margiepc

I am thinking of buying a featherweight and wondered if there is anything I should be on the lookout for. Any help would be appreciated.

quiltsRfun

Make sure it has the bobbin case.

quiltingcandy

For me I wanted it to be clean and make sure that it works. Also, they came with a lot of attachments, so you want them and bobbins! For some reason people lost the bobbin case - so look to make sure it has one that fits. (I understand there are some reproductions bobbin cases that don't work so well.) Most people are asking top dollars for them so you want it to be in good condition. I got mine to use so I wanted to make sure it worked.

HelenAnn

You want a case that doesn't stink. The light bulb should be intact. If it is high dollar make sure it has nice feet and a clean felt pad. (that means you have to take the bottom off and check)

monopas

If it makes a little slapping sound in the bobbin area when you turn the handwheel by hand, the jib screw might be missing (or put in from the back). Might be a bad idea to try to sew with it if that is the case.

Be careful of missing screws in general, as I think some of them are difficult to find replacements for.

tessagin

And depending where you buy it, take a test kit with you like a piece of denim. I usually keep a 10x10 piece with me and thread. You want to be able to take it for a test drive. Like I said depending also on prior suggestions from the other board members. One estate sale I went to they were asking $250.00 for it with the case but didn't want me to test drive it with my fabric or thread. Didn't have attachments or manual. I would have to take it on good faith because of the name of the estate. Pfffttt! I walked. Just looking at it I could tell it was going to need some work.

purplefiend

Make sure the finger that fits in between the needle plate screws isn't broken.

quiltgal

Actually, the majority of the screws are available and work just fine. I sell a lot of them because they get lost when people take the machines apart to clean.

quiltgal

You can put used drier sheets in the case and leave closed up for several days to fix the smell. You can replace the felt pad to fix the smell. Also, you can put some coffee grounds on a coffee filter in the bottom of the case to fix the smell. A smelly case is pretty easy to deal with and is not a deal breaker if the machine works, is in good condition and has the accessories.

quiltgal

The most important thing is to try out the machine to see how it runs before you purchase if it is local to you. I have worked on several machines that were purchased from ebay and at first glance looked like there was an issue, but 99.9% of the time, it was a quick and easy fix. There was one machine that was on its third owner and had a little piece of metal that was inside and rubbing on the belt so that it would not turn easily. Turned out that a little filing removed it and it was a functional great machine. Made me wonder why the other two people never checked out what was impeding the belt and deal with it. Took maybe 5 minutes to fix.