Will the Real 15 clone please stand up
09-08-2015, 08:12 PM
#551
Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: MT
Posts: 12
So thrilled to have found this site! I just posted my new acquisition (an Ambassador zig zag deluxe, yikes!) over on the Japanese badged thread, but I had to come brag on my Singer 15 clone.
I am new to sewing, let me say, so I appreciate all your advice. I have always wanted to learn, so four years ago I bought some beginner Singer machine. It was so scary, it sat in the box for two straight years! Finally, I took a class where I learned to use it, and made a few projects... in between fighting tension problems, constant jamming, and the inability to sew more than 2 thin pieces of cotton together. That machine is IMPOSSIBLE and sewing was no fun. Thankfully, along came my husband's grandfather, who asked me one day if I wanted grandma's old machine. "I've tried giving it away for years, and none of the girls will take it!" It is a turquoise 1955 Morse, with all the accessories, presser feet, case, buttonholers, and paperwork included. The Morse changed my world. It is SO easy to use, and so far has even powered through 6 layers of upholstery fabric without a hiccup. It has made me one happy sewer! I love that all grandma's information is still inside-- she died long before hubby and I were married, so it's a way to be attached to her.
Just a hint, in case anyone ever runs into a calamity like mine: in the middle of a project which HAD to be finished by the next day, the belt broke. We are in rural Montana, so the nearest possible sewing shop is 3+ hours away. My brilliant husband sent me to Ace Hardware (just an hour away) to pick up the rubber gasket for a Culligan water filtration system, which comes in three sizes. It was a slightly smaller diameter, so I bought several in case one broke, and it has held up great! Easy fix without waiting for online shipping, what a relief. Anyway, I'm going to lurk about admiring more photos of these beautiful machines. I appreciate your tips and advice, and thank you for letting me brag about the machine that has rocked my world![ATTACH=CONFIG]530218[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]530219[/ATTACH] (In case you can't read the photo, the back of the original manual has a handwritten receipt and guarantee, selling the machine and all the accessories for $135 to my husband's grandma, just a few years after they were married. Lots of sewing has been done on this machine!)
I am new to sewing, let me say, so I appreciate all your advice. I have always wanted to learn, so four years ago I bought some beginner Singer machine. It was so scary, it sat in the box for two straight years! Finally, I took a class where I learned to use it, and made a few projects... in between fighting tension problems, constant jamming, and the inability to sew more than 2 thin pieces of cotton together. That machine is IMPOSSIBLE and sewing was no fun. Thankfully, along came my husband's grandfather, who asked me one day if I wanted grandma's old machine. "I've tried giving it away for years, and none of the girls will take it!" It is a turquoise 1955 Morse, with all the accessories, presser feet, case, buttonholers, and paperwork included. The Morse changed my world. It is SO easy to use, and so far has even powered through 6 layers of upholstery fabric without a hiccup. It has made me one happy sewer! I love that all grandma's information is still inside-- she died long before hubby and I were married, so it's a way to be attached to her.
Just a hint, in case anyone ever runs into a calamity like mine: in the middle of a project which HAD to be finished by the next day, the belt broke. We are in rural Montana, so the nearest possible sewing shop is 3+ hours away. My brilliant husband sent me to Ace Hardware (just an hour away) to pick up the rubber gasket for a Culligan water filtration system, which comes in three sizes. It was a slightly smaller diameter, so I bought several in case one broke, and it has held up great! Easy fix without waiting for online shipping, what a relief. Anyway, I'm going to lurk about admiring more photos of these beautiful machines. I appreciate your tips and advice, and thank you for letting me brag about the machine that has rocked my world![ATTACH=CONFIG]530218[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]530219[/ATTACH] (In case you can't read the photo, the back of the original manual has a handwritten receipt and guarantee, selling the machine and all the accessories for $135 to my husband's grandma, just a few years after they were married. Lots of sewing has been done on this machine!)
09-09-2015, 02:48 AM
#553
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,507
That Morse is a better made machine than anything new you could find. I doubt if you can kill it. It might be bullet proof, too. Very pretty. The other funny thing about these old clones is that they make the same straight stitch as the new very expensive machines...
09-20-2015, 11:58 PM
#554
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Washington
Posts: 4,001
Welcome mountains! Love your machine and the fact that it was your grandmothers is so wonderful. You are very lucky and the fact you are using it is great. I bet that made your Grandfather beam!
I bought a black Morse just like that the other day, it is beautiful but needs rewiring, which dh is going to do for me and look forward to using it.
One thing, years ago no one would even bother to pick up the old clones at garage sales or anywhere else, wonder how many would go into the dump at that time? They were considered to be not so good because they were from Japan. Then someone in the sewing machine world started talking about how good those machines actually were and then I think through the years more and more people have found this out. I can think of dozens in years past I past up, well at the time I didn't need a sewing machine, I had an Elna and a 301 and thought I had enough,hehehehehe. Wish I could go back and grab some of them.
I bought a black Morse just like that the other day, it is beautiful but needs rewiring, which dh is going to do for me and look forward to using it.
One thing, years ago no one would even bother to pick up the old clones at garage sales or anywhere else, wonder how many would go into the dump at that time? They were considered to be not so good because they were from Japan. Then someone in the sewing machine world started talking about how good those machines actually were and then I think through the years more and more people have found this out. I can think of dozens in years past I past up, well at the time I didn't need a sewing machine, I had an Elna and a 301 and thought I had enough,hehehehehe. Wish I could go back and grab some of them.
03-13-2016, 11:58 AM
#555
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,507
I was blessed the other day to get a 3/4 size clone in new condition. It needs a name and I'm thinking I'm going to go to the sign shop and see what they have for decals. This one will have my grand daughter's name on it.
03-14-2016, 02:52 AM
#557
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,507
[QUOTE=TheMountainsAreCalling;7311703]So thrilled to have found this site! I just posted my new acquisition (an Ambassador zig zag deluxe, yikes!) over on the Japanese badged thread, but I had to come brag on my Singer 15 clone.
I am new to sewing, let me say, so I appreciate all your advice. I have always wanted to learn, so four years ago I bought some beginner Singer machine. It was so scary, it sat in the box for two straight years! Finally, I took a class where I learned to use it, and made a few projects... in between fighting tension problems, constant jamming, and the inability to sew more than 2 thin pieces of cotton together. That machine is IMPOSSIBLE and sewing was no fun. Thankfully, along came my husband's grandfather, who asked me one day if I wanted grandma's old machine. "I've tried giving it away for years, and none of the girls will take it!" It is a turquoise 1955 Morse, with all the accessories, presser feet, case, buttonholers, and paperwork included. The Morse changed my world. It is SO easy to use, and so far has even powered through 6 layers of upholstery fabric without a hiccup. It has made me one happy sewer! I love that all grandma's information is still inside-- she died long before hubby and I were married, so it's a way to be attached to her.
Just a hint, in case anyone ever runs into a calamity like mine: in the middle of a project which HAD to be finished by the next day, the belt broke. We are in rural Montana, so the nearest possible sewing shop is 3+ hours away. My brilliant husband sent me to Ace Hardware (just an hour away) to pick up the rubber gasket for a Culligan water filtration system, which comes in three sizes. It was a slightly smaller diameter, so I bought several in case one broke, and it has held up great! Easy fix without waiting for online shipping, what a relief. Anyway, I'm going to lurk about admiring more photos of these beautiful machines. I appreciate your tips and advice, and thank you for letting me brag about the machine that has rocked my world![ATTACH=CONFIG]530218[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]530219[/ATTACH] (In case you can't read the photo, the back of the original manual has a handwritten receipt and guarantee, selling the machine and all the accessories for $135 to my husband's grandma, just a few years after they were married. Lots of sewing has been done on this machine!)[/QUOTE
Some times tri-flo will take off dried tape but if it is dried on it will take naphtha. Test first to see if it dulls your finish.
I am new to sewing, let me say, so I appreciate all your advice. I have always wanted to learn, so four years ago I bought some beginner Singer machine. It was so scary, it sat in the box for two straight years! Finally, I took a class where I learned to use it, and made a few projects... in between fighting tension problems, constant jamming, and the inability to sew more than 2 thin pieces of cotton together. That machine is IMPOSSIBLE and sewing was no fun. Thankfully, along came my husband's grandfather, who asked me one day if I wanted grandma's old machine. "I've tried giving it away for years, and none of the girls will take it!" It is a turquoise 1955 Morse, with all the accessories, presser feet, case, buttonholers, and paperwork included. The Morse changed my world. It is SO easy to use, and so far has even powered through 6 layers of upholstery fabric without a hiccup. It has made me one happy sewer! I love that all grandma's information is still inside-- she died long before hubby and I were married, so it's a way to be attached to her.
Just a hint, in case anyone ever runs into a calamity like mine: in the middle of a project which HAD to be finished by the next day, the belt broke. We are in rural Montana, so the nearest possible sewing shop is 3+ hours away. My brilliant husband sent me to Ace Hardware (just an hour away) to pick up the rubber gasket for a Culligan water filtration system, which comes in three sizes. It was a slightly smaller diameter, so I bought several in case one broke, and it has held up great! Easy fix without waiting for online shipping, what a relief. Anyway, I'm going to lurk about admiring more photos of these beautiful machines. I appreciate your tips and advice, and thank you for letting me brag about the machine that has rocked my world![ATTACH=CONFIG]530218[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]530219[/ATTACH] (In case you can't read the photo, the back of the original manual has a handwritten receipt and guarantee, selling the machine and all the accessories for $135 to my husband's grandma, just a few years after they were married. Lots of sewing has been done on this machine!)[/QUOTE
Some times tri-flo will take off dried tape but if it is dried on it will take naphtha. Test first to see if it dulls your finish.
03-14-2016, 11:30 AM
#558
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Brookfield, IL
Posts: 862
My first machine was a clone. You get a lot of machine for your money with them. I got lucky. I had absolutely NO idea what I was looking at when I bought mine, but got I a good one. I would recommend it as a first machine every time. Easy maintenance, very forgiving, needles and such are standard stuff, and easy to use.
One thing though. A proper belt is important. The "O"-Ring type are ok temporarily, but they can wear out the bearings in the motor if used long term. Keep them as spares, just in case, but for $10 a good (black V-Belt, not orange) belt will last you a decade. So, that is only a dollar a year. Splurge!
~Grant~
Thanks for reposting this here Miriam.
One thing though. A proper belt is important. The "O"-Ring type are ok temporarily, but they can wear out the bearings in the motor if used long term. Keep them as spares, just in case, but for $10 a good (black V-Belt, not orange) belt will last you a decade. So, that is only a dollar a year. Splurge!
~Grant~
Thanks for reposting this here Miriam.
05-21-2016, 03:55 PM
#559
Member
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Daytona Beach, FL
Posts: 6
Hi! I just found this site when I googled, singer clones made in Japan. I'm so glad I found you all! I recently purchased my first vintage machine a 1957 Singer 201 in excellent condition. My Sharona, yes, I name everything, sews a perfect stitch and I'm absolutely thrilled with her. So, today we went in search of a sewing cabinet for Sharona and found one at a local thrift store. The cabinet is in very nice shape and inside we saw a little clone. I'm really new to vintage but she sure looks like a 15 clone. She needs to be rewired and the feed dogs don't come all the way up so the fabric doesn't feed. I don't know if she is worth the money it may take to rehab her but she sure is a little cutie. If nothing else, Sharona has a cabinet to sit in and I'll dust off Cloe (see? I named her already!) and sit her in Sharona's box to just be admired. Any thoughts on repairs would be most appreciated. So very happy I found this site![ATTACH=CONFIG]550512[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]550513[/ATTACH]
05-21-2016, 04:19 PM
#560
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,507
Your machine is set up for darning or free motion. The pressure foot nut is all the way up - it is located at the top of the machine above the pressure foot. All you have to do is push it down. Then your feed dogs have a lever on the base. Flip it to the left and you should have feed dogs ready
Somewhere on these pages are links to manuals. That might go a long ways to helping you use the machine.
Somewhere on these pages are links to manuals. That might go a long ways to helping you use the machine.
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