I'm afraid I can't tell you much until I do a road trip down to your house to personally play with it, Glenn. :D:D:D Where is Charlee when you need her? It looks like it is in very nice shape!!! Pat showed me a picture of the cute little tin you found.

Hi, I joined this board in the spring and mostly just lurk in the background. Love this site. But you guys are such a bad influence. I've picked up 4 machines since reading this board. A 128 hand crank, a generic hand crank, a Singer 328K and a Singer 301(in excellent shape, I might add). Now I found a featherweight on Kijiji(canadian type Craig's list) for $50.00. Cosmetically it's in good shape. But this is what the selller has to say about the rest of it....

"just so were on the same page, the machine will need some repair. the motor runs and the pulley spins, but the rest is seized, I'm not sure how to fix it and have no time to figure it out'.

Could it be fixable with some time and patience. Any ideas what might be up? I figure for $50. it would be nice decoration for my sewing room if all else fails. But I'm optomistic that it is fixable. Any other questions I should ask?
This is listed several provinces away where my son lives so if he is kind enough to pick it up for me, it will be home at Christmas time when he comes.
Thanks

Check the bobbin area - probably has a thread caught

as far as a seized up machine goes- the advantage to these all-metal machines is that you can remove the motor and drop the whole thing in a bucket of kerosene and soak it. Of course, you only do this to machines that are rusted or otherwise unsaveable, since this will trash your paint usually. I have a pink 221 and a purple 222, and think repainted FW are the cutest thing... if I saw a FW for 50 bucks I would be racing to get it.

Jan I am pretty much a lurker on this thread, just absorbing and learning but I so wanted to pass along my condolences regarding your Hubby...Big Quilty Hugs.
dee in Utah

Rosie, get the machine! I have 6 FW's. I have worked on a couple of friends FW's that were frozen solid! Those little machines were made so precise that even a hair wrapped around the bobbin assembly can seize one up. I worked on one little FW that belonged to an friend for hours pulling out - a little at a time - hair and thread! They thought the machine was ruined, but it just had this very long hair with a little thread all wrapped up in the bobbin assembly! Another thing is if someone took the needle plate off to clean the bobbin area/feed dogs they may not have put it back on with the finger in the grove! That is a very common problem. For $50 I'd be jumping on that machine! Ask Cathy here, Mizkaki, she will tell you! Those little FW's are great machines, easy to fix!

Nancy

Skip, what a cute little machine! It looks sort of like a New Home, but not exactly? Most of the little New Homes I've seen, have - have the weird tension on top. Is it a 3/4 sized machine - it looks like it from the photo, but - sitting on your cutting mat like it is - the case measures about 20"s?

Nancy

Jan it is no nice to have you back. Like I told you when we talked, life doesn't slow down. It seems wrong somehow when our world is so upside down that life just keeps rolling along without so much as a hicup. It is like you fall off for a while, then you just have to get back on. I have never gotten over that feeling - being so mad at everything in my world when both my parents died 6 days apart. I am so glad you are coming back. That void/hole in your world will always be there, but hopefully you have a very supportive family who help you, and I know you have your fur babies! My horses saved my life when my world turned up side down! Time/faith will help you heal. A big hug to you!

Nancy

Cathy, thank you for the information on the spring next to the bobbin casing! Great photo with that big red arrow!

Jenn, I want a Jones! That machine will be beautiful when cleaned up! Let us see a picture after you wipe it down with sewing machine oil!

Nancy

I just came upon this thread and Have read several of the posts. I am wondering do you all really quilt on the old sewing machines? Or do you purchase them to restore and sit around the house...I think they are beautiful....Can you post pictures of quilts that you have made....