I've been carting this around for years...Singer Stylist 518
 

OK, I know...I'm dumb for lugging this thing around. I was given this machine about 10 years ago. I was at a garage sale and it was the end of the day. The lady asked me if I would take the machine..."yeah, sure." I never even looked inside the cabinet. My husband picked it up later in the day along with my other purchases and it was put in the back of our warehouse, with a bunch of my kids' stuff piled on top. I kept saying that I had to get in there and have a look at it, but never did. Then, we moved and it has sat in a storage container for about 7 months.

Last week, my trusty 403A started acting up and I remembered that free machine I had stowed away. I hauled it out and took a look. It's a Stylist 518. It has a metal body, with some plastic on the face. I believe it has nylon gears, but I haven't opened it up to see. I prefer older machines, but, hey, I can't look a gift horse in the mouth. I thought I'd fix it up and give it to my Dau. Anyone know much about this model? I can't find much about it, even on the Singer site.

~ Cindy

I have a Stylist 774 that I bought back in 1975. I used it up until I bought a Phaff, ten years ago. I sewed everything on that machine and I'm very sentimental about it so my opinion of it might be a bit biased :D.

The only problem that I ever had with it was bird's nest on the bottom fabric but I found out later that it was because I had threaded it incorrectly.

I now have a collection of the older vintage machines and don't even use my Phaff!!

Here's a Picture: Singer Stylist 518
 

I'm finding info on the 513 and 514, but not the 518. I'm thinking that maybe this was a school model.

~ C.

Very nice, free machine.

Take apart every place you can get a screw out or pop a cover off, including the bottom cover and clean and oil everything. Put it back together and enjoy your stitching. I was given a 533 on its way to the dumpster. My granddaughter cleaned it with Simple Green and and a toothbrush, then did the cleaning and oiling. She now has a very nice stitching machine. Something is wrong with the zigzag, but for quilting, it sews well.

wow it is a beautiful machine and it was free!!! I never seem to find any free things that are worth talking about.
Have fun sewing on her.

I don't have any information on the machine. But for free it is worth taking a look and giving it a try. May be a good backup machine or gift for someone thinking about starting to sew. If it has nylon gears, not sure I would put much money into parts if it needed any though.

Try rethreading with the needle in the up position. I know. To simple. But it fixed my problem

Thanks for all of your responses. This machine is now on its way to a new home. I brought it into the Hospice Thrift Store and they were happy to have it. It will do more good than it would in my storage unit. I'll keep an eye out for a portable sewing machine for my dau. She a college student with very little space.

~ Cindy