something I learned the hard way - QUICK RELEASE
 

I learned about pressure foot quick release tension buttons by accident... I pushed the button and it flipped up - suddenly my machine doesn't pull fabric???? WHAT???????

Ms Egor got her hands on one of the little nuts on the top of a 401 one time and I had to learn to adjust the pressure...

Ms Egor got her mitts on a machine and turn the screw that holds the spring in place and the whole works hit the ceiling all at once... Don't read on if you are faint at heart. nah - just kidding.

There are several kinds of 'releases' for the pressure foot tension. A lot of older machines do not have any quick release they just have a plain old nut up there and you can turn it and set the foot pressure and I'm hoping the pictures all come up this time. If not I'll do them a page or so down.
NO QUICK RELEASE:
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My trusty old beater the 15-75

When they refurbished the old machines some times you might see a quick release added. And some times they work fine and some times they are a pain in the neck because they either won't release or won't go back to regular pressure.
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Then there is the quick release on a Japanese Deluxe with fancy stitches:
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I may add more pics later when I'm sure these want to stay.
The quick release is a nice feature when you want to do free motion. You just pop the button up and it releases the tension on the pressure foot. The old fashioned way would be to turn the nut at the top like on my 15-75 Singer and when you are done you have to re-adjust the pressure. That info should be in a manual. It isn't hard to do but is sure is a nuisance if you want to go back and forth from free motion to regular sewing.
I love my little 15-75 but she doesn't have a pop up - maybe some time I will put one on just to soup her up just a little. Her feed dogs drop under the machine - a lot of the Japanese machines have buttons or a knob to drop the feed dogs. Some machines do not have the ability to drop the feed dogs.

oopsie. I should have put the pics in paint so I could draw little circles. Well I'll do one anyway and then you are on your own to find it on your machine if you have one.

Ok I drew a circle around the Japanese Deluxe quick release:
eeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww that one didn't stick................ WHAHHHHH
I'll try it again.
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Maybe the pictures stuck this time. I don't know if I would be pushing my luck to do another pic or not.
A Japanese 15 clone with a quick release:
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I'm pretty sure there are other kinds of quick release buttons out there - shoot a pic and post it. It is nearly March and it is freezing here and we have snow on the ground bbbbrrrrrrr....... Egor wants a hammer.... big hammer - hit snow....

Another good lesson. The things I learn every time I check in here!

I love these quick lessons of information put in here. There are a lot of us who are listening and watching, trying to learn all we can. Thanks so much Miriam.