Learn me some...sewing machines?

wlkelley3 said:

Just gave away an old Singer industrial machine that could sew through anything you would want to sew. Took up needed room in the garage and just wasn't using it. My mom gave my wife her old Bernina machine from the very early 70's. Mom said with the right needle it will sew upholstery. Moms a quilter and has a couple new machines set up for that. Computerized and programmable. The old Bernina is solid with metal gears.

I think I messaged you about that Singer when you offered it on the forum in the past, but I never heard back. I had completely forgotten about it till now. Glad it found a home.

wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) said:

Curtis- Is the clutch behind the driven wheel on the far right? I never knew there was such a thing.

Yup.  There are a few different styles, most of them with a center locking device.  On most machines you'll encounter,  it's mostly an on/off thing - tighten to drive, loosen  to fill a bobbin.  On high-end machines you can set the clutch friction to match the material and the needle.  For instance, leather needs a strong needle, but since leather grain and thickness can be variable, you can set the clutch to slip if the needle suddenly encounters a tough spot.  That way it just stops instead of breaking the needle.  Kinda like with a manual transmission car.  The way you drive it is a lot different if it's a Miata with an aluminum flywheel vs an F350 towing 12k lbs.

But, it's not something you will really encounter on most machines.  More of an on/off thing

I have another question before I finally decide on some old machine. About double needles. I think its worth the effort to get a machine that can run a double needle. From what I read via google you need a machine capable of a zig-zag stitch to run one. Is that correct? That would eliminate all those beautiful old Singer machines right? Those are all single-stitch from what I understand.

Ive never personally Felt the need for a double needle setup. I suspect  there are some situations that it's helpful to double stitch but that it's mostly aesthetic. I certainly wouldn't worry about it if you are just starting out. Get sewing, learn that, and if you like it expand. 

In reply to ultraclyde :

Agreed.  I've been sewing for 40 years, and I've never used a double needle.  Keep it simple.

I've used a double needle before, but exclusively for decorative stitches. Zig-zag, however, is something I consider absolutely essential--but that's because I sew a variety of things, some of which (clothing) needs the seams to be finished. I also have an old Singer industrial machine that I inherited from Tim's uncle Dieter the upholsterer, and it just sews straight stitches, which is all you need for upholstery. Like most things, the answer is it depends what you’re going to use it for.

Margie

Dieter the Upholsterer is either a fantastic or a terrible mob name, I can't decide.

My Brother from the previous page does zig-zag, and i thought most standard machines from that era (50s through 80s) did, too.

I'll have to look up double needles.

Thanks, Curtis, I was (recently) aware of the on/0ff on the driven wheel. Whew, I continue to find my machine does not have the wear items that could potentially kill it. Thanks, Folks.

We just inherited an old Singer Featherweight from my wife's family. I need to get on youtube and learn what I'm doing. 

My wife's machine can use a double needle, and you are correct,it has to be able to do zig-zig because the bottom thread is a single bobbin and must pick up both top stitches.

ultraclyde said:

wlkelley3 said:

Just gave away an old Singer industrial machine that could sew through anything you would want to sew. Took up needed room in the garage and just wasn't using it. My mom gave my wife her old Bernina machine from the very early 70's. Mom said with the right needle it will sew upholstery. Moms a quilter and has a couple new machines set up for that. Computerized and programmable. The old Bernina is solid with metal gears.

I think I messaged you about that Singer when you offered it on the forum in the past, but I never heard back. I had completely forgotten about it till now. Glad it found a home.

Sorry, I never received the message so thought no one was interested.

In reply to wlkelley3 :

no problem, the message system flakes sometimes. I forgot to follow up so it's my fault. No big deal.

wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) said:

My Brother from the previous page does zig-zag, and i thought most standard machines from that era (50s through 80s) did, too.

I'll have to look up double needles.

Thanks, Curtis, I was (recently) aware of the on/0ff on the driven wheel. Whew, I continue to find my machine does not have the wear items that could potentially kill it. Thanks, Folks.

On a related note... over the last 25 years, my Elna has seen limited use.  I have made some clothing, drapes for a few houses, and made small repairs in things.  The last time it was serviced was 1986 as far as I can tell.

About 6 years ago, I brought it with me to the theater when I got the job.  Since then it has been sitting in the corner of the shop getting all kinds of dust.  I use it heavily about 4 times a year on everything from sewing vinyl for props, making monstrous backdrops with heavy canvas, sewing masking curtains out of heavy velvet, and all sorts of fun things.  Needless to say, it gets abused in every way possible.

The clutch had been showing signs of wear, but just last night I used it to do about 150' worth of stitching, attaching canvas with about 5 layers of paint on it to heavy webbing to modify a backdrop to fit another stage.  The bobbin cup was full of crusty paint crumbs and rotten jute fibers and finally complained enough that I cleaned it out.  Air gun, a quick spray of lube, and back in business.

I have decided to get it a real service now and lean on my Brother for a few weeks while it's out.

I only share that story to reinforce the bulletproof-ness of many of those 60s, 70s, and 80s machines.  The last of the metal-case machines and the first two generations of plastic case machines are winners.  Long about the 80s is when you started seeing a lot of the worm gears and bevel gears being replaced with plastic.

My wife swears by her 70s-vintage Berninas (one "Sport", one larger machine). The big Bernina will sew through anything. I liken them to some '70s European cars - clean designs, mechanically over-built, little ornamentation. She also keeps an antique Singer Featherweight around, but mostly for the very cool, totally mechanical button-hole attachment (makes oval button-holes using different sized dies). I bought the Featherweight for her the same Christmas she got me a MIG welder...

I drool over Berninas.  They are built like a Unimog and an HEMTT Oshkosh had a baby.

I was at an estate sale where a granddaughter was selling all of her deceased grandmother's quilting stash.  I saw a basic Singer and asked if she had any other machines.  She walked me into the kitchen where there was a Bernina B880 with BSR and stitch regulator.  She had no idea.  Everything was "just make me an offer."  I'm sure I could have bought it for $100, but I couldn't.  I pulled out my phone and showed her how they sell used for $8000.  I told her it was a $12,000 machine new with about $4000 in accessories.  She kinda turned pale, but in a good way.

I would love to have a Bernina.  I just don't have the Bentley-sized wallet to do it.

In reply to ultraclyde :

I would agree except that for every single seam you see(on your jeans, on console lids, on shift boots) is double stitched...of course you can do that with a single stitch machine...but you might as well use a double needle and make it as close to perfect as you can running it through just once....not needed, but worth the effort. To that effect, this is what I ended up with:

A 1969 Singer model 758. Bought it from a nice little old lady that told me she had only used it twice in the 50 years she has owned it....seems like it will do the trick. There were a couple of Slant-O-Matic 401As I looked at, but one was of unknown functionality and the other the guy refused to budge from his price, which was more than I wanted to pay. I ended up paying $110 for this unit.

In reply to Wicked93gs :

You scored big.

Two cans of compressed air (or a good dry compressor set to 20psi).  Take off any obvious covers and blow out granny's dust.  One drop of 3-in-1 or any 10-20w oil on pins, pistons, shafts, etc, and you'll likely get another 50 years out of it.

One area often neglected is the bobbin house.  Many of them you can pop out the bobbin carrier and you might find all kinds of lint behind it.

Thanks for all your help and recommendations guys...we shall see how this project goes now. Finished the patterns and cuts as I "think" they should be today...now I am just waiting on needles and thread.

I just wanna say I love this bar. My highschool gave the option of shop or home ec, I took home ec because I was already doing more complex stuff than the shop class was. Got made fun of for it, but man the ladies love a man who can cook and sew.

Apexcarver said:

I just wanna say I love this bar. My highschool gave the option of shop or home ec, I took home ec because I was already doing more complex stuff than the shop class was. Got made fun of for it, but man the ladies love a man who can cook and sew.

I got teased too.  Home-ec, singer, dancer, hated sports, and I was head of my 4H sewing club and gave demonstrations on sewing machine operation at state fairs when I was 8.

I was like a nerd for all the un-manly things, and in the 70s and 80s, that was definitely punch-worthy.

I made all the pleated, lined drapes in our home when we first moved here and I've been sewing for close to 60 years. I lived with hand-me-downs as a kid and when I wanted tighter pants my mother looked at me and asked when I was going to learn to sew.

Update here: Got the thing stitching vinyl well enough...but the thread I have I think is too large for the needle(#69?) I am using a 90/14 leather needle(I do have a larger 100 needle I haven't tried yet) and its pretty difficult to thread the eye...the thread starts shredding pretty quickly. I also found the "slow" speed setting was not working, only the fast....which with this model quickly led me to breaking the plastic bobbins since they are wound in place. So I took the front panel and examined the switch. I wont pretend to know exactly how these switches are supposed to work, but there is a diode bridging one terminal to another...the diode leg had a small gap in it. I am unsure whether this gap was intentional or not, but I bridged the gap with a pair of vicegrips and tried slow speed again...this time I got a response on that setting, so I soldered the gap and put it back together. I really don't see much difference between the slow and fast setting though. Anyone happen to know how a fast-off-slow power switch works? Its 8 terminals, the 4 middle terminals are power and ground and the 2 outer terminals on either end are bridged together for a bridge setup of 1-5, 2-3, 4-8, 6-7  (assuming terminal reading of left to right, 4 terminals top row 4 terminals bottom row) The diode runs between terminals 1 and 4. Is there supposed to be an air-gap in one leg of this diode?(it wasn't working until I closed the gap it had, but I don't notice any real speed difference between "fast" and "slow")

So....thread recommendation for a 90/14 leather needle?

and...any resource for switches I can read up on?

In general, a needle labeled as a "topstitch" needle will have a larger eye for heavier threads.  Depending on how thick your vinyl is, you could also step up to a 110 leather needle which should have a larger eye.  Embroidery needles also have larger eyes, but they are not always as sharp.  Typically an embroidery fabric is woven, so the needle is a little rounded so it goes between the fibers instead of cut through it.  

For 10 cents you can also buy one of these

Once you get it threaded, as long as the thread doesn't have significant friction in the eye, you should be OK.

Well, I swapped the the 100/16(or is it 110/16) needle and now it threads easily enough...but I am having real bobbin issues. The bobbin holder piece seems to be loose and as soon as I start trying to sew it moves and is binding somehow(though I have gotten the bobbin winding down now). I think I am going to have to get this thing serviced before I can use it....but since the project waits for no man(or sewing machine as the case may be) in the meantime I will likely have to pick up another to keep pushing forward and will just end up with 2 machines I guess. At least now that I have one with a table my options are expanded for a 2nd machine. This first machine I am chalking up to being a failure, regardless of how good it looked(at least until I get it serviced)

Could be a timing issue.  Every machine is built differently.  Some use a worm gear, some use a toothed gear, some use a belt.  It's possible that the timing is off.

The way they generally work is that the needle pushes the thread below the deck.  The bobbin carrier spins that little finger around, catching the needle thread and looping it around the bobbin so when the needle comes back up it's capturing the bobbin thread.  If it's spinning the bobbin too soon (or too late) it could be binding.