The Conclusion of My Featherweight Story
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I received my ebay featherweight about 3 days ago with a tangled bobbin thread - I tried to unscrew the faceplate, the first step to removing the bobbin case to clear the tangle - but I couldn't unscrew the faceplate - it was too tight! So... after reading some online reviews, I brought it to a local sewing machine/vaccuum shop to see what they would charge to help me unscrew the faceplate and MAYBE clear the bobbin tangle. The lady at the shop was super nice and said, "It's almost Thanksgiving, so I'll do it for you"... and she did not charge! (My husband suggested I get her a Starbucks gift card... I'm gonna do that!) She went beyond the call of duty - not only did she clear the bobbin tangle, she adjusted the tension to test the stitch, heard something funny, changed the needle (that was very old and slightly bent), and then pronounced it better.
She also showed me where the power receptacle (?) in the machine was cracked and a bit of plastic was missing. (See picture). It should be safe, though, right?
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Before I put the machine away, she looked at the bottom of the machine and warned me that the wires were wrapped with something with lead in it, and that when I got home I should consider getting that wrap removed and rewrapped at some point, if I was going to do a lot of sewing. I asked her how much they would charge, and she said they would do the wrap but also a complete tuneup, at about $129 - a bit steep for my budget right now. Any thoughts about the wrapping on the wires? (they're kinda whitish/grayish on the upper left portion of the picture)
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So, she has a nice stitch, but since there is a newborn here at my daughter's house, to be super careful, I won't really un the machine until I get back home. Attached are some pictures - it came with a case and both clasps work, only a slight musty smell, and some attachments - I'll give my guess as to what they are! Top row: binder, ruffler, edge stitcher, ???; second row: foot hemmer, ???, ??? what this piece of black plastic is!
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Thanks for reading this long post - and for all the helpful comments to my other posts. All in all, I'm very pleased with my purchase!