FW ?'s & how can you tell if one was repainted?
 

I saw a FW 221 sitting in a shop. Took a quick look, altho I did not get the serial number, so I don't know the age of it. There was a small gold rectangle sticker on the back of the bed with a number 221? I remember a number 901 or 911 as part of the number. The sticker looked new. I do not think the light had the Singer logo on it tho. It had the metal end plate with the straight lines/grooves. It looked in good shape, had the bobbin case & electric foot pedal. It had the gold metal plate on the front, which look pretty new to me. I'm wondering if this machine was repainted & new decals/metal plate/etc put on. How do I tell if it was repainted?

The owner of the shop passed away. The shop is packed, has only a very narrow aisle, and had a several real old machines, including a Horne? treadle, Singers, lots of Montgomery Ward, White, etc. There was also a FW 222. Son is to see if he can find the case for the 221, figure a price he wants for it & call me. I don't know if he has the attachments/book/etc for it. I saw a few prices the owner had on some of the machines & felt they were way too high. The son mentioned the Horne treadle machine was worth $4000! It had a wood cover on it. The Son said he needed to do inventory & try to find someone to buy the whole shop out. The shop is full of sewing machines, parts, etc. This was just a shop where the owner tinkered with machines & you could get a machine repaired. He had no fabric/notions/etc for sale. It was sort of like an over packed garage. I think he bought old machines, parts, attachments, etc at sales, refurbished them & then resold them. I saw some of those little toy machines too. I didn't stay long, but wish I had taken a better look at things.

I'm not a collector of old machines, but thought it'd be nice to have a FW to do quilt piecing or teach my grand daughter on. I've never sewn on a FW. What do I look for in a FW? I've only ever bought brand new Bernina's, so I have no idea what I should look for in an old machine like this. I did not try the machine, but am sure it worked. It had a tag on it, but we couldn't read the price the owner had written on it.

What would a repainted machine go for? If it hasn't been repainted what's a decent price to pay or offer? I've tried reading thru the posts, but it's a tad confusing. Help!!!

Thanks,
Feather3

Well if hes thinks ANY machines worth $4G's hes A NUT!!! and you would be sorry to buy from him! walk fast and far! :) you can find a FW at a much better price some other day!

Hi Feather3,

Alright, I have to ask--where the heck did you find this treasure trove? I wouldn't try to snipe you on anything, but if there's a garage full of machines sitting somewhere in PA that I might be able to explore, I would love to! Plus I could go with you to help talk the son down off his ledge of crazy. XD

You so right that son needs a reality check!! Wow...$4Gs??? Insane!!

I don't think I would be too concerned if it was repainted.... if it looks nice and the price is right... go for it. You can find what FWs go for on ebay. Just check the advanced link to the right of the box where you type in what you're looking for. Then click on the completed box. Everything that sold or didn't sell will come up. I often see FWs sell for $300... some a little less, some a little more. The 222 is more because it has the open bed for sewing pant legs, etc. Make sure to check it to see if it sews..... it has to have a bobbin case and bobbin on the machine but you can find attachments and manuals on ebay or perhaps download them for free. Someone here will have the site to do that.

Good luck.... the FW is a great little machine for your DGD to learn on.

Right there with you girls!

I'd think $4G's would be the price for the whole garage full. Not just one machine.

What a machine is worth is not the price of it.