Sarabela

I had to send my machine to the shop to be serviced recently (Baby Lock from 1996) and they said it would be 3 weeks! Meanwhile I posted in the main board here asking opinions on if I could use my Huskylock serger to do a few rows of the quilt I am working on since it's so hard not to be able to sew, for 3 weeks! Lots of replies said that I should have a backup machine and I remembered that I have 2 vintage machines in my basement that I had never given much thought to ever really using, I thought they were too old. I planned to, one day when my kids are older, restore them to the point where they could be a beautiful decoration for the house. They both had belonged to my great grandmother and the receipt to one of them is still in the cabinet! Now I am thinking that I should get one or both of these machines running. I have never fixed a sewing machine, other than to clean out lint and oil and such. I would love to learn how and do some work myself but maybe it's a lost cause and I should take them to the shop as well once I get my Baby Lock back. Any advice you wonderful people could give on this subject would be very much appreciated. I will post pictures of them. Please don't be mad at me for the condition they are in! Also, I have no idea if these are general run of the mill machines or if either is something special/rare. The black machine appears to have been a treadle that was retrofitted with a motor and a light. The black machine is in a newer, smaller cabinet and the newer machine is in the older, larger cabinet with the treadle so I am pretty sure they were swapped. My great-grandmother was a seamstress and my mom never liked sewing one bit so she gave them to me. I remember using one of them (not sure which) when I was a kid to sew on my Girl Scout badges. I don't know how I figured out how to use it on my own, my mom certainly never knew how to use a sewing machine! I was only about 8 yrs old then too. Now to see if I can attach these poor quality pictures, I apologize that they aren't better. Hopefully I put the pictures in right.

sdhaevrsi

How fun, it is good you remembered them. The black one is (I think) a Singer 66. Not uncommon, but a very good machine. I have my grandmother's in a treadle. If you check put the serial number on the front bed you can find it's model and year of production. I am not sure how to add a link, but will try. There are very good tutorials on this site for working/restoring, in the tutorial section.
http://www.ismacs.net/singer_sewing_...-database.html

Mrs. SewNSew

Oh I definately think you should get these up and running. The black one is a Singer 66 as Sheri said and the other appears to be a Singer 328. Is the 328 a pale green?

The 66 is a good straight stitch machine. The other has a cam compartment up top so can do zig zag or decorative stitches if you have the cams. *They look like flat black discs. You can see photos of mine posted in the cam thread.

foufymaus

the 328 has a bit of a noise problem. lol i have one in grey. it stitches beautifully while sounding like a little tractor. haha its a good solid machine.

Rodney

I see you're new here, Welcome!
I'm betting that both don't need anything more than a good cleaning and oiling. There's a good chance the 66 will become your go-to machine for quilting. The 66 takes class 66 bobbins and standard needles. I don't have direct experience with the 328. Neither are rare or valuable but they should be good solid machines, enjoy them.
Rodney

KenmoreRulesAll

Both of those machines appear to be in very good condition. After a thorough cleaning and polishing and oiling, you'll have fun testing them. You have excellent taste in machines!

Sarabela

Thanks for all the great info! The black one is a 66 according to the link above. I watched the video of the Brittish lady linked in a sticky in this forum on how to clean. My husband is out now buying supplies. I'm wondering if i should consider removing the screwed on motor and turning it back into a treadle. It's just a guess that it was originally a treadle since one of the cabinets has a treadle. Can anyone tell me whether the 66 came with a motor or maybe my great grandmother's original machine was a treadle and she just re-used the cabinet. The metal bobbin plate is missing. Does anyone know where i can get a replacement?

The 328 does appear to be a faded green. I wiped off some dust to get a better look at the color and some paint came with it :/ i took some more pictures with my better camera but am not having luck accessing them from the memory stick. I'll get my husband to figure it out for me.

There is a box full of attachments, mostly feet i think. I dont see any of the black disks that you described. I'll go have a look at those pictures.

Quilter 53

I have a Singer 99, a smaller version of your 66, that I am using for the first time to piece a baby quilt. I love it!!!! It is a great straight stitch machine. Actually prefer it over my Husquvarna with all the fancy stitches. In the middle of piecing, DH showed up with a strap from his back pack that needed reinforcing. I didn't change any settings and my little work horse just zipped right through it. Give yours a good cleaning, oil all the right places, and enjoy! I think you'll be surprised.

Rodney

Sew-Classic.com has new cover plates. I recommend you buy some bobbins there as well. I've had bad experiences with new Singer class 66 bobbins having too narrow of a rim to fit vintage bobbin winders. Sew-Classic sells quality bobbins.
Also check your bobbin winder tires before you order. It's common for them to break down and not work anymore. Sew-Classic has them and they're cheap to replace.
Rodney

Mrs. SewNSew

Yes I would make a short list of things you need. The 328 takes the class 66 bobbins too so that makes it easy. i would get the bobbin winder tires too they are cheap and the old ones are likely cracked or hard. If you are planning on using the motor you might need a new belt too. I'd check both belts and if you need new ones order them too! Jenny at Sew Classic is very helpful if you aren't sure what to get.