VSMS: Difference between Singer 115 and Singer 15-30 machines?

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10-26-2011, 06:43 AM

#21

kwendt

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Join Date: Dec 2010

Location: Coastal Florida - Mountainous Maine

Posts: 949

Quote:

Originally Posted by miriam

It looks like you should be able to replace the face plate & tensioner with a decorated one from the 30's. These old tensioners are really good ones, though - a couple of my treadles have them and once you get the two disks polished, they work beautifully. :)
I have to agree on the tension. Looks like it should clean up real nice. I have used tooth paste with baking soda on chrome before - didn't need to buff at all.

Toothpaste? huh. I soaked the tensioner parts (and all the chrome-ish pieces) in Evaporust. Rinsed with water, then rinsed out the water with Kerosene, left to air/evaporate. Then polished up with some Similchrome polish and a LOT of elbow grease. It's much better, but the Chrome was so pitted... The two tensioner disks themselves have obvious wear on them. Not burrs, more like discoloration of the metal from thread wear. I don't have anything to compare it to - to see if they are worn out or not. If when I thread her up, the tension doesn't seem to work right, I'll take it apart and try the toothpaste trick and/or switch out the tensioner all together if one of my other machines fit it.

I now have THREE standard Singer 15s, one blackside 15 and this 115/15 whatever it is. I will try swapping out the faceplate with one of the standard 15's, just to see if it will work. But first I want to get the 'stock' machine treadled up and running correctly. I'm going to have to fix/adjust the tension, needlebar height and all that - cause I had to dismantle the whole head to get the dried on gunk chiseled off of the internals. This is my very first treadle. I want to try and 'stock' it first, so I get a true understanding of how the original set up should have worked, etc. THEN I'll mess with it some! <smile!>

10-26-2011, 06:50 AM

#22

kwendt

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Join Date: Dec 2010

Location: Coastal Florida - Mountainous Maine

Posts: 949

Quote:

Originally Posted by deplaylady

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwendt

Deplaylady... that's a beautiful crank machine there.

Here's what she looks like now that I have her in the wooden box that she belongs in. I bought a box someone built that had been covered in wall paper, removed the wallpaper and covered it in veneer. (I replaced the black needle plate because I couldn't find a slide plate to match it.)

Gorgeous! I found an electrified 15, in a bentwood case in an old lady's garage sale in Maine on vacation. $10. I was shaking as I put her in the car.... ! Sure, I'm missing the knee lever, but the case is beautiful. Mmmm.... if you don't have a use for that black needle plate, I could sure use it... if you'd like to sell it, please PM me!

10-26-2011, 10:27 AM

#23

deplaylady

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Join Date: Feb 2011

Location: Webster, NY

Posts: 1,002

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwendt

Quote:

Originally Posted by deplaylady

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwendt

Deplaylady... that's a beautiful crank machine there.

This is what the needle plate looked like - how many of you have machines that came with ones like this?

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10-26-2011, 10:33 AM

#24

kwendt

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Join Date: Dec 2010

Location: Coastal Florida - Mountainous Maine

Posts: 949

Quote:

Originally Posted by deplaylady

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwendt

Quote:

Originally Posted by deplaylady

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwendt

Deplaylady... that's a beautiful crank machine there.

This is what the needle plate looked like - how many of you have machines that came with ones like this?

LOVE IT!

07-07-2013, 10:12 AM

#25

LoisM

Super Member

Join Date: Aug 2012

Location: Highland, CA

Posts: 1,407

Have you posted "after" pics anywhere? I'd love to see them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwendt

Hi all... I've been 'absent' for a while... but yesterday, I happened to stop by a thrift store and pick up a (I think) 15-30 in a plain jane, 5 drawer cabinet #2. Other than lifting wood on the fold out top, it's in great condition. Drawer springs intact, center drawer perfect, treadle head almost mint 'Gingerbread' decals. (See picture of machine). Came with attachments (low shank/side clamp) but no book.

Here's my question. The serial number is hard to read, I think it's G394507. But after looking at it in strong light, I think there's a "1" stamped on the far right side of the brass plate, almost off the plate itself. If so, then it's a model 15, allotted 2/15/1915. There are a lot of sub models, but given that the bobbin winder is high, the tension is not numbered and there's no bobbin winder guide on the right side bed - I think it's a 15-30.

Question #1: That cabinet #2 (sorry no picture yet) according to ISMACS, was used for 15-30s, 66-1s, 127s and 115s. I hadn't heard of 115's.... so I looked. It looks awful similar to a 15-30. A google search doesn't show me much. What's the difference?

Question #2: Is it possible to replace that old, bunch o wires tension, with a say... 15-91 tension set up in it's place?

Question #3: The face plate on this machine is totally dull silver blank... no scroll, no striations, it's flat-plain. Never seen this before.... what is it? It's in a treadle cabinet, not portable case... so I don't think it's a Navy/Army machine. See picture...

Note: the pictures are pre clean up. Thanks for any tips/advice/knowledge... kim

Front of 15-30? Gingerbread decals
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Face plate view, note old tension
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Backside of 15-30
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