Thread: 15 vs 201

Originally Posted by kitsykeel

Hi Charlee,

First I want to say how nice it is to see a face and a real name when I read your posts. It feels so friendly and personal.
Second, what is a potted motor and what are eyelashes?

Kitsy

Hi Kitsy, and thanks! I prefer to see faces vs. other kinds of avatars, so I figure it's only fair to use my own... and my name is easier for me to remember...I'm getting old enough that I figure that's important these days!

Here's a link to a photo on Sew Classic that shows a potted motor:
http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w...1/201blog4.jpg

The little "pot" on the back of the machine near the handwheel contains a gear driven motor.

Eyelashes are the loops that you get on the underside of your stitching when either the tension is off, or you're moving the fabric too fast while free motion quilting, and there can be a few other causes...

Originally Posted by ShirlinAZ

My Mom got her 15 in 1936 while my Dad and his brother, who lived with them, worked in the mines. Mom mended the men's work overalls as well as making baby clothes on her 15. During the war they when we had rationing in this country, they went to Mexico and bought denim by the bolt. She made everything from jeans to jackets, even wool lined coats, on that machine. The 15 will easily sew through 4 layers of denim for jean seams. It's just as strong today as it was in 1936.

I love stories like that! Thank you for sharing.

Originally Posted by jlm5419

I have a 15 clone, but haven't sewn much with it yet. the motor needs some attention, it is not a potted motor like a Singer 15. I also have a late '70s model Kenmore that uses class 15 bobbins, and it stitches beautifully. My 201 also stitches beautifully, although it does occasionally have tension issues.

Ha. I have an 'Eldgen' with a Kenmore motor stuck on it. I bet you can just change out the motor if you like.

Originally Posted by janeite

I think it is very interesting that so many have mentioned tension issues with the 201. Has anyone tried to fix it?

When I first got my 301 my tension was crazy, so I took apart the tension unit and put it back together. It wasn't dirty or anything so I don't know what the deal was. Apparently giving it the stink eye and then putting it all back together was what it needed. Also, the bobbin case was acting so crazy- finally I put my 221 bobbin case in there instead, since they are the same, and I realized it was definitely not my machine, it was the danged bobbin case. I ended up taking that tiny little screw out that you turn to adjust the bobbin tension. Put it back in and adjusted a bit and voila, perfect tension.

I made a post about tensions - a link to a real good repair manual is on the last line of the first post. Has anybody got tension problems???