Pfaff ???
 

Just brought home this Pfaff machine from my local Goodwill for $8. I don't have a clue about the model # or can I figure out anything about it. It's built like a tank and weighs a ton, and the bobbin holder looks like a bullet! There is a 16 on the front of the machine and it says it was made in West Germany. Tried to sew with it but the tension is way off. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Jan[ATTACH=CONFIG]525397[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]525398[/ATTACH]

Oohhhhh, I want one too!!! That is a beauty, lucky you.

Wow, it looks brand new. Did it come that clean looking? I love it. I'm like sunflower, I want one too. Lucky you.

I'm not much help to you but it's a great looking machine.
Rodney

This is how the machine came, it's real clean inside and out! I took out the bobbin casing and found extra bobbins in the case. This is all new to me, I haven't seen anything like this before.[ATTACH=CONFIG]525408[/ATTACH]

No good answers here either except to say it's really cool!

I'm no expert but something tells me it could be a model 16
[ATTACH=CONFIG]525441[/ATTACH]

Neat old machine. If it didn't come with a manual you can download it from http://s2.vsmgroup.com/VSM/Pfaff/pfa...b?OpenDocument which I got to from http://s2.vsmgroup.com/VSM/Pfaff/pfaffmanual.nsf It isn't a great scan, but I have found that sometimes I can enlarge the view and be able to read it better or at least enough to figure it out. It looks like it was originally a treadle.

I'll sometimes floss the tension discs with dental floss with presser foot up and then lower it to see if it is putting tension on the floss. Check needle inserted correctly -- flat on right as it threads left to right. Make sure threaded correctly both top and bobbin. It looks like the bobbins are wound fairly evenly once the ends that have unraveled are removed. Something else is sometimes the presser bar is not set correctly for the material being sewn.

Looking again at manual and the picture of yours - it appears that yours has an extra doodad on the front plate which isn't shown on manual. Thread should go from spool pin to top of guide and then to tension disc. Hopefully if thread differently it will sew correctly. Maybe someone else has experience with this machine. I'm just going by manual and my experiences with different machines. I've been fairly lucky with the machines I've gotten, as most just need a little cleaning, oiling and very little "tweaking."

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

Janey, thank you sooo much for the Pfaff links and all of the information you shared with me! I searched most of the evening last night and wasn't able to find anything, not even a picture, of this machine. I have fiddled some with the tension and it looks better but still not perfect.

I was surprised to find out that this machine could have been a treadle even though it came in a case similar to a suitcase. The extra thingy on the front of the machine looks like another tension disc.

Again I'm grateful for the information, thank you very much!

Jan

Found a couple links with info:

http://plaiderpillar.com/2011/08/vin...f-gritzner-16/
Fellow owner discussing the bobbins it takes, etc. Lots of pics.

http://mysewingmachinemanual.com/Vie...Pfaff&m=16.pdf
Buy the manual.

Thank you Freaky Quilts Dragon for the links. The 1st one you posted by plaidepillar is "exactly" how mine looks right down to the same case it is housed in. The 1st page of the manual directed to Housewives is quite funny.

Jan

Yeah, that manual - the first page of it at least - is a hoot. 'Congratulations on your incredible machine and while we did have a sales man tell you all about it very thoroughly in the name of more thorough thoroughness we made this manual for you because this sewing machine is so much sewing machine and long winded intro to what is probably a long winded manual and of course we can't just get to the point we're German engineers it's our job to be exactingly precise and use lots and lots of precisely exacting words and on and on and on...'

It's endearing that just the intro seems to take up more than one page to just let you know that it's the manual. I bet the actual instructions are very, very accurate!

I am trying to find some info for my 84 year old friend, who just got a Pfaff 1212 given to her........she is afraid to even try to thread it without somekind of manual or directions or whatever....so far, I have not had any luck finding anything for her, except a web site that said they had one for $22.00 and I am not even sure that would be the correct one..........anyone can help me out there?????? I hope so, so I can help her..................

As everyone said, that is a great looking machine, what a nice find for you. Have fun with it.

When I googled "Pfaff 1212 manual" The third link I got was to a pdf of the manual for free at Pfaff.com. Here you go. Like Singer, it seems that Pfaff has made a lot of their manuals available on their website for free.

THANK YOU so much for sending this to me..i went to the web site and I printed it out for her (About a zillion pages...there goes my ink and paper) but I now have it and will take it to her, thank you SO much for finding it for me.................

You are very welcome! Just glad I could help. Manual hunting can be tricky. I have one of the few Kenmore machines that Sears doesn't have the manual for on their website, but luckily one of the digital manual sellers had it for sale. After my last home manual printing fiasco, I took it to an office center and had them print and bind it. It was still cheaper than a new set of printer cartridges!

I hope your friend likes her machine, now that she will have the instructions.