Necchi Nora (1958)

Found the Nora at  church sale in very nice condition. Nearest I can tell it was made in the 50's. Compared to the Nova it is much more modern looking but has the same controls. after sewing with it several times I discovered why it was at the sale; turns out the thread tension device is a little fussy to adjust correctly and someone had moved it just out of position. Because the position (in and out of the casting) is critical it took a while to get it right. Also the bobbin tension had been wound up very high so you had to run up the upper tension to compensate, I think I have it balanced out now.

I really like this machine because (like only some machines) when you turn the flywheel by hand it feels completely free as if there is no friction; this makes any machine much nicer to operate.

The "two Speed" motor is a mystery; there seems to be no difference between either setting so I'll have to contact the expert on that.

It goes merrily thru an 1/8th in of softer leather perfectly.
Remember: although domestic machines can sew leather, leathers vary so much due to tanning and finishing that no one rule applies for all. Very detailed and exact practice parts are required for good results on the final pieces.

A 1956 Fiat 600 (that girl is NOT getting in that car dude)

12.17.12
Damn this is a nice machine to use! Smooth, quiet, strong, Sometimes just find something to do with it.

Pfaff 332 (1957)

All I can say is OMG! This thing is sooo post war German. Built in 1957 the 332 is as close to a mini industrial machine as I have seen. This machine is very smooth & very quiet.

It came in the standard grimy condition typical of these neglected 50's machines including a locked up solid forward-reverse lever. With both Tri-Flow & a heat gun I able to loosen it up. The bottom of the lever broke off so I will be looking for a replacement. It's a pretty amazing machine it has the rotary hook system identical to my Juki 256. It even has an auto threader that (after adjustment) works perfectly.

Pfaff used a cogged belt on this machine and the low speed seems to work great. I opened up the foot control to clean it up... it is a classic hand made electromechanical device; beautifully made.
One of the easiest machines to install the bobbin case I have used and again, the sound at any speed is smooth as silk.

FYI, I figured out how to fix the yellowed numbers on the 0 - 5 front dial. The dial comes apart fairly easily, take out the numbered disk and scan it at a hi resolution and Photo Shop the UV yellowing out of the scan. After you print it take some clear hard packing tape and cover both sides, then cut it out with an X-ACTO. I found it so annoying to have the whole machine cleaned up except for the yellowed numbers.

Recently sewed an organza bag with a tie at the end, the free arm made it a snap.

1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL

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Remington Zig - Zag (1960's)

The Remington was at a local estate sale and after seeing it in the morning I went back at the end of the day to take her home.

From the 60's I can find little about it, however, from the other machines in my collection I see some interesting combinations. As with all product development from any period everyone borrows from everyone. Aside from being just another badged Japanese machine it has distinct Brother likenesses. The most interesting (and unique for the Japanese machines) is the Necchi BU presser foot lift mechanism; it's a very near copy. The presser foot tension control is also similar to the BU. 

Not a terribly attractive machine, it has a goofy organization of elements on the front; "just put a frame around each control and get on with it." However the machine runs and sews beautifully, fully making up for the lame attempt at industrial design.
I tried it out on a little practice piece... I think its more quiet than the BU? I'm going to keep working with for a while; I love quiet.

Beige in perfection! 1961

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CowBoy 8810 (2011)

With all the searching and studying it came down to just going for the real thing.... a post-bed, wheel-feed machine. The Cowboy 8810 is one of a series made in China that has a lot of user development baked into it (or so the net says.) It is identical to the Artisan 4618.  I suppose that the bizarre and hard to use stitch length adjustment is part of what keeps the cost down, it is not however a cheap or poorly made machine. 

This type of machine is primarily for shoes and accessories only. It came with a low speed servo motor because that's the only way you can control the stitch path to the degree necessary for shoes.

Wheel feed means that both the upper and lower wheels are gear driven; the "presser wheel" is not just holding the material against the lower wheel but is driven in sync with it. There are machines with just a lower driven wheel and a friction wheel on top, and honestly I am not sure that that is all I needed. It is a machine that takes much practice before it gets to the "point and shoot" level and going around turns is not a snap, my suggestion is to run tight turns one stitch at a time until you get good.

I picked this up directly from Bob in Toledo a great guy to work with.

Customizations so far:

1. Roller Pressure Foot
2. Cowboy 8810 - Custom Hand Crank 

    

Kenmore 117.841 (1958)

After seeing and reading about the Kenmores that were made in Germany I went for one that came up on CL; I got all the cams and the manual with it too (made in 1958). After a lot of cleaning she looks pretty good.
"The "Kenmore 84" was, according to White, a product of American and Germany ingenuity. It was a zig-zag sewing machine which sold for the rather large sum of $239.95 in 1956" ISMACS 

Kenmore machine dating can be found at SN

Note: partial quote from Bill Holman,

"You are probably aware that the first digits in the Sears model # tell you who made it, and that 117 is the Sears source # for White. That being said, White did not make yours. You are correct about the time line, and this machine was made at a time when White was realizing that they could not survive without a ZZ machine, and could not afford to develop one. They also knew that if they could not offer a ZZ machine to Sears, they were going to lose the Sears contract to Japan, which eventually happened anyway. So White contracted with Gritzner-Kayser in Germany to manufacture a machine for them, and the same machine as a Kenmore, but cosmetically different."

The Kenmore badge drops down to access the cams. Like the Selecto-Matic of the same era it has a sort of pre war Locomotive style of engineering and general approach to detail that fast went away in the following decades. I think it's quiet and starts up more smoothly than most, the motor runs well at low speed too. Like the Necchi BU it has a fine thread adjustment on the upper thread tension knob; I like it better than the course adjustment style. 

This is one serious dog of a Chrysler, got the paint scheme but the homely mushy curves are old looking even for the 50's. This is where the sewing machines got a little ahead of cars; the rectilinear styling didn't come along in cars till the 70's.

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Kenmore 158.13011 (1969)

Another 158 series Kenmore (made in 1969), a gift from Milda. It had some strange issues the worst of which was the main cam screws being loose; a difficult problem to diagnose, I don't think that it caused any damage.

Not the worlds most attractive machine, nothing but the basics, and a blind hem cam.

I will say that it is VERY smooth the Engineers really got this model balanced out well. It has a totally unique spring loaded motor mount; something that could have been on all of the other machines of that day, one that makes tensioning and changing the belt a "no tools" job.

A Scimitar? Bizzaro!

Necchi BU Nova (1952)

Having heard the way early Necchi's are spoken of (in hushed tones as if they were made by elves) I focused on getting one that came up on CL. Indeed it is a tight machine. This one built in the 40's  was essentially (as the story goes) never used; it shows no signs of wear however the paint has subtle crazing over much of the surface.
The straight stitch version in the MoMa Collection

The Nova is a handsome machine more so I think than the Mirelli. It is very quiet and smooth. The stitch length control is ingenious however a little hard to get used to.

The presser foot control knob and especially the thread tension knob feel more like instruments than any other machine I have ever run into; each having fine threads instead of the typical vague adjustments on all other machines.

I love sewing with this thing; if I can find any excuse to use it I do. It chugs along nice and slow when necessary and sounds great.

1940 Cadillac V-16 Sedan

Simply Regal!

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Viking 6570

The 6000 line from the 70's and 80's has quite a following. Once I discovered that it had a low speed gearbox in it I had to get one for myself. I have around $350 into it (after repairs) but they seem to hold that price in the market. I had to have it repaired because of the extent of the problems. It had the standard issue "locked up" control knobs; if these machines sat around (which most all of them have) the knobs will seize up solid. These are not easy or cheap to fix.

It is an interesting machine, much newer than I'm used too. My interest in the low speed gear is not the punching power but the ability to follow curves on my leather shoe parts. It is not a quiet machine either and in the low speed mode it makes a real racket. It also has electronic needle position stop pretty fancy for back then.

OK, the ability to go really slow with excellent control is what I was hoping for... and i got it. The low speed is exactly what I have been needing; it takes hours to make ready each part of a shoe, the last thing you do is sew. I am going through an 1/8 in (3mm) of leather with better control than ever before. So far I am very happy

And as you may imagine the free arm is essential for this type of work.

The Sveed's just can't help it; they do what they do.

01.07.17
After 5 years I'm back to the 6570, I'm going to see if it can replace the Nora (I doubt it) I have adopted using decorative stitching inside of my shoes and would like more options outside of ZZ. 

It is one of the easiest machines to thread and aside from the unappealing mechanical noise (unlike the Necchi) it is a sweet stitcher.

Morse 4400 Fotomatic IV

1967 Morse 4400 Fotomatic IV. This one has been on my list for a while. It took 4 - 5 hours of cleanup and except for the minimal scratches it came out great and really sews well.

It's so crazy looking but is a real testament to the engineering talent / eccentricity at White. It reminds me of those Pachinko machines we heard about.

By the late 60's car styling had become very hard edged and still quite creative inside and out. Fed Reg's had not yet started to homogenize design so things like the 1966 Thunderbird were aggressive and flamboyant.

For some reason I really like the "tail fin" speed form leading up to the hand wheel. 

11.14.11
A little update on sewing with the Fotomatic; it is very sure footed, it starts thru most anything without help. I have no idea why this particular machine is different than the others because let's face it... it is another Japanese machine from the 60's. Regardless it just goes thru my light weight leather without a fault. A strange thing does occur occasionally, the bobbin thread jumps out of the diagonal slot , when this happens the everything goes out of whack but from the top things look OK so you need to catch this early. This may not be a 4400 problem, just a bobbin case problem?

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Coronado - Brother (1950's)

The Coronado has been a delight, seems to be vary rare on the net; can't find another one like it out there.
It is very likely an early 50's machine. It has the same set-up (mechanisms) as the Singer 15-91 that is the thread take up and thread tension are on the front cover as apposed to facing the operator.

Do you need a color justification?

What a beautiful, simple little machine; a break away from the old styling and into the two-tone world. This little gem is in near new condition; the chrome is perfect, not a single spec of rust. It was used at least once but it is so pristine I found it hard to believe.

Yes I am a fan of the post war Japanese machines. I wonder if there is a following in Japan of vintage machine devotees? So if anyone out there can tell me more I am interested. MSD under a strange logo and model numbers 45-4123 * SM-4123A

And again it has a 1.5 amp motor. It's a straight stitch only machine.

07.26.13
So I have discovered the origin of the Coronado, it's a name badged Brother! There are  also others badged as Wizard.

Now I'm looking for one like this; it has a retro-fit dial and push button; very modern!

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Brother Select-O-Matic (1950's)

I got a second one because I like this model and its a different color scheme. I have seen three different color schemes out there, including a all metallic blue.

This particular machine does not have right and left of center like the other one. That said they are still some of the smoothest running machines I have ever used. This one may have been later in the product cycle because it doesn't have the enameled logo in the center but it has an improved decorative stitch selector on it.

55 Bel Air... oh-ye

Also: found this interesting little historical tidbit about BIC

This quote from Solomon Adler sums up my personal feelings regarding invention and art perfectly:

 "When an idea is conceived by an inventor, it never leaves him in peace, it possesses him day and night until it is expressed, after which he enjoys a sense of relief and accomplishment."

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Morse MZZ (1957)

The MZZ is quite a machine. It has many castings in it clearly labeled "Toyota." Found on CL it was in a terrible state... from on abused home and with a few miles on it, but it came back to life and cleaned up really well. The 1.5 amp motor looks original and is date stamped OCT 57.
Stitch length is controlled by the lower right dial, reverse is a push button in the center of the dial. ZZ is up top with the enameled M in the center. I like the dial type stitch length controls much better than the lever type; it is just more intuitive.

A little clunky in the styling department but in person its very appealing. There is a very "Japanese" or at least 50's element in the styling that I would like to highlight, that is in the molding of the off-white, partially translucent control knobs. They have a very subtle milky white swirl to the plastic moldings that to some may look like a mistake but to others makes each machine unique. I think it counters some of the doughy 50's forms and adds an organic element to the final work.

To my surprise during the tear-down & cleaning I discovered an additional light bulb inside the main casting under the top cover! The design team made a tremendous but unfortunatly futile effort to back-light the stitch width indicator :-) It would be so cool if it worked I may try to improve the light path if I can do so without permanently modifying the original machine. 

I am starting to make simple wood frames for my in use machines and I have a secrete way of attaching them to the machine without those ridiculous looking plastic swing nuts that are on every portable case.

1951 NASH RAMBLER AIRFLYTE AMBASSADOR

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Kenmore 158.523 (1966)

So my new rule is (except for the coveted) no more than $15 and I have to like the design of course. At the local Church rummage sale this Kenmore (made in 1966) was calling me.

Another outstanding Japanese made machine with a 1.2amp motor, ZZ, and multiple cam options that are loaded thru the top door.

After a couple hours of clean-up it came back to life; the motor could not move it because it was so gummed up and packed with thread dust around the hook. Sometimes it takes a lot of oiling and turning to get it free!

For a test project I decided to make Bertie a blanket with integral pillow.

Bertie has adopted a spot on the floor next to my side of the bed and because he loves to cop a lean on what ever is adjacent I added the pillow. Being a brat however, it may be some time before he will use it.

Update: he loves it... took to it the 1st night!

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Singer 353 Genie (1973)

The Genie from 1973 is my 1st venture into plastic covered machines. Part of a select group of vintage portables the Genie is a great little machine. Classic 70's styling; straight lines and orange flower motif.

Very cool; the cover slides on from the left.

Here she is naked. She needed needle bar and timing adjustments; that was straight forward but I had never seen a thread tension mechanism like this so it took a little time to figure that out.

When the cover comes off you flip it over; it stores the clam-shell foot pedal and accessories. 

There are some places that a flower pattern just should not be.

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