Vintage direct drive machine with free arm
 

My sewing machine doesn't have a free arm. Do any of you know of a all metal direct drive motor machines with a free arm? Are there any 301-500 or Touch and Sew which fit this qualifications?

The 320 is a free arm, all metal but with an external belt driven motor. I've noticed this model for its' very nice wooden extention table and well as the free arm. I think the 431 has the direct drive motor, all metal machine in combination with the free arm, but I need to look it up to verify the motor drive. Many of the free arm models had internal motors but were belt driven. I'm not sure how available they are in the US. Except for the tiny Featherweight 222, Bernina tend to have the narrowest free arm and are very trouble free machines, but they are belt driven. If your requirements aren't absolute, I think some of the the green Husqvarna Automatic series are worth a look too.

You might have to find a European machine. Elna has an internal belt drive on the SU. The old green ones have a wheel drive.

I was looking online and someone had said it is possible to sew in the round (like collars and cuffs) on flat bed machines. It takes technique but is possible. Does that sound right?

I did all kinds of sewing on a flat bed, including collars and cuffs. You just have to turn in inside out and then sew on the "inside" instead of the outside. It's really not that hard.

My Mom and Grandma never owned an open arm machine, but that didn't stop them from sewing most of their and their children's clothing.

I've made two shirts on my old Singer 201, so absolutely possible. Getting used to the flat bed is the main thing if you are used to the free arm, there are very few limitations, even if the free arm can make it easier some times.

I have sewed for ---- many years.lol Always thought a free arm sounded so wonderful, finally bought one years ago, and found I rarely used it, very rarely. When I bought my new plastic machine that free arm was a big sales pitch, duh, I didn't need it but wanted the 11 inch throat space. I made everything from a to z including baby clothes.

Thank you all for pipping in.
It's fantastic to hear sewing a circle parts on a flat bed machine is possible. I don't have to worry about getting a sewing machine for the free arm! :D Lol, when I saw the flat bed on the 15-91 I was given, I couldn't imagine how I could get an arms eye over the plate. Knowing this makes me so happy! :)

I have to say I like the free arm, especially the one on my Bernina (like mentioned; it's narrower than other machines I've used), it makes somethings easier. That said, there are ways about it on a flat bad, and any regular shirt or pants should be no problem. It can get cumbersome and tricky; some times it's the narrow straight stitch foot on my cast iron 201 that makes it easier, some times it's the free arm on my Bernina 730. It all depends, and I'm keeping them both.

My 50's Pfaff has a nice small free arm, but it's belt driven. The belts are thick and cleated and as far as I can tell will last just about forever - not a rubber belt you'd need to replace anytime soon.

As an alternative, I think the slant-shank Singers are really good for sewing cuffs and the like, despite their flat bed. That slant setup puts the needle in a good spot where you can really see what you're doing, and it's not too hard to sew cuffs and collars from the inside like Macybaby said. I don't sew a lot of clothes but I recently sewed up a couple of cup sleeves for my DH and I used my 500A with good results - the cup sleeves were too small to fit over any free arm I own! I've also used my big honkin' Janome to make those in the past, again sewing from the inside. It was definitely easier on the slant shank.

(Cup sleeves...is that the right name for those things? The little heat protectors for hot to-go cups is what I'm talking about- DH says the cardboard ones they give out at SBux are wasteful so I make them for him from scraps. :) )

If you have deep enough pockets and are lucky enough to find one, a Singer 431G is direct drive, all metal, and has a free arm.

Joe

Finding really good vintage free arm machines here in the USA isn't that easy. Free arms were far more popular in Europe and Australia than here for many years. Elnas and Husqvarnas do show up regularly. The Singer free arms were primarily made and sold overseas.
Rodney

Mickey 2, yeah, if I get another machine it might be a Bernina. My sister has a Bernina 1090 that sews like a 15-91, taking thin to heavy fabric, even though it's computerized. I would probably want to get a all/mostly metal non compete fixed machine, which is reliable and lighter than my 15-91. But for the time being I don't have the money to purchase a machine, and am not quite sure what I'm looking for, since I'm a beginning sewer.

*non computerized

Thanks, I may be interested in trying to locate one of those. :) It would just need to be a small enough free arm as I'm pretty small. For the time being I'll experiment doing it on my flatbed sewing machine.

Singer 431G is probably the only all metal / direct drive motor, and probably the rarest. Vintage Berninas, anything from 500 to 800 series (1950s to 70s) are very much the same machine, with a few differences, size, features, etc, but all basically the same construction. The 1008 is the current of this build. The 800 series and up have more plastic gears than 700 numbers and down. They last though, my 730 is intact after decades of use. I think even some of the 125s had one or two plastic gears, though I actually think the earliest were metal geared. European brands were early to introduce free arm and zigzag, equally so with the plastic gear. Maybe the early Necchi Supernova free arm version is all metal, it's a very nice machine, but if I remember correctly, the Bernina free arm is narrower.

Wow, a history lesson! No offense, as I love history. :) It is splendid to have such experienced and knowledgable people on this board. I am grateful for your time to teach me these things.

The 421G may be a little easier to find. It's the same as the 431G but doesn't chainstitch. If nothing else, it gives a couple more options.

Okay, here's one that might turn up sooner than the Singers. All metal, free arm, direct drive, and doesn't weigh a ton.
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They show up from time to time on the big auction sites and since it's a Japanese machine prices are usually lower than the Singers, but still not cheap. I've mended jeans with mine so I know it can handle thicker fabrics, and the fancy stitches are built in with metal dual cam stacks.

Cari

ok, that's cool!

Which Brother is that? I can't quite decipher the script lettering.

It's Brothers' first Pacesetter, the FZ2. Sold from late '56 through '58. This was my Holy Grail machine. I say was because I'll have a new one to show off tomorrow.

Cari

Cari,

That 'lil thing is cute :D .

Joe

Joe,
It is a compact machine but it's not little. I don't know how to describe it. It's a full size machine but it's not. Kinda like a Singer 301 is a full size machine but doesn't feel like it is. I guess you could say it has the height of a full size machine but not the width, (unless the extension table is on it). It only weighs about 20lbs but there's no plastic inside it.

Cari

Sweet! Haha, now I'm beginning to wonder if I'd be more interested in an all metal, belt-driven (since people seem to like them), cam machine, that's light weight, and had a free arm, if there is duck a machine. What I really need to do though is get a Singer Zigzagger and see if I like the results of using it.

Now I really interested in the Elna Automatic 1950's machines, as I think they fit what I'm looking for. They are lightweight, do zig zags, and have a free arm, and heavy duty. What are your thoughts on theses machines?

They are very nice machines.

Are the Supermatics all metal, and do they sew through many layers without a problem?

If you are wanting to hem jeans buy a Singer 15 or a Japanese 15 clone. The Elna's do ok sewing through layers but the external motor of the clones are easier to replace, they are cheap and they do go through layers.

The all metal zigzag free arms have already been mentioned. The Supermatics are not all metal, they have two plastic gears, a rubber pulley and a drive belt running the mechanism. That said, the plastic gears last a long time and there's usually nothing wrong with either the belt or gears on the machines I've seen. I haven't seen that many Supermatics, they turn up regularly though, but the issue is the rubber pulley that most often needs attention. They develop a flat if you store them with out releasing the stop motion screw. This part often needs replacement to get it to run smoothly. There are two or three ways about it; replacing it with a new rubber pulley or having someone make you an aluminum pulley with O-rings (thats' what I did). Third option is to sand down the old pulley to even out the bump, works well in some cases.

They seem to be trouble free machines; sew through layers of tough fabrics; and have a more advanced cam mechanism than most if not any machine in the 50s. They come off as quite tough and resilient machines, hemming jeans is easy work for them. As long as you are aware of the rubber pulley issue I can recommend them. They are more noisy than the old straight stitchers, but much faster too. Berninas from the 50s and 60s sound different, they are driven by two belts and there's less noise since the cam mechanism is simpler.

Ok, I think the next machine I'll get is a Bernina, as I've heard so many good reviews about them, it has a little free arm, and is easier to find than a Singer 431 or 421, has a zig zag stitch, and I've had good experiences with them. I'll admit it took me a bit to get to this point of this, as I wasn't sure what I wanted.

I learned to sew on a flat bed Singer. I was taught to sew cuffs and such from the inside, took me a while to figure out how to use the free arm on my Bernina 1031.
Sharon in Texas

I know what you mean Margie07, it's hard to know a machine until you have had one for a while. I have to say, both the 50s/60s Berninas and the Supermatics have nice qualities worth having them. I can see why some have the Supermatic as their favorite vintage machine; when the rubber pulley issue is sorte out you have a very capable and dependable machine, with a more advance stitch patterns than any other 50s models. The cams are still quite sought after. (I think the Japanese came with a knock off cam mechanism maybe late 50s or a bit more into the 1960s). I lean towards my Bernina, but it might be because I know it much better. I like the idea of an all metal machine, much very sturdy and hard wearing. Singer 201 is the smoothest machine I've had. That said it was my Bernina 730 that made me revaluate plastic gear part; I have worked on a lot of different machines and it it still is a favorite. It's +50 years old, used for all kinds of projects and still going strong. I will probably add machines to my collection when I see something intersting that I like to get to know better, but I'm in no hurry to hunt for anything particular at the moment :- )