Machines for Parts
 

Does anyone else buy machines solely for parts to another machine?

I put a $10 bid on an online auction on a Florence Rotary, for parts to my World's Rotary. The Florence is in pretty clean shape, but has no cabinet or even bobbins. Someone converted it to electric in a way that would make any electrician shutter. (Easy fix.) Whilst my World's Rotary has a cabinet, that I am stripping down and restaining, several bobbins, plus a history that we were told about when we bought it, it's very rusted and showing it's age. I've been looking for parts for it for over a year and then found the Florence yesterday.

My DH now want me to restore the Florence and the World's. I do feel bad using a machine solely for parts, especially as these sets of decals on both of them are rather uncommon.

Maybe I could use the Florence Rotary as a talking piece on the mantle, after I have taken what I need? Or I could begin the search again, for parts for the Florence, that where taken off for the World's... Ummm, no.

What I am doing isn't against all VSM restoration code, is it? :)

It's a dilemma that's hard do decide on. I like to keep things as original as possible, that's why I spend time touching up the old finish rather than stripping it off and redoing it completely. I accept a few markes of age and wear, but at some point you might as well refinish the whole machine and get new decals. Decals can even be made. It's a lot of work too, you need to be happy with the result, because you don't do it for the money value. Some models like the Featherweight fetch good prices when refinished though, but it has to be done flawlessly.

In your case with the Rotary, if it doesn't say Florence or Worlds on the treadle base, you can choose more freely. I'm guessing both of these models came in much the same cabinet options, I and would go for the machine in best condition, or at least the one that restores to nice condition. I find it very hard to trash these old machines, particularly when they are in restorable condition. They are getting fewer every year, and there's still enough interest in them to take care of them, and let others have a chance at a fix up machine too.

yes, I have done that quite often. I do look for a machine that isn't really worth restoring.

The big problem here is that often it's the same part that keeps getting broken/lost, so if you find a machine that only needs that part, often you'll find more machines without it than with it. So you have to decide if the first machine is really worth getting up and running, or if you are better off finding a nicer condition machine to restore.

I have a lot of machines that are only for parts. Sure, every single one of they could be made to run again, but then you have to find another donor machine for the one or two parts I needed that I took off.

I told my husband that I'd take this summer to try to rehome my unwanted machines, and what I still had come fall would be stripped of the easily removed parts and the carcass sent to the dump. Fall begins on Sunday, and I have not rehomed a single machine.

I have plenty of machines I'm keeping that are worth restoring and they all have all their parts. I don't feel bad about this, even if there are getting less each year, there are still way more vintage machines than there is interest. I will stress that I'm talking high arm style machines, mostly made after 1900. When you talk older machines, it's a different story.

I keep finding myself buying parts machines and then starting to tinker on them and bringing them back to life.
There is a rustbucket June (pe-190 machine calling to me now.

It is hard to part out even something so common as a Singer 66.

I feel the same way. In 10 years I've only stripped one machine for parts. I have a few more that probably should be used for parts but just can't bring myself to do it. The one I did strip was badly cracked around the hook race and the damage was bad enough that it couldn't be fixed.

Cari

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to see what the Florence looks like if I win the auction. It really looks like in good shape in the photos; maybe I should put it in the World's cabinet and use it instead. I have managed to clean the World's Rotary up really good, but the rust has eaten away the black tin (I think it's a tin... it's pretty weak) plate to the point that the decals and black enamel paint are pretty much gone. I wanted to replace that part especially. The backside of the tin plate is so rusted I wore out two dremel bits before I began to see a faint shine of metal underneath.

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Instead of parting out the Florence for a replacement for this plate, does anyone have an ideas of what to do with to restore it? Here is a picture where it belongs.

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I haven't yet redone the shellac on the machine, it's just shiny from sewing machine oil.

This machine was so loved and used, the decals in the front of the needle are so wore that there is actually a dip in the cast iron. I think that is such a sweet story that this machine tells by itself that I do not want to get rid of.

This machine was kept in a barn, which sits ontop of a salt mine, for four years. You can imagine the rust damage!

I have never seen a cover shaped like that. Sometimes I want to leave covers off, just to show the parts.

My sewing machine guy said to fix one of my machines i would need a parts machine, but the identical machine i got was already working so the broken one is a parts machine now. It’s an embossed white rotary/family rotary. Nobody seems to want them not looking perfect but i hope i can sell the parts.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]601595[/ATTACH]They are interesting machines.