Your Phoenix is a gorgeous! Sorry, can't help ya, just admiring the pretty Phoenix. Have fun treadling!

Thank You, I am looking forward to making her Sing!

I did it again. I got another Featherweight. She was born in 1936. I was looking on CL yesterday, and saw her advertised as "1936 Singer Sewing Machine - $165". Almost bypassed the ad, but, then I just had to check it out. Wow, it was a fw. I called and talked to the lady, asked her to hold it for me. We live about 1 hour and 45 minutes away from her. She agreed to hold it. When we got there, she said that after I called, 2 more people called. She was surprised that she got that many calls on an old machine like that. Her dh couldn't believe that anyone would want it. They had a rummage sale on Saturday, and people looked at it and walked away. It has some attachments, case, Singer Buttonholer with the manual, and a manual for the machine. I waited so long to get a fw, now I have gotten 2 in 2 weeks. This is so cool.

I recently saw a FW in a sewing machine store. Checked it out & the Singer badge was extremely off-colored - brassy not silver. Talked with the repairman at the shop. He quoted me a price of $399.99 and a steal at that. Playing along, I asked about the badge's color and then he said it was a reproduction FW but the pricee was solid - just like he'd charge for an original. Now this FW was black and looked like the real deal minus the badge. So, I'm wondering if this shop is as upfront with all it's customers or just with those who have some knowledge. I just couldn't believe the price for a reproduction.

As far as a check list I look at it real good - does it move? Is the tension bent? Are the thread guides there? Is the bobbin case there? Is there rust? How much rust? Are all the parts there? Slide plates, etc... How damaged is the paint? Does it chain? Is the stitch regulator working? How much is it? How much do you have to put into it to make it sing? On a zig zag I look to see if it goes back and forth. Does it DO those decorative stitches if it is suppose to? Does the needle hit the hole? Does the needle hit a foot? Does it bring up a bobbin thread? Has it been dropped or thrown through a window? Is it gummed up with oil and not moving? How about the motor? Foot control? Wires? Light? Did someone not figure out how to get it out of a table and break a hinge or break the hinge out of the wood? Are the treadle parts all there? There are probably more questions...


Or do you mean when there is a problem what do you check? There are all kinds of trouble shooting guides on internet - I have learned a lot that way[/quote]

I think both would be great.

I think both would be great.[/quote]

This is off subject - but I received a FW for Mother's Day!!!
From my daughter. She also bought herself one - a 222 made in Scotland and it was shipped from England. Her 222 has all attachments, buttonholer, embroidery loop, mainenance kit, everything. Mine is in like new condition and I sewed all day on it Saturday. Hers looks brand new. Beautiful. I named mine Miss Lynn. She was 'born' in 1936 - my birth year.

Will do thank you.

Chris you think that price was crazy we went to an antique flea market over the weekend and a man there had a fw. He had the machine, case and the fw table he was asking $585.00 and came down to 485 and wouldn't come down any more. He kept saying they are hard to come by. We didn't tell him we had several of them. Another lady said she has sold them from time to time for about 200 or 220.00 depending on the condition. We got her phone number to call her later.

Here is a 1951 Singer 301 that I purchased at an estate sale for $35, it has the manuels and attachments plus a student fabric kit. It runs great just had to oil it and away it went. The wiring was in great shape. The lady said that her grandmother could not get around very good any more so they where selling it.

If the S/N of the table matches that of the FW, then yes, that's very rare. There is one at the sew store where I go, she bought it years ago, together (cardtable and FW) for over $1,000. Simply because the numbers matched. Apparently they were matched sets at first. I have a 403/301 card table, and I haven't found a S/N on it yet. So I'm still scratching my head over her story. But for what it's worth....