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Old 04-03-2019, 08:09 AM
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RotaryQueen
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Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 105
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My White Family Rotary was the first VSM I acquired as the start of my journey down this rabbit hole. If you search this forum, you will find many postings.
The first thing to notice is that the handwheel turns away from you (clockwise), which is the opposite of Singer and most other sewing machines. Turning the wheel towards you will result in thread jams and thread breaking.
The second thing I noticed on your machine is the badge you have on front that says that the machine is reconditioned. I think the reconditioning removed all the original decals, which are quite lovely with gold and some green in the leaves, and gave it a black coat with plain White Rotary lettering. This reduces the already low monetary value for a White Rotary. Do an eBay search looking at the sold prices (not the list prices).
I am impressed by the solid sewing abilities and the large harp space (over 8 inches) of my machine. I paid $50 for my first WFR sewing machine at an antique shop and soon realized I paid twice what it was worth. It was motorized (a frequent result of reconditioning) and in a mildewed case. When a treadle came up near me on CL for $40, I swapped out the heads and now keep it as a treadle machine. There are so many WFR machines available that it can be hard to sell them, even at a low price.
Here is one of many links to a blog post which shows the original decals and the attachments. Remember that attachments, case/cabinet and motor for the WFR are not interchangeable with most other machines.
http://www.blackbirdsf.org/diy/white/
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