New Guy on the Block
 

I just found this forum today, glad to see an active vintage sewing machine board, most of my old favorites have dried up. I don’t recognize most of the participants except Joe Miller. We have been kicking around the vintage SM boards for years.

By way of an introduction, I have been collecting old sewing machines since the 1970s. My collection waxes and wanes, but I am trying to keep it down to 50+/-. It has been over 80 in the past. I founded many of the Yahoo sewing machine groups – VintageSingers, OldPfaff Pforum, Bono’s Berninas, and the Necchi Group – but passed them on when they got too busy to manage within the time I had available. Now, I just post on my blog, sewing-machines.blogspot.com.

My wife and I have a quilt shop in Leonardtown, Maryland where I provide volunteer services in the areas of heavy lifting, trash hauling, ladder climbing, and bug squishing. Oh, and I also service vintage sewing machines there.

Now, on to business. I have two problems I need help with and it appears that this might be the place to find help:
- I have purchased several Singer Featherweights off ebay to resell in the shop. One has a broken presser lift lever and I cannot figure out how to remove the old one! I have been working on sewing machines for decades, but this one has me stumped. There is a screw or pin through the housing holding the lever but I it is so far down that I cannot see a slot to indicate it is a screw and I have not been able to drive it out, if it is a pin. Has anyone accomplished this should-be-simple repair?
- I have a Pfaff 362 that needs a bobbin winder, cover for the electrical connections, and the plastic knob on the top lid. A friend needs the manual zig zag lever for her 360 and I have a Pfaff 332 that needs a hook assembly. Does anyone know of a Pfaff 260 or 360 series parts machine available for a reasonable price? Condition is not important as long as it has the parts I need.

Thanks,
Ed Lamoureux

Welcome Ed. I've missed you on the old boards. Are you still collecting the big guys? It was because of your love of the industrial that I started collecting some of them.
Wish I could help you with the Pfaffs, but I don't have a parts Pfaff machine. I'll have a look at a Featherweight and get back at you if I have an answer for you on that one.

Cathy

I do have a 360 parts machine that Cathy gave me:> Unfortunately, Ed, most of the 360s and 362s have cracks in their zigzag knobs, or they're broken off.

No, I haven't acquired any new industrial machines for some time. I have more than I need and they take up too much space. Besides, since we took over the quilt shop, people have been dropping off their old, unwanted machines so my tinkering genes are satisfied. The latest was a Featherweight that had sat in a barn long enough to get considerable rust on all the components in the lower section. I spent the weekend de-rusting and freeing up that machine and last night finally got it to sew a stitch. I did pick up a thrift shop Singer 401A a couple of weeks ago but that's the first machine I have bought in months.

Ed

ED,

Welcome to the QB, glad you're here.

I can't help with your machine problems right now, but perhaps later today I can eye-ball our FW and figure out if that's a pin or a screw.

For your parts machines, keep your eyes on shopgoodwill.com. They have plenty of derelicts on there.

Joe

Welcome! This is the site I visit once to six times a day. The folks on here are great. I have no help to give you but just wanted to welcome you to this site.

Welcome Ed! So... you have unwanted industrial machines. any chance any are 1885 or earlier....? Sorry, it's a compulsion....

I'm glad to see the board is attracting more seasoned collectors as well as newbies like me... Looking forward to your contributions!

Steve

Welcome to the QB Ed. Just wanted to let you know that since you sounded like an interesting guy, I thought I would visit your blog but the link you included did not take me there. Not sure if something is missing in your posting or what. Thought someone should let you know.

KLO, It worked for me....make sure you didn't copy the . at the end.

Welcome to the board, from Corpus Christi, Tx.