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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Sewing and DIY fashion
 
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Gripweed
Nov 8, 2018

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 I found an old abandoned Singer sewing machine. The wood is hosed, it's peeling apart, but the mechanical parts seem Ok, when I move the circle part on the end another little part moves under the needle. Although I can't get the pedal to move. It's got very "was in good working order when it was moved to the garage 50 years ago" vibes.

Are there any resources I can look at to find out if it's possible/worth it to try to restore the machine?

* # ¿ Mar 20, 2022 01:41
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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 14:07
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Gripweed
Nov 8, 2018

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Lead out in cuffs posted:

Yeah the wood doesn't matter - you can find an old replacement table/box, or even get a plastic aftermarket one.

Googling around is a good idea. There are a ton of hobbyist websites (often with 90s-grade web design) with a lot of info. You can also get parts on eBay/Etsy/specialist websites. I can't remember any off the top of my head, but when I've gone looking for my ancient Singer, they've been easy to find.

(It's worth noting that Singers were absolutely ubiquitous for nearly 100 years, with factories around the world all producing high-quality machines to a common standard, so there are tons of them, and tons of parts, still out there. Quality started falling off hard in the 1960s-70s, though. )

Also, when you say the "pedal", do you mean a treadle (ie a device that supplies the motive power), or a foot switch that controls an electric motor? Singers came in treadle, hand cranked and electric. You'll need to decide whether you actually want a non-electric machine in terms of effort to use.

this thing is extremely not electric

* # ¿ Mar 21, 2022 01:04
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Gripweed
Nov 8, 2018

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HelloIAmYourHeart posted:

What kind of "worth it" are we talking here? Like, do you want to experience fixing up an antique, or do you want a functional sewing machine? Because those may or may not be the same thing in this case.

If you're talking monetarily, you'll almost certainly spend more on parts/labor/etc fixing it up than you would on buying a basic new machine that will have more functionality than the Singer (not nearly as much style, though. Old Singers are gorgeous).

I guess I meant worth it as, would I have a good sewing machine at the end, and would I be happy to know that I had saved something special from the dump. It's kind of looking like I wouldn't have a lot of fun trying to sew with one of thses things compared to a modern sewing machine, and the world is lousy with these things so it wouldn't be a tragedy if one was lost. Maybe I'll see if there's some place I can leave it where someone with more interest in such things would find it

* # ¿ Mar 21, 2022 13:26
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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Sewing and DIY fashion