Well, the obsession is off an running. I've got one old Singer 319w and I just picked up a Kenmore m158.15000
When I went to look at the 319w, the gent had several others that his father collected over the years. His father had passed and he had no interest in keeping them. After buying the 319w, he mentioned there were others in the back shed if I wanted to look. One was the Kenmore.
Its that 60's minty green, smoothly built and chrome bits thrown in for good measure. The presser foot was seized, but I didn't see any rust or damage so I suspect it just needs to be worked free. It has cams, does zig zag and straight stitch. I didn't look really close, but I believe it will do a double needle. The motor has a neat little spring loaded mechanism to tension the belt and make changes a snap. All gear drive is another nice feature. The tapered handwheel is a neat, but I'm not sure how good that will be for working/sewing.
While this isn't my pic, this is what it looks like:
The finish was quite nice on it for a "barn find" and it should clean up super nice.
It has that clean 50's 60's feel that I like too.
I went to the sears web site and was quite surprised at the level of support still available. I downloaded the owners manual and parts diagrams. I was almost shocked to see many many parts still available for it. From mechanical bits to cosmetic parts. Pleasantly surprising.
Right now, its a province away with a friend since I bought it over the phone. I passed on it while I was there the first time, then changed my mind once home. I'll collect it from my friend when we are in the area on summer vacation.
Oh yeah, the kicker?
I only paid 20 bucks for it.
