Aldens Zig-Zag Sewing Machine
 

Here is a little beauty I picked up this past weekend in a junk shop for $6.04 including tax! I tried her out before the hefty purchase and she just hums along! Quieter than my Janome, if you can believe that! She needs a good wiping down but there are no scratches, wear or pitting anywhere on her. Doesn't look like she got much use. The case needs some attention but that is to be expected. Anybody know how to date this machine?? I'm pretty sure she is a Japanese clone but not sure which Singer she is a clone of. Any ideas?? She didn't come with any accessories but does have the slide plate and bobbin casing and came with the original manual. Stuffed up in her case was also the Singer foot pedal and a plug that is marked "Mercury Electric" which is also what is marked on her own foot pedal. I'm pretty sure the Singer foot pedal doesn't belong to her but am curious about the electrical cord. Thanks for looking!

It looks like a clone of Necchi's first ZZ machines from the 50s. It should be an amazing machine to own. What a bargain!.

The cord is for an older Kenmore (117, 148, & a lot of the 158 series). It will also fit an older White or Domestic.

Oh, pretty close! I was thinking it looked Necchi-esque. And I also forgot that I had this beauty in the garage; also in almost perfect conditon but needs new wiring.

auntpiggylpn,

That is a very nice Aldens Magic ZZ. Very similar to mine, but not exactly the same.
Here is mine:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...MagicZZweb.jpg
Here is the GW picture showing the manual:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...nsMagicZZa.jpg

The cord in your pic is for an older White or Kenmore machine, and looks to be in good shape. The controller is my wife's favorite type.

The wiring on your Aldens ZZ should have a cord block in the little recess of the case with the motor and light cords plugged into that. The foot controller coming out of one side and the power cord out of the other.
It should be set up like this case:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...refinished.jpg

Mine is also a very quiet machine. The only thing I don't like about it is the motor mount is solid and there is no adjustments. So I have to use a rubber band belt. Other than that I have no complaints about it.

Joe

Joe it does have that cord block. It doesn't fit snuggly into the recess though. I just put it back in there and there is probably 1/2" inch space on both ends.

There is a hole in the center of the cord block, and a hole in the raised piece of wood. That is for a screw to hold it solid. Any hardware store will have wood screws that will work.

Joe

:thumbup: You can't beat the price on that Aldens. My Singer 306M came with the same foot controller, not original to the machine, as your machine. It is my favorite foot controller.

Yours looks just like my Necchi BU. I put mine in a Singer treadle cabinet with no modifications needed.

Good grief- just when I'm determined not to start a new collection another pretty machine catches my eye! At that price I couldn't have resisted, thinking I'd run into Someone Somewhere who would love to have it. Trying to stay focused on treadles since they are the most endangered species, although I need to consider downsizing the herd as I'll likely move to smaller quarters in a year or two. I have a Necchi upstairs which I think is the same as auntpiggylpn's, and it's shape was the first thing I thought of when I saw the pretty Alden. I'm so envious of the great finds posted here!