Champanier

This was one of last weekend's purchases. It was in one family, but used by different generations - grandmother to mother to daughter. I think the grandmother was the one who used it most. The owner demonstrated it, because she had a kid-sized chair in front of it and I was afraid if I went that low I would not be getting up again any time soon. It seemed to work fine for her, but it feels a little off to me when I use it. It's a bit slow to get started, but goes after a turn of the wheel. (It's knee lever operated.) Once it's going, it's easy to go fast, but the transition seems more abrupt than the Singers. The stitch length knob is very stiff - not sure how/where to lubricate it.

I haven't done anything to it other than wipe it off. It came with an accessory box that matches the color - very cute, along with the original manual and warranty.

The spot where the cams go looks like it has way too much grease to me. Should I clean it out? I didn't want to put the cams in and get them all greasy.

I'm not sure the tension regulator is set right. At 0, it's still tight - what I would think of as about 8 on my Singers - and it does get tighter as I increase the tension. I tried to take it off, but it didn't disassemble easily, so I stopped before I got myself into trouble.

Also, the seam guide was on the other direction, which made it lay flat, but I thought they went the way I have it in the photo. I don't think it's the right one.

I like the little "nose" button on front that turns on the light and the feed dog up and down buttons.

Does anyone have recommendations? It's not bad; I've just gotten picky.

Thanks!

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KenmoreRulesAll

'50s and '60s Whites are some of my favorite designs and this one is no exception. Beautiful machine and in great shape, too.

Yes, wipe up the cam area. Grease need only be placed in the teeth between the gears; all over the cam post area doesn't do anything except make a mess.

The length knob probably needs oiling and you'll likely have to lift it up so that the underside is facing you as you sit in front of it. Following the mechanism with your eyes, oil any joints where metal meets metal or where there are screws/nuts.

Just looking at the pic of the tension assembly, it appears as though it's screwed in tight, all the way to the right. Have you loosened it all the way? What does it do? The numbers on the tension are not absolute measurements; rather, they're just relative depending upon the tension of the knob itself, so '0' on your machine wouldn't necessarily match '0' on another.

Again, great find. I'd love to have such a machine in my collection.

Champanier

THANK YOU! You're absolutely right. I usually oil everything right away, but this just looked so well-maintained that I skipped it. As soon as I oiled it all over, it ran much quieter and starts immediately - no wheel turning necessary.

The tension was a two person job. I had tried to loosen it, but the spring was too tight, so it was just turning the tension up higher. When I held back the spring with both hands, DH turned the knob several turns to the left and now it's just fine.

Will try to reach the stitch length control tomorrow. It's just in an awkward place.

Thanks again - everything is so much better!

KenmoreGal2

I love love love the looks of that machine!! Absolutely gorgeous. As a newbie to the sewing machine world I often wonder if these cool old machines with their funky dials work well because looks aren't everything. I'm glad to hear you have it working better already. I wish you much success with it.

Is this a machine you intend to keep for personal use?

miriam

I haven't seen to many of those White's that can't be made to work.

KenmoreGal2

That's good to know Miriam! Are there other brands that look cool but really are not well made? (I'm getting dangerously close to thinking like a collector....)

mea12

SOOOO pretty!!! I had a big crush on the Morse models with all the chrome and shiny big dials and red letter "R" for reverse knob. This one looks much like that!! KenmoreGal thats a good question about any that weren't well-made. Seems they all were! I think the availability of parts should be somewhat of a guide. Cam-stacks particularly can be hard to find. If you are able to do it, always check to see if cam-stack is cracked before you buy. I got home with a gorgeous Morse and had that problem. It could not be fixed at least not by me or at any dealerships here. I'd have had to find one for parts and they're very scarce now.

KenmoreGal2

So I'm a newbie with these vintage machines but I love them. I've heard a lot about the cam stack being cracked but to be honest with you, I have no idea what this part looks like. I had to take a photo of the inside of my 117.740 recently so I've attached that. The cam is clearly visible, can you please tell me which part is the cam stack? (I hope it's in this photo....) Thank You!
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Champanier

I'm trying to figure out which machines to keep.

I've been so busy acquiring and fixing sewing machines that I haven't been doing enough sewing. I haven't fallen in love with this yet, so it's definitely a 'maybe'. But overall, I'm finding that even with duplicate machines, they're all different.

For example, I have three 201s now, two in #42 cabinets. I really only need one, right? Can't decide! Here's the rundown:

1. 1948 Cosmetically really great. Beautiful 42 cabinet, nice finish. I replaced the foot control with a new electronic one because the wire had been literally cut and the old one looked scary at the time. Now I think it could be fixed. Runs fine, except for tendency for the stitch length to creep upwards to tinier stitches as I sew. I think now that's an easy fix - just need to take off the hand wheel and tighten a screw from what I read.

2. 1941 Salvation Army rescue. I bought it intending to sell, because I wanted the stool that goes with the 42 cabinet. (I tried to buy just the stool, but they wouldn't do it.) Has the 'extras' in the drawers - inkwell, spool holder. It was stuck, frozen and a mess. I spent so much time getting it working and polished that I grew very fond of it. It now has a kind of glowing satin finish (very fine crazing in shellac), but it's pretty. It runs so quietly (quietest of all my machines - literally almost silent, just a low melodic hum - sounds like it's singing). I love it. I worry about whether the motor is as strong as the louder ones - just don't have enough experience to know. I cleaned the grease cups, but haven't been brave enough to open the motor to clean the commutator. Some damage to cabinet top and one side - working on repairing the shellac - otherwise nice. Stool side veneer is lifting - need to fix.

3. 1953 knee lever (I prefer these), smaller cabinet. It doesn't have the pretty spool pin plate that earlier ones had. Has a 1/2 inch circle of damage in the N on the front because they must have hit the knee lever repeatedly when lowering the machine into the cabinet. Motor very strong and zippy, but wiring is worn and should be replaced before I sell it.

The White is competing with the Supre-macy/Toyota, which may have cams that fit (eBay purchase arrived yesterday), but I already stashed it under the Christmas platform made of sewing machines, and the Kenmore 1786, which is perfect in every way, but not as cool looking.

I suspect that I also do not need to keep all seven treadle machines...

Champanier

I LOVE the funky Morse machines! I don't know where to look for a cam stack, either. What makes them crack?