on shipping

http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-pack-...0206002/g.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkL9JXoQEjo
http://web.mit.edu/xiphmont/Singer/m...s-packing.html

ManiacQuilter2

Congratulation on your first purchase. I always told my college boyfriend that a sewing machine WAS a power tool.