/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

>>7717822
The only marking telling me the brand, Sears Kenmore.

Can't find a model number or anything.

Looks like a Sears Kenmore 158.12020

They let me plug it into the wall. Machine runs (needle goes up and down in place) but very slowly at first.

Now it is a little faster, but still slow on some parts of the cycle.

Is there anything seriously wrong or does it just need a little oil?

>>7717907
You won't know until you thread it and see if it forms a proper stitch. Working and moving doesn't mean anything if timing is out or key components aren't quite aligned right

>>7717972
Thanks.

Motor also gets hot very fast. I'm guessing it will need to be cleaned and oiled.

How powerful is this machine supposed to be?

Can it take something like the twill used in jeans?

>>7717979
It will need a full service by a proper sewing machine repair person, not just cleaning and oiling, especially if the motor is dodgy/overheating the motor and wiring may all need replacing and seeing to. Personally I would not buy it as the repairs and possible parts replacement will potentially cost you more than a decent working machine new. Most domestic machines will do jeans and curtains but nothing heavier

OP, this is a really old machine. Are you that desperate for a cheap sewing machine? If I were you, I'd save up a bit more and get a cheap one from Walmart. At least you know it's new and completely functional. Also, that machine doesn't seem to have many options in terms of stitches. Considering it's something you'll be using a lot, you should make a better investment.

>>7718027
>>7718052
I bought it.

I've taken it to a very good local repair service which gives free estimates after looking at it.

If it ends up being too much, I'd like to try doing it myself as a learning experience.

>>7718052
>>7717979

Got to agree here, it's probably going to cost you many times more than what you paid to service it. Just drop the $50 and buy a basic brother or singer.

That being said, I own one of these. It doesn't do anything other than topstitch in a straight line so even if it doesn't need a tune up you're going to be disappointed if it's your only sewing machine. But yes, it will sew your jeans with no problem.

>>7718093
That's all I need. I don't do any fancy sewing. Just repairs and very basic work with cloth that is jean denim grade at most.


What's the thickest/toughest fabric yours can handle?

It's really not worth the money you spent plus cost of repairs. When my old mechanical machine died (I actually killed the control mechanism, there was wear on the cams and they were slipping because of it) it wasn't worth the cost of repairing given the price on it online: http://www.sewingmachineoutlet.com/white1766.htm

Most mechanical controlled DC motor machines can be bought for about that, or under $200 new and will do what you're asking, and will last decades under normal sewing conditions. Also remember that like cars, sewing machines are going to need maintenance every so often. The frequency depends on how much you use it and what you've been sewing.

>>7717822
Oh wow my family has the exact same one.

I would be really wary of buying used machines from any place but a service center. My grandmother's Kenmore worked fine while she was alive, but I think somebody dropped it when they cleaned out her house. It went to me, but something is slightly misaligned now and one day I'll throw it away when I can bring myself.

holy shit I thought I was in /k/ still

>>7718116
Why do you need your trip on when you aren't even on /k/. It doesn't even make sense.

It'll work on most of your milsurp but some thicker stuff like a greatcoat or a thick peacoat probably won't work. You can patch up all your short Rhodesian shorts and even probably stitch the holes your jeans got in the knees from sucking too much cock.

>>7719235
Because I was on a phone and fuck you that's why.

>>7717822
BUY IT

My one regret in life was I gave away my vintage sewing machine. I bought it for $5 at a junk place. It was easy to maintain and I sewed a heap of stuff on it. I ended up with another 3 sewing machines and stupidly put it out to pasture, thinking that since it wasn't old and valuable like my treadle Singer or new and awesome like the one I just bought I wouldn't need it. I miss that green little thing, weighed a tonne but damn that thing and I could sew into the night.

>>7719636
Was it a singer? I might have the same one, but it's missing a piece so I can't use it right now. Hella better than the one I got for christmas, but I probably shouldn't complain.

I know it's too late but I wouldn't have bought it OP. You're wasting your money on a shitty old machine that's not worth anything anymore. For that price you can get a used modern sewing machine with a dozen different stitch modes on ebay

If you bought it as decoration... it doesn't even look pretty/vintage-y. And if it breaks again, good luck finding parts for it

If there's anything I hate it's people who make their own lives more difficult...

I know this is only kind of on topic, but:

How long did it take you to get good at sewing? At the moment, I have no sewing skills, but I'd like to be able to make dresses of my own one day. The problem is that realistically I won't be able to buy a machine and dedicate time to it for another 2 years, and by that time I'll be 24. When I look at a lot of the sewing and craft blogs that I follow, the girls started when they were much younger, so I worry that it will take me so long to get good enough that it might not even be worth it.

>>7718065
Wow what an idiot. Why would you buy something so old. You can get a new one that is really simplistic for $50 or less, the repairs are going to cost more and it will still probably break more because the cord is most likely damaged due to the way it was tied, and the age. You're going to end up with a $100 piece of garbage.

>>7719780
>You can get a new one that is really simplistic for $50 or less

And replace it in six months because all the important parts are made of plastic instead of metal now?

I'm not saying this machine is necessarily amazing, but low-end machines these days are fucking garbage. Singers are shit now. I sewed for years on a Singer from the 70s and it worked really well. A friend got a Singer two years ago and had to do repairs three times in a year (bobbin casing kept getting fucked, parts that used to be made of metal are now made of plastic).

>>7719795

Lets not forget the thrill of learning something new and tinkering with things, /diy/ might also be able to help OP.

>>7719780
I agree OP is a dumbass but >>7719795 has the right of it. My parents bought me a $30 Singer machine when I was 13. I took care of that thing like a baby, but it only took one (very expensive) style of thread spool and in like a month one of the internal plastic parts melted, and when I took the machine apart to get at it, it wouldn't go back together again.

My dad managed to find his mom's old cast iron Singer from the 40's (it's electric) and it's a powerhouse. The only repair I've ever had to do on it is replace the belt (which is on the outside).

OP, you have the right plan getting an older machine, but I expect that getting this particular machine was a bad idea.

>Does anyone have any good stories of sewing machine accidents?

>>7719767
...sewing is easy. Patterning and making things fit/look right is not. You can easily make a dress or two with basic skills, but they won't be fancy ballgowns or anything until you have the skills to not ruin your fabric with wibbly wobbly improper stitches, and correctly work off a pattern and hide seams etc etc

>>7720092
I guess I'm asking how long it took you to develop those skills, then.

>>7720096
Not the anon you're replying to, but I learned how to sew when I was 3 years old. To get to the point where I could draft my own patterns, it took about 2 years of trial and error when I was 17. It would probably be faster if you take classes.

>>7719795
What sewing machine did you buy that broke in 6 months?

I've had my low-medium end Singer for almost a decade now with few problems. Just drop at least $100 on an okay machine and don't treat your belongings like shit.

>>7719961
>Does anyone have any good stories of sewing machine accidents?
A friend of mine put a needle through her nail and out the other side the other day (the stop button on her embroidery machine malfunctioned and she had been trying to adjust the thread). The needle broke off in her finger.

>>7720175
Wasn't mine, but rather the friend I was referring to who bought a low-end Singer. It's definitely not well suited to heavy-duty projects like sewing yards and yards of heavyweight tulle or making five billion ruffles without a ruffler foot.

>>7720092
Basic patterning is actually not that difficult but it requires an entirely separate set of skills from putting an item together imo. I learnt to draft from books and the internet as I learnt to sew because lolita (so very, very simple patterns, and gosurori pattern books that were only scanned so required you to draw out the pieces) and although I usually prefer to modify existing patterns rather than draft from scratch (as that always requires more tweaks) I am comfortable with basic pattern shapes. I'd say give it at least 12 months to play around with things if you're learning it as a hobby in spare time.

>>7719767
Sewing took me a year before I made anything I was super happy with, made about 12 garments (kept 1) and did a bunch of simple alterations, this was partly self taught and partly my mum teaching me the very basics. You have to be patient and not scared to go slow/redo stuff at first, and not try to take short cuts

>>7719961
Basically this.
My additional 2 cents:
New machines in the $200 plus range are by and large okay, but do check reviews etc.
Older machines are only worth it when they're working already or easy to fix and easy to find bits for (e.g.singer 99), otherwise you end up with expensive doorstops. I was always told to exercise caution with 50s onward singers as some have plastic internal bits that can be bloody hard to find. Obviously if it's working perfectly when you get it not to worry, but if the timing and stitches look off...

Does the time a needle shattered and nearly flew straight into my eye (I have a scratch on my glasses to show just how fast it was going) count as an accident?

>>7720214
Exactly the same thing happened to me. Thank goodness for glasses.

Also, maintenance-wise, please remember that besides oiling your machine regularly, you should also take the side/front/whatever plate off every once in a while and clean out lint and dust buildup, especially if you work with fabric that sheds.
If you leave it there, it smooshes together with the excess oil and turns into the stickiest, grosses, machine-breaking putty.

>>7717822
Found a 60's~70's portable sewing machine with vinyl case in the trash last week. Haven't used it yet, but if it works it would be replacing my sewing machine from the 40's~50's lol.

Got the machine back.

Their technician wanted to charge me $80 for cleaning out the motor's dust and oiling the joints.


The sales guy said I could do it myself in a few hours.

>>7720395
Have fun fixing the timing yourself if it needs a tune up too.

>>7720445
I'm currently trying to fix the machine. Motor works fine when carrying no load.

I've lubricated the motor and cleaned it.

However, when I stick it on the machine with the belt, I get maybe 10 cycles before the motor stops and makes a humming noise.

I'm guessing the load of the machine is too much as it is. I'm going to try to lubricate the mechanical parts. Any other suggestions?

>>7721521
My suggestion is take it to a repair shop. Home machine repair is not commonplace outside of basic cleaning and gunk/dust removal.

>>7721521
The motor itself is hitting it's thermal overload point, so something is gunked up somewhere. If you have no qualms about fully pulling it apart and reassembling it you should be able to get it back up and running. There's also the possibility that there's a bad wire coil in the motor, that as it heats up it breaks the magnetic field. Both are semi-easy to fix/do, but if you're not willing to then >>>>7721666
idea would be your best option.

The motor issue was my problem, in my grandmothers old singer machine from the 60's.

>>7721666
>>7721711
I ended up cleaning out all the rust, dust, and gunk with some WD40, Q-Tips and a rag.
It's now running faster than before without overheating.

I guess I'll just have to wait for the WF40 to evaporate and replace it with sewing machine oil.

>>7721711
The problem wasn't electrical.

The motor ran for a long time with no load and never overheated.

I went into the motor anyways and found very little carbon or dust. Nothing but bright shiny copper inside.

>>7721786
Here's some videos of the machine working.

Is there anything glaringly wrong with the mechanism from this video/how it sounds?

http://youtu.be/7KXvdVLI5R8
http://youtu.be/Piizrp9frS8

>>7722096
>>7721786
>>7721779
>>7721521

>>7722096
Again. You need to thread it up and actually try to sew with it.

>>7723016
I managed to thread it. Here's the result.

The machine feeds the cloth and stitches without any hickups.

How can I tell when to reduce/increase tension?

>>7726374

>>7726374
Should be the knob just above the foot.

In action:
http://youtu.be/ReM3B6bzMYg

>>7726383
Yes I know that. How can I tell when to use it?

>>7726417
When the moon valve chimes you need to reduce the tension by one turn. For two chimes, tighten.

>>7726417
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=How+to+use+a+sewing+machine

>>7726374
You want it to look like the third one, where the top thread isn't getting pulled all the way to the bottom or vice versa.