karissabob

Hi everyone and thanks for the replies. The hand crank turns fine and the needle and bits move freely. All the knobs and buttons turn OK except for the round one above the red slidey knob... On the back of the manual someone has kindly sketched a wiring diagram, so might be handy I shall have another read of that as I am sure that explains how to re-oil it and stuff, once the musty smell has gone.

This is one of two sewing machines I 'rescued' - the other is a 193(6?) manual Singer (quite a common one) with a lovely wooden case, also not opened for many a year, again, probably my Gran's

At the weekend, my Dad had a clear out of his new loft and found.... an electric Singer sewing machine... looks like I may form a collection!!

SteveH

woo hoo! congratulations

miriam

You need to invest in some Tri-Flow and oil everything that moves - careful of the rubber parts and belts.

Jennifer23

Congratulations on your new collection; it sounds like you're off to a good start. It also sounds like you have a couple more machines to show us!

anneg

Hi Karrisabob

I have 2 Cresta T132's - one of them bought new for me in 1969 so I could use for my A-level school exams (when seventeen).

It is a beautiful machine - so pretty and just purrs when it is working - I believe it does 1600 stitches per min according to ISMACS. It was made at the Lada factory in Czechosolvakia - they went out of business around 1972 so yours must have been made before that. You will also find them badged as Lada and other names.

I took mine to my local repair man earlier this year as the needle bar wouldn't go up and down, and it was just the motor belt that was loose.

I have 6 machines including a manual singer 28, and I disagree with other people when they say this machine is not for a beginner. You can use it just to straight stitch to begin with and then explore the other options later. There are numerous spelling and grammar mistakes in the manual but it is very comprehensive.

Regards oiling I believe it says to oil in the holes which are circled in red on the machine. You will only need one drop in each hole - and please please use only sewing machine oil. Things such as 3 in 1 and WD40 just gunk up the works. To be honest I had never oiled it (very bad of me) but of course it was oiled at the service earlier this year.

When you do use it make sure that the leads for the foot pedal and the power do not get caught up in the bobbin winder which is on the side - that will wear away the plastic coating leaving wires exposed on your leads - I know I did it and have had to cover mine at that point with rubberised tape. I now feed them underneath the flat bed extension when I am using the dinning table to sew on.

I have used it to sew sail canvas - zigzag through 4 layers with no trouble and many other things over the years.

I do hope you get it to work - let us know.

Anne

George59

Hello there,
I just signed up on this forum today because I was looking for resources for our 56 year old Lada T132 sewing machine. It's been in our family's possession since 1959. My 85 year old Dad decided to do some sewing on it but after 15 minutes into the sewing we started to hear some weird knocking sound. So, I decided to take a look at it, clean it, lubricate it and just see what's cooking with it.

I've done extended research for user manual for this sewing machine on the net but couldn't found any. By any chance, could someone post a Lada or Cresta T132 user manua hear in PDF format for me?

I already took all covers off to see all the damage that the past 50 years did to this machine, so far the most serious problem is the v-belt, that needs to be replaced and it also needs vacuuming and lubricating with oil and grease.

SteveH

this thread may help
http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...ml#post6662740

George59

Well, I've read that thread, unfortunately the bobbin area, housing looks different from the Lada T132. But I would need a manual for many reasons since I am not a seasoned sewing "machinist". I will start a new thread here maybe that will help.