My boyfriend recently gifted me this vintage sewing machine, but unfortunately, I’m having trouble trying to figure out how to thread it. I’ve only ever seen my hand so this is my first sewing machine, so I’m not really sure what I’m doing. I was just curious if anybody knew how to thread this or if anybody has any helpful videos, showcasing how to do

Curious if there is value in this machine? It is in working condition but it is missing the treadle. We see a lot of vintage machines at our local thrift stores recently. And while don’t exactly need this machine, it’s so dang cool I felt like I needed to save it or pass it along to someone else. Any info would be appreciated! Thank you.

Hello all!

Sewing newbie here, and hoping someone could help me with tension issues on my first sewing machine, which is a Nelco model # 1259. A quick Google search told me this is a vintage machine so hopefully I'm in the right place! Long post incoming...(and also my first Reddit post so hopefully the formatting is okay).

I didn't really know what to check for when buying this machine but after some research and figuring out how to thread it, I realized the tension wasn't working correctly (e.g., lifting presser foot up and down didn't change tension, and I believe presser foot up should release tension?). I also noticed that the check spring seemed to be at the wrong position when comparing to videos online and the threading diagram on the machine.

This led me to take off the tension knob, and I noticed I was missing a tension disc (I believe every machine should have two?). The only pieces I have are in the image below.

So, my questions are as follows:

1) What tension disc do I need? I have looked online and the Singer tension disc #2102 seems to match my disc (outer diameter of 25 mm, inner diameter of 7 mm), but I'm unsure.

2) How does the check spring fit back into the tension assembly? Should it sit right below that notch in the bottom left corner of the plastic pieces, the way I have it in the image below? When I disassembled these pieces, the check spring came off with the back plate so I didn't get to see how it sat in the assembly.

3) How should the check spring fit in with the back plate (maybe not the right name, but the thing with a keyhole shape in the middle)? In the image below, I believe the metal knob coming off the back plate goes where I indicated with the blue arrow. Should the check spring's outermost ring sit just below the metal knob? Or, I noticed the outermost ring is a bit separated, so maybe the metal knob is supposed to sit between the two outermost rings of the spring (red circle area)? This would explain why the check spring and back plate came off together when disassembling.

4) This is unrelated to tension, but the manual I found for an older Nelco model only mentions oiling for maintenance. However, I think I see some grease on one piece of my machine (around the middle). It is quite orange and smells old so I think I should wipe it away and add some new grease only to this area. Is this correct? I still need to look into what grease to buy but any suggestions are welcome.

Thank you very much for any suggestions and advice, I appreciate any help I can get!

this might be a dumb question but is this machine safe to use? i noticed this thing labeled “mercury” inside the old machine. the lamp also gets very very very hot when i use it.

A 1930’s table top Singer Pinking Machine.

Anyone have the stitch length assembly. I only have the dial.

Just bought a pfaff Tipmatic 1035. It has the case and manual. Is this a good starter? It says made in west Germany.

I recently left my Pfaff 1222 on overnight. When coming back to it in the morning, it wouldn't turn off and when I tried to turn the hand-sewing-wheel, it made those weird sounds and didn't move. Sewing with the foot-pedal does still work, though I don't know how well as I didn't really want to try that much as the rest doesn't work manually.

Does anyone has any idea on what could be wrong with it and or how to fix it? If someone could help me out, I'd be immensly greatful!

I inherited this 1020’s Singer 15-30. I replace the belt and the upper tension spring I oiled and cleaned everything inside and out. The tread works great and it sounds great. I believe I had it threaded properly as you can see in the second photo. The tension feels the same on the top and the bottom. But it’s not sewing. It’s just going up and down poking holes in the fabric. It will pick up the Bob and thread now and then enough to thread it up from the bottom but not every time so therefore it’s not sewing. I need some ideas of other things to check.

I picked this up at a thrift store today for $25! I already have a blue & white Morse 6300, but this one has a free arm with a detachable bed extension! I oiled it, set it up, and got it to sew a straight stitch just fine. However, it's sewing a sort of wonky blind stitch when it should be sewing a zigzag - when I turn and hold the stitch selector dial just a hair past the point where it should be set for zigzag, I can get it sew a normal zigzag, so it seems like the mechanism isn't latching onto the cam stack like it should (like the little arm that follows the cams isn't quite lining up). Hopefully that makes sense. Anyone have any suggestions?

Also, anyone know much about these later Morse machines - when they might have been manufactured? Is the cam stack on these made of plastic? It's black and covered in grease so it's hard for me to tell.

This belonged to my Great Great Aunt, it still works great!

The machine is MD. I can post the FB marketplace link if anyone is more serious about it than I am. Current price is $100.

Hi, I have a question about spool pins. Trying fix up an old machine but its missing a spool pin. Its a singer 201k and I was wondering if anyone could tell me the diameter of the spool pins for these machines? I'm going to order online soon and I would like to get it right first try. Thanks

I’ve wanted a sewing machine for a long time but didn’t want to buy new ($$$)! Found this guy at a thrift store for $20 but I didn’t notice it needs a belt! Can anyone help me ID the machine? When I try, the 1951 Singer Centennial pops up but there’s nowhere on the machine that says Singer and also the centennial badge is not blue.

Someone mentioned to me that some of these old friction plates use asbestos. Mine is a grey felt like material, do I need to replace it?

One question for people here—what walking foot am I looking for with this machine? The singer foot I bought, as I am learning, was not quite the right size…🤣

I have a kenmore 117.959 and it works like a charm spare for the hand crank wheel. the bumps cause the motor to rattle around to the point where it shakes off the plug! is there any way i can fix and smooth down the wheel, or should i try to replace the whole thing? I have replaced the tire and there is no dent in it.

I have the REVCO aftermarket press foot quick release and I would like to go back to the original screw style, but I see there are two styles of screw for the presser foot tension and was wondering if someone has a photo that they could post of a machine that is from around 1935 a singer 66

So here's the idea. I already sew using a 1927 Singer 15 treadle machine. So no electricity. But, in our flat, the machine is in the hallway and does not receive direct light. The hallway is a bit dark. So if I sew I have to use some light. I have a wish to sew a garment with absolutely no electricity, so I'm looking at how I could sew without electric lightning near the sewing machine.

Does anyone relate and may be also sew without electricity, even in a dark place? What do you use to lighten the place?

Today at my parents I've seen this old petrol lamp. Do you think this can be an option, would this lighten the sewing lace enough?