Someone offered me a featherweight...
 

...for 250. Complete with case, accessories. He told me it belonged to his great grandmother and she rarely/never used it. Then it sat in his closet ever since. He said that another family member took her cabinet. (i assume after g.grandma passed) It looks to be in nice condition from the pics he showed me. He said it runs and smells like the original oil? Is this a good thing? (I'm most concerned by that comment.)

My local antique shop says they have them between 275-375 depending on condition and accessories. And there is one on Craigslist listed as mint for 850! I did see some listed on the evil bay for 150 and up but convience of no shipping and fear of breaking makes me less inclined to save a buck. Besides this is the originally family.

Good bad? What do you guys think? Did I mention it's my birthday Saturday?

Happy Birthday! Look at it first, of course, but that sounds like a good deal to me.

I would sure jump on that offer.

We paid just under $300.00 for ours in well used, but complete condition. And yes it stunk. Seems a lot of them do. If you want a FW I'd say this price was decently average. Don't worry about the smell, just clean it up, lube as per the instructions in the manual and sew sew sew till the cows come home.


Joe

Yaaaay I'm so glad to hear that it's not a big issue. I'm waiting to see who can come with me to go see it and will probably go on Friday. I don't want to wait too long. But sometimes i get excited too easily and jump into things!

He did say it had the manual as well. Do feather weights take standard needles and stuff like that? Or do they have specialized stuff? Just curious so I can keep it in mind!

FWs take the standard 15x1 needles ( or Singer 20-20s) but they have their own bobbin and bobbin case. The 301 shares the bobbin and case too. They use regular low shank feet and attachments as well.
Bobbins are easy to find so there's no worry there.

Joe

Happy birthday, you need to buy yourself a prezzie. Go to Sew Classic to buy bobbins etc.

Give yourself a birthday present. :thumbup: It is a fair price. Do check to see if has it's bobbin case though. It costs about $50 to replace if missing.

sounds good to me and I have more than 1----but I use them all the time! Have a happy birthday!

Thanks everyone. I feel more comfortable shelling out the money when I hear from the experts. :)

You got a deal!

There is one at the pawn shop in Franklin, TN you can buy for $200. By the smell, we must assume it doesn't smell like mildew. Most of them do, unless they have been used a lot. The FW expert, Fred, from Florida says to put 1/2 of a bar of Safeguard soap (in the box) inside the case. I tried it and it works. Change the Safeguard every year on your birthday to keep the fresh scent Sure smells better. Don't let the soap touch any of the contents or metal though. I spent more than an hour with them at Paducah, learning about FWs and it was time well spent.
Some QB members have purchased on Ebay for around $100 in special circumstances according to their posts. FWs aren't as high as they once were. I have one and prefer my 301 as it is not as tempremental as the FW. It is heavier though even if it is aluminum. It all depends what you like. Keep looking ,or drive a hard bargain.

Thank you Donna! All things to consider! I worry about buying machines from eBay. I'm afraid I'd buy something from a seller who couldn't pack thing and it end up doa!

Buy it and enjoy it! THey are wonderful little machines and easy to maintain. You can make a small cloth bag and put some shaved bar soap in it and put it in you case for the smell.

Buy it and enjoy it. I have two and love them. I have made the tops to several quilts on mine. I just oil it after a day's sewing on it, and keep going. They are so easy to maintain. I bought my first one on Ebay, and was very forunate that the seller packed it well. I too was hesitant about buying there, but I truly wanted one so I took the plunge.
When you get it and start using your little gem, you will wonder why you waited so long to buy one. I haven't found mine to be tempermental, but machines are like people I guess they are all a little different.

One quick reminder, A couple of times I have had thread to catch in the bobbin case area, and have had to take that section apart. There is a tiny and I mean tiny screw that holds the bobbin section together. I have a small plastic cup like those on the top of cough syrup or dayquil bottles that I keep in my case just for this tiny screw, to keep from losing it. I also place my featherweights on a towel when I get ready to service them, and this helps to keep the screws from rolling off of the table.

I am not advertising for this individual, but I purchased the book (in black and white) titled "The Featherweight 221 and I" by David McCallum, it is the best purchase I ever made I think. The book is fully illustrated and every time I need to do any thing to my babies, I drag this book out. (I took it apart put the pages in plastic sleeves and put it all in a 3 ring binder, along with all other books or notes on Featherweights. I have manuals for mine, but this book is much better I think. A good site is Featherweight RX.
Have fun.

Someone offered me a featherweight.
 

I would like to say it sounds like a good deal. However, if you have a sew. m. tech in your area, I would have it evaluated by that person.
I have a f. weight I bought 9 yrs. ago for $500. My tech. said they come and go in supply, and there weren't many around at that time; hence the higher price.
Have the tech. check out the bobbin area. That is where the biggest wear is and can cause the most problem. Mine needed a new part in that area, as we were seeing him very often. Double ck. that it is okay.
Otherwise, if it sews a good stitch, you have a good deal, in my opinion.
Mariah.

Nope, can't go wrong with a FW. I have 3 and love every one of them......

nanna

I have a 301 and it takes slant needle feet , but the bobbin and case are the same as the FW

Aw kitty. we are just EXPERT enablers.

Grab that baby and go. Feathereeights sew a beautiful stitch.With the button hole attachment..you wont need a Phd to use it.I take mine to classes since its so easy to transport. Happy birthday!

Thanks everyone. I'm going to see it friday after work. It will be my birthday present to myself if it works/looks good. I'll check the bobbin case especially. Does anyone have any pics to know what I'm looking at? I've never seen one in person. Thanks!

If it has been closed up for any amount of time, it will smell like oil. Not a problem! When I get one in to fix, I start by putting a bunch of used dryer sheets in the case and that helps a lot to get rid of the smell. Check my website for items that you might need. www.thequiltgal.com

Use Google and you'll find lots of photos.

Here is a picture of a Featherweight bobbin case.

Concerning the smell -- the first thing I would do is to remove the bottom of the machine and replace the felt drip pad. It can be really rank. You can cut a new one from felt type material and slip it in place. The other source of bad smell can be the machine case itself. People have offered you deodorizing solutions for that problem.

Let us know tomorrow how it goes when you try it out.

Dayle

Thank you so much guys! I'm very excited to go see it tomorrow. I'm assuming the manual will tell me how to access all of this right? Hahaha!

Congrats, you deserve it. Got mine last friday, need time to ck it all out.
everyone here talked me into her. She was born dec5,1939 and luckily, doesnt smell at all.
her case is in excellent condition and all of her accessories are thee. The only problem,
She birds nests, but someone here pointed me in the right direction to get her fixed up and running
i got her for $240.00 down from$275. No tax
I hope you have many years with her.

Buy it! you will be happy.

i cant wait till tomorrow! There are other things i SHOULD be doing and all i can do is browse around the internet looking at antique sewing machines... i SO have the bug.

I too, live in SW Fl. but I have never run across a FW here in any of the local antique shops or flea markets, but we are new here and haven't been to all places. Did get a Singer redeye 66 at Bonita Springs lately and really love it. It joined the vintage 99 and FW I had here. I sure wouldn't pass on it if I were you. Easy to fix up and lovely to use. Enjoy!

if your looking for a featherweight check out Gannon's antique's on 41 in between fort myers and naples! (it's across the street from a large goodwill) i find their prices pretty reasonable and they just put some featherweights out in the 275-375 bracket. i called to gauge prices for this one that was offered to me. I CANT wait to go see it tomorrow and most likely bring it home!

I would love to see a picture of your Willcox and Gibbs. I have one too. The oldest copyright date on it is 1863. It's original, never been refinished. I have the book but no key!

Tennessee Suzy, if you click on my user name a little menu pops up. Click where it says all started threads and you be able to find my post on my dear Eleanor! <3 I am very proud of her. I'm sure you love yours too!

The oil pad on the underside of the FW probably needs replacing & that is probably where the smell comes from.
I just used the old pad as a pattern & cut one out from some felt that I had here - worked for me. Happy Birthday to you & what a nice b'day gift !

Thank you for the birthday wishes!

I put my machines on a puppy pad when I work on them. Like you said, it catches small pieces and it also catches all the oil, dirt, etc. and I don't have to wash the towel -- since I seem to manage to put them in the laundry with items that don't need to be next to oil!

happy birthday! did you get it? i've been hoping for you that it hasn't already sold before you got there.

I'm going to see it after work! So soon!!

We're all waiting to hear how it went. I'm hoping you just got yourself a nice birthday present!

*grins* Looky looky! http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...ml#post5581377

Happy Birthday! Good luck with the Fw. great little machine:thumbup: