What do You Look For in Vintage Machines?
10-21-2012, 07:25 PM
#21
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,506
Piece of advice: don't take someone's word that the machine works.
I once came across a machine covered in dirt, missing its bobbin case, and all the wiring had been chewed by varmints, and the seller tried to force the wheel to move and tell me it worked! It hadn't worked in years, and I took it home for about five bucks, in the cabinet. The right price for a project.
I once came across a machine covered in dirt, missing its bobbin case, and all the wiring had been chewed by varmints, and the seller tried to force the wheel to move and tell me it worked! It hadn't worked in years, and I took it home for about five bucks, in the cabinet. The right price for a project.
10-21-2012, 07:43 PM
#22
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Southeast Georgia
Posts: 2,526
I make sure that all moving parts work. Make sure the handwheel will turn and the needle goes up and down. I actually prefer the treadles if the cabinet is in decent shape. I think about whether I have that model and what is it that makes it unique. Sometimes I just see one that screams at me and off we go--home! I just think I know when I see one if I love it and it wants to come home with me.
10-21-2012, 08:58 PM
#23
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,506
I make sure that all moving parts work. Make sure the handwheel will turn and the needle goes up and down. I actually prefer the treadles if the cabinet is in decent shape. I think about whether I have that model and what is it that makes it unique. Sometimes I just see one that screams at me and off we go--home! I just think I know when I see one if I love it and it wants to come home with me.
10-27-2012, 09:47 AM
#24
Super Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Round Rock,Texas
Posts: 6,135
The 221 isn't a good candidate to be hand cranked. The others are great as they can be fitted with a hand crank and a spoked handwheel. I have the 201k and 99k-13 hand cranks and they are lovely for that. I have taught kids to sew with them.
10-27-2012, 11:24 AM
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 457
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FEATHERWEIGH...item2574d9564e
10-28-2012, 08:17 AM
#28
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Mars
Posts: 2,549
Posting in another thread, I realized that there's something I now look for in a vintage machine- the paint job!
You can clean, fix and refurbish just about anything on an old machine, but if the paint is chipped or flaking, you've probably got trouble.
For a rare or collectible machine, maybe you won't mind. Or maybe you find a great old 15 in a beautiful cabinet - stripping and repainting it would be fun for you.
It's hard to see in auctions and the first time I bought a machine on eBay, the seller nailed me on paint condition. She hid the damage to the paint by careful photography and strategic placement of the items she was sewing and the items that came with the machine. The areas to look at carefully are the edges of the bed and the handwheel.
Most sellers are up front about this damage because it's so common.
You can clean, fix and refurbish just about anything on an old machine, but if the paint is chipped or flaking, you've probably got trouble.
For a rare or collectible machine, maybe you won't mind. Or maybe you find a great old 15 in a beautiful cabinet - stripping and repainting it would be fun for you.
It's hard to see in auctions and the first time I bought a machine on eBay, the seller nailed me on paint condition. She hid the damage to the paint by careful photography and strategic placement of the items she was sewing and the items that came with the machine. The areas to look at carefully are the edges of the bed and the handwheel.
Most sellers are up front about this damage because it's so common.
10-28-2012, 02:11 PM
#29
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 2,633
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