I found this old Singer sewing machine in my dad's upstairs. I remember when mom bought it at an estate sale years ago. She wanted it for the hemstitch attachment that came with it. She missed out on getting one before and was sorry she did. I thought she paid too much for the machine but she got it anyway. It sat upstairs forgotten and unused. The hemstitcher sat on a shelf in mom's sewing room. She never used it.I think I'm the only one who knew the machine exsisted, but I had forgotten what it looked like. A couple of weeks ago I opened it and what a surprise. What a beauty! Yes, the paint is in rough shape and some of the gold detailing has worn off but this machine was made like a tank. Even the end plate has a great design.
I like things I can fix myself, and these old machines were made just for that. They were built to last. And made in America! Needless to say, it came home with me.
A little searching revealed this is a Singer 201-2. Supposedly the best machine Singer made. Its birthday is May 15, 1940. If you have an old Singer you can date it at their website.
It's a good thirty pounder. The cabinet is #40a Queen Anne style. It, too, is in need of care. I don't care how much the machine is worth. I want it to work.
I plugged the machine in and it worked for a moment and then slowed down. That's ok--I just wanted to see if it worked. I didn't touch the machine while test running it in case the wiring is bad. Remember that machine is metal--doesn't go well with electricity and bad wiring. I checked the wiring and saw the wire to the outlet was newer but the wires to the footpedal and machine were in bad shape. Back to my dad's house with machine in tow. I don't know how to rewire, but he does. The next photo is of the wiring. We undid the motor and touched the wires. The insulation just crumbled away showing the bare wire. Dad said he'll have to get new wires and solder them together. This is beyond my skills. ( Oh, in this photo, there is something under that motor piece I've undone to support it--it's not just hanging there by its wires--don't do that).
3 comments:
Susan, I am having GREAT fun reading your blog. But I am looking for your promised post on using the hemstitcher, and not finding it. Is it still in the works? (Of course, I've also lost the post where you promised it...don't know if it was recent or not!)
I have a 201 that I rewired and cleaned up. It was born the same week as my father! :) And I have a hemstitcher, but alas, its product isn't lookin' so good. Wondering what to try fiddling with next.
I will keep having fun searching for the hot tips!
just marking this in case there are follow ups!
Hi--Sorry I didn't see your comment sooner. There should be something on blogger to inform me when people write on older posts, but there isn't. I happened upon it.
Yes, I will be getting to the hemstitcher. I've been working my way through the basic attachments and am almost done with them. Then I'll be using the more specialized ones including the hemstitcher. I haven't used mine in so long I'm hoping it works!
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