Ellpea

Thanks for the info, Joe! I can update this thread by sharing that I tried one of my basic 15 needles in the 319 and the machine sewed PERFECTLY. I feel pretty stoked, as this was my first effort at salvaging a dirty, sticky machine -- purchased without a needle (so I had no idea if it would even make a decent stitch).

I did strip almost everything down to clean and lube EXCEPT that bight control. And because I haven't modified the bobbin yet, I haven't tried ZZ or other decorative stitches (although I think we'd be pretty safe trying those with a stitch width of 3 or less).

The machine is smooth and very quiet. I tried stitching through multiple layers of denim and stopped at 6 layers, although the machine seemed to have plenty of oomph left. There seemed to be literally no difference in the effort it needed to complete six layers, as opposed to two.

BTW I just finished working on a White 782 machine, very pretty mid-century modern all metal machine which looked very strong. I also thought it might be geared instead of belt-driven, since the motor is housed inside the pillar. But, it simply could not manage those six layers, so the 319 comes out ahead again.