How do you get trained to be a sewing machine tech?
 

I know Annette for one is a tech. How do you get that training to be a tech? I'd love to do it.
Maggie

There is a school called Whites Sewing Center in Missouri. Last year my DH took the beginning class. People flew and drove in from all over the country. He has extensive information on the Internet. Just look him up and good luck.

I am in total shock. This Sewing Machine Teacher, from White's Sewing Machine in Middle Brook, MO will be only a few miles from me this summer, teaching a basic class for less than $900.00. For once I am in the right place, but for the last year have subscribed to the adage: You can't teach an old dog new tricks. I'm having trouble remembering things, like what road am I on.

It is scary if you do not remember the road you are on. At night, I may not know what "stretch" of the road I am on.

I would love to go to Ray White's classes, but unfortunately, I cannot come close to affording it. I turned 50, lost my corporate job (downsized) and have not been able to find anything but a low wage job since (I get beaten out by 30 somethings for every job). I am barely making it. that's my sad tale.

I went to Ray White's class. There is an awful lot of good info here... Read up.

I've been a tech for 7 years and I still learn something new every day. There are so many machine models and all the machines that have been made for the past 100+ years, there's always something different. I've been to Bernina University, but you don't get much from PowerPoint presentations. When the assistant tech retired, the Boss asked me if I'd like to learn, because I told him I had worked on cars in a "different life." The best way to learn is to become an apprentice to someone. The Boss started learning sewing machine repair at 18 years old, became a motorcycle / snowmobile mechanic, then came back to sewing machines. I don't know how you'd learn all that much in a week or two of training. And most of the new machines are computerized, so that's a whole other world. If I had to jump in and do everything without the Boss to help me, I'd fall on my face. There are so many OSMG's (Old Sewing Machine Guys) that are retiring, because they don't want to deal with computers and cheap plastic machines. And our circle on the map just keeps getting bigger and bigger. People are coming from farther and farther away to get their machines serviced. If you could find one of the OSMG's to train you, it would help all of us -- repair techs and customers. We're a dying breed. You have to be someone who can figure things out. We don't use service manuals, because there's so much that's NOT in the service manuals.

Thanks Annette. I really appreciate your thoughtful response.

For starting out, I took apart a featherweight when I was very young, put it all back. All I had was a user manual. So I have worked on machines for a few years. Another way to learn is to find some junk machines and see if you can make them work. Most of the time they can be made to work unless they are plastic wonders or computerized or too rusted. I have bought 50 at a time a couple times. Then I have bought junk machines one at a time here and there. I learned the most from a 401g I found in the garbage. It did not work at all. I searched and searched to find information. I revived it. After that I only bought slant-o-matic machines for a while. I have a couple just for parts. Since they caught on and Facebook caught on they aren't very plentiful but I like working on them. I also had industrial machines in a business for a few years. One of them always needed something. It also helps to have sewed for over 60 years and been too broke to have one repaired. The other thing I did was buy out old sewing machine repair guys stash. A couple times. I got a full set of manuals and lots of parts. The class mainly confirmed a lot of things I knew. The advanced RW class really was too ADHD for me to learn anything more than a couple things I might have been able to figure out on Utube. Some people learn ok from the classes. I learn by doing and making plenty of mistakes. The school of hard knocks can teach you a lot but what ever way you learn there is always a cost - just ask Igor.