How can I learn more about sewing machine repair?
 

I'm a teacher, so I have my summers off. I want to spend some time this summer learning more about sewing machine mechanics and repair. Any suggestions for how to do that? Do repair shops take interns? Should I look for a class? Would community colleges offer something like that?

Oh darn it, ignore that! I can't figure out how to delete it now that I see someone else already asked a similar question.

Its cool. Me i picked up an old kenmore and just poked around. Lol of course i googled the crap out of things and read all the sticky notes in this forum. :-)

Play with old machines. Pick them up cheap and start trying to fix them on your own. Read a lot here. If you're really serious check with the manufacturers about becoming a factory trained tech. You could check locally and see if any of the shops in your area are interested but they may be afraid of competition and you also run the risk of being trained by a hack. I saw very little online for training.
Rodney

If you are on the East Coast of the US, contact Capital Quilts in Gaithersburg, MD. The shop is having an expert come in for a class. You will take apart and put back together your Featherweight.

Read, read, read. There's so much valuable information on the internet. I took an online course, but frankly, it really wasn't nearly as good as just reading blogs, web sites and, of course, the QB. Buy a few old machines of various ages and makes. Maybe just start with Singers, since they are so simple and straight forward. Here's a few web sites to get you started:
http://www.tfsr.org/publications/tec...achine_manual/
http://www.ismacs.net/
http://mysewingmachineaddiction.blogspot.com/
http://www.treadleon.net/
http://vssmb.blogspot.com


Now...the hard part will be how to STOP buying old sewing machines, but that's a different topic.

~ Cindy

Ray White is an excellent teacher. I took his beginning and advanced classes and received a really good grounding in what to do and not do, despite having done some of the servicing on my machines for years. Since then, I've tackled many machines and have yet to find one I couldn't fix. Ray is retired and travels to teach, but that may not last forever, so I recommend you find one of his classes and go. Here is a link:

http://www.whitesewingcenter.com/index.php

I went to New York (from Massachusetts) to get this training and, believe me, it was worth the trip. I advise you to go wherever you need to get his training. He is a VERY good teacher and a really nice guy.

Cricket

Here is a good website to add to some listed above:
http://autonopedia.org/crafts-and-te...achine-repair/
I have taken Ray White's class, and even though it is expensive, it is worth every penny. He just knows everything there is to know about how sewing machines work! I also read TreadleOn every day, and that has contributed immensely to my knowledge. Sewing Machines are just neat little things. The way they work fascinates me!

Thanks, everyone! I looked at Ray White's classes and he is offering one in Missouri this June, which might work. I live in Colorado, and the ones on the West coast are during school, so that's not going to work. There's a Sears repair shop nearby so maybe I can contact them since my real love is for Kenmores. I'll check out all those links you guys shared! Thank you!
Ila