Got a Beautiful Dressmaker Deluxe SWA 2000
 

My wife and I picked up an absolutely beautiful Dressmaker Deluxe SWA 2000 yesterday. Cosmetically it is nearly perfect. Looks like it was never used. We got it home and opened it up and I realized I'm out of work. I usually clean and lube the innards before starting it up. But the interior was as pristine as the outside, no nasty looking old grease or grime. So, we plugged it in and fired it up and it runs great!

I need a few minor parts to make it totally complete: the thread guide and screw on the needle bar, just above the needle clamp; a new zig zag -- lock knob, really just the center cap (see pic); and, a set of cams. If anyone has these parts or can refer me to a good source, I'd sure appreciate it.

(And, before any of you eagle eyes ask -- yes, we did straighten up the needle before we ran it.)


http://images.craigslist.org/3Mf3J63...85c6341f66.jpg



http://images.craigslist.org/3Fe3L73...b1c9661e5b.jpg

Noel,

That is a nice machine. I like it.

Sew-Classic has the thread guide towards the bottom of this page: { http://www.shop.sew-classic.com/Misc...teners_c26.htm } You might give her a email to see if she has a screw for it.
The thread guide screw also doubles as the needle stop on many machines so it is an important part.

The knob, if it's still functional just needs a cover disk. Were that my machine I'd fabricate one rather than replacing the whole knob.

Joe

Thanks Joe --

That sure looks like what's shown in the owners manual. I'll get an email out to her. And, yes it serves as the needle stop as well.

As far as fabricating a new cover disk, I want it to look as original as possible and lack the tools and skills needed to fabricate something like that. It must be a common problem with these machines as I have seen a couple others for sale missing the same cover.

Thanks for the feedback and lead.

Noel

That's too bad about the knob. There's a yahoo group for vintage japanese made clones that may be able to help you locate a replacement knob from a donor machine.

Candace -- thanks, I'm on that board too. I'll post up there if I don't find what I need here.

Caroline -- I'm afraid you're right. The first thing Cheryl said when you said you weren't going to get the pink Atlas was, "Why don't we go get it? Portland's not that far". We've only been at this a few weeks and already, "Portland's not that far". Uh oh.

Nice machine!!!!

Thanks Mighty.

After using the machine for a bit, we realized that the stitch length isn't long enough. The selector knob is set to the max and looking at the mechanisms it attaches to, seems to be doing its thing. Oddly, on the back side of the fabric, the stitches look better. I'm a newbie at this stuff, but am guessing the dog is slightly hung up somewhere. Any suggestions for where I should be looking?

When ever I see a machine that has not had use I find something wrong somewhere. Frequently it is something wrong with the tension but there can be other things out of adjustment.

Thanks Miriam --

My wife says she'll play with the tensions and see what she can do with that.

Noel, is the pressure regulator pushed down or up? It should be down if it is up material won't feed through very well.

Identical Dressmaker Deluxe
 

Hi, I have an identical Dressmaker Deluxe #SWA-2000. I picked it up for peanuts at an auction here in Kansas. It didn't have a manual. Anyone able to point me in the direction of a printable manual on-line? I pick up machines that are clean, and working for 4-H members. I have 3 cabinet models, and 3 in hard cases. I have not paid over $10 each for any of them. They are usually at the end of the auctions...The kids don't mind, as long as they work!

Good for you. I hate that we live in such a disposable society. That's why these vintage machines appeal so much to me. You can actually fix them instead of throwing them away. What a concept. I just printed the manual from this site: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vintag...achines/files/ Lots of other ones there too.

Does anyone have a photo/color of the cams this machine takes? I just picked one up today. Thanks

Me too. I can't find cams, or a picture to know what I am looking for. I really want a set so if anyone owns this machine the Dressmaker 2000 and you have the cams please post a photo so we know at least what they look like. Open center closed center, ect.

Depends on which Dressmaker you're talking about. The SWA2000 is a Japanese made machine. The S2000 is a Taiwan made machine. They take different cams.

Cari

photos of the cams for a SWA2000 (wrongly identified as SWM at first):

http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...ml#post7081427

I just got a Dressmaker SWA 2000 last year when someone donated it to our youth group garage sale. It is in pristine condition and has been well maintained. It is complete with all 24 cams, the manuel and the case. Feel so lucky. It joins my Kenmore Model 17860 that I bought new in May 1984 and the twin to my Kenmore that I got 2 years ago. The second Kenmore needs some cleaning but it had 24 of the 30 cams with it. I have all 30 of the Kenmore cams with mine.

The cams for the Dressmaker are smaller and I would compare them to the size of a Susan B Anthony dollar.