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Vintage Sewing Machine Shop.....Come on in and sit a spell

Vintage Sewing Machine Shop.....Come on in and sit a spell

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Old 02-09-2012, 05:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Muv View Post
Rose P

Fantastic machine! Harris imported machines from Germany made by different manufacturers. The fact that it is made in Stettin means that you can identify it as being made (in all probability) by Stoewer. Have a look at my Serata treadle, made by Stoewer, here at post 116 onwards http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...t130994-3.html

You should clean it up and get it working - you will never regret it. It is far too good just to use as a decoration. The top thread is straightforward for threading, the shuttle is loaded the same way as any other long bobbin machine and the only tricky bit will be the bobbin winder. What if I do you a video on Youtube? I've been dying for an excuse to use my Serata for a video.

I think the serial number is from about 1916. I say this because I have two Seratas both from 1913 and the serial numbers both start with 13. You can always email the Stoewer Museum in Germany and there is a nice man there called Manfried who will tell you for sure whether it is a Stoewer, and if so, date it. If it is 1916 then that is about as late as you get for a German import to this country in the First World War.
Thanks, Muv! This is much more information than I was able to track down on my own yesterday, and I'll look forward to that video. Don't rush on my account, of course. I have never operated a machine of this type or any machine older than about 1949, and so it will be a learning experience and I will certainly appreciate your input. The bobbin winder has a white rubber wheel that is all crazed and possibly brittle. I don't know yet whether it will work, and I wondered whether the tension springs will have weakened with age and whether replacements will be hard to find. That part seems pretty much the same as later ones I've used, so perhaps I'm worrying needlessly.

There is a cover plate on the back that is engraved with a chart. It appears to be a list of needle sizes to use with specific thread sizes, but the correlations are quite different from what I'm used to seeing. It's just interesting to see that they troubled themselves to provide that data in that way.

I'm eager to have some fun with her.
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Old 02-09-2012, 06:31 PM
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Welcome J Miller, I am glad to see another male is posting on the VSMS. Looking forward to reading your post.
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Old 02-09-2012, 06:32 PM
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Originally Posted by sew wishful View Post
Thanks, Candace. I went to Aprils and that is just like the one I have from Quilt gal. I wonder why it works for some machines. The top of the plastic "clamp" (where the screw attaches it to the machine) is too fat and sits right where the bar gets round. I'm sick about it. I should have known better than to think I could get a modern walking foot for a vintage machine to work. I could have used the money I spent on a walking foot to go towards another machine! LOL!
Although they do look similar, they may not be the same. You should e-mail April and ask her. Most walking feet are white and look the same, and the photo on Quilt Gal's site doesn't show it in full.
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Old 02-09-2012, 07:04 PM
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I don't know how I got so lucky, but I have two walking feet for my featherweight. Both penguins!!
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Old 02-09-2012, 07:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Glenn View Post
Welcome J Miller, I am glad to see another male is posting on the VSMS. Looking forward to reading your post.
Glenn, thanks for the welcome. Been reading for a couple hours now. Up to page 50 something. Gonna have to take a break, my eyes are crying for mercy. LOL

Joe
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Old 02-09-2012, 07:08 PM
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Originally Posted by J Miller View Post
Glenn, thanks for the welcome. Been reading for a couple hours now. Up to page 50 something. Gonna have to take a break, my eyes are crying for mercy. LOL

Joe
Joe you have a long way to go yet. You will get some good info on this thread, plus a little gossip every now and then.
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Old 02-09-2012, 07:09 PM
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Originally Posted by pennijanine View Post
I don't know how I got so lucky, but I have two walking feet for my featherweight. Both penguins!!
Rub it in!! ~wink and a grin~
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Old 02-09-2012, 07:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Candace View Post
Although they do look similar, they may not be the same. You should e-mail April and ask her. Most walking feet are white and look the same, and the photo on Quilt Gal's site doesn't show it in full.
I am holding QuiltGals in my hand. They are exactly alike. However, I am taking your advice and sending an e-mail to her. Hmmmm.....I should get to know pennijanine....she has two penguins!!! Can only use one, right?? JK!!! I hear they are expensive.
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Old 02-09-2012, 07:32 PM
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Originally Posted by sew wishful View Post
Nancy, this is the site I ordered my walking foot from for the featherweight. It doesn't fit. Do you have one for yours? Do you have the model number from the walking foot and where did you get yours? I'm not happy with myself for not knowing this would take a special one. Thanks for any help you can offer.
Randa, I do have one walking foot with my FW's, but I have never tried the foot to see if it works or if it is the correct foot for these machines. I will have to get one of the FW's out and try the foot! I just never had a desire to use a walking foot on the FW's. I only use the FW's to take to quilt classes to piece with.

I will get back to you.

Nancy

Last edited by BoJangles; 02-09-2012 at 07:39 PM.
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Old 02-09-2012, 07:38 PM
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Originally Posted by J Miller View Post
Hello,

This is my first post. I am a sewing machine junkie. Three months ago I was a normal guy who just liked to watch his wife sew, then I dug out my first (I have 4 now) treadle machine and that started it. That machine, a Singer 66-4 I think, was a gift from my late cousin about 11 years ago. It's been out in the garage from then till three months ago. Soon there will be no room for us in the house. We're up to 26 or 27 machines, I'm not sure.

I'm sure I'll post a pic or two but I want to start with my mothers old machine. I'm trying to find out who sold it, when it was made, find an original owners manual and a motor brush cap or two for it. So far I've struck out. No one has any ideas.
Here is a picture of it:

She is a HOTHER. A Japanese made HA-1. That much I know. As to who made this machine I'm pretty sure it was JUKI as everything under the bed is stamped JUKI. There is a marking on the back of the face plate also: The words TRADE MARK, then under that 2 circles and in the middle of the inner circle the initials SK.

My mother had this machine for years. So far back I have no idea when she got it. I can remember her using it from when I was a youngster and I'm near 60 now. She started having trouble with it in the late 80s and retired it when she bought a cabinet machine. After that she gave it to my wife. We took it to my late uncle who owned his own sewing machine shop and he tuned it up. After that it went on the shelf for the next 20 years. The original case was damaged by water when the bath tub leaked and the water seeped up under the wall and was soaked into the shelf unit and then to the case. I'm redoing it now.

The motor wiring melted but the motor is still in good shape. I rewired it and it will run again as soon as I can fine a new brush cap. One of the two shattered.
Nobody I've contacted has one though or has even seen this type of motor.
Here is a pic of the motor. Belgelcor is the name on it and it's made in Belgium.


Here is a pic of the one good cap with measurements. If anyone has any of these caps or even a dead motor like this, or a link to same, please let me know.

The brushes measure 4.5 mm square X ??. They are still in good shape, but some new ones wouldn't hurt.

I have a used Alpha-Sew motor on it for now and it works, but I'd really like to make this machine whole again with the original motor.

Thanks a bunch.

I'll be reading in this thread for a long while. I'm up to page 24 so I've got a long way to go.

Joe
Joe, that is a very pretty Japanese Model 15! Why don't you just use the Alphasew motor if it works ok? I know, we all want our machines to be like they originally were, but the main thing is the machine itself - not the motor; and, the machine looks great!

Nancy
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