Having managed to tame the Cylon Kenmore 117.740, the machine was moved to a portable box. It was pretty obvious that the starry painted cabinet was not its original home, and moving to a portable means a lot less wear on the wiring in the front of the machine. This left me with an empty universe...
To me the answer was obvious.
I said: Probably to hide the water ring...
The cabinet itself appears older, as well as the wiring. I'm also sure the machine cut-out has been altered once since the round circles are there for a single screw pivot pin. When I began to clean off the paint in the back, the color of the wood underneath seemed very inviting... and so began several days and many sheets of sandpaper. I do wish it would stay warm outside... sanding by hand creates a lot of dust.
Galaxy after galaxy faded from view and the original wood underneath showed the most interesting red tints. Even the original shellac finish didn't really bring out the tones - it just covered them up. I began to suspect some of the wooden pieces may have been made from cherry... but the surface was too forgiving. It's not a Maple, nor do I believe an Oak, and I began to consider a Red Elm... which would be very unusual. When's the last time you saw anything made with red elm?
It was enough of a mystery to keep sanding until a beautiful wood emerged!
It's during these stints of somewhat mindless manual labor that my thoughts wander off and consider what an eclectic group of people vintage sewing machines gather. There are historians, collectors, sewers, and life changers. The people involved are often as fascinating and diverse as the different machines, and there are so many. Just adding up all the current local listings on different classified online programs I'd bet there's well over three hundred different sewing machines available. It makes me wonder who the people are that buy them! I'm also very glad to see that some are getting a home and I know that many are not.
I received a call today asking me to come out to Mount Lebanon and rescue a machine. The lady had searched the internet for local ways to recycle a sewing machine in Pittsburgh, and couldn't find one. Even the townships and municipal organizations that claimed to take electronics for recycling... wouldn't take her machine. It's a good thing she found me - and even then, I can't save them all. I don't have the space...
Even more unusual to me is the sliding scale of popularity in the used machine market. Some older ones retain value while other perfectly good vintage machines slide off the bottom. Quilters are still buying Singer featherweights (models 221 and 222). Prices for a nice one have many people turning toward the reliable, slightly heavier, and less expensive model 301. I have a local expert on restoring these models, which is nice when I have a question or need a part.
Newer working machines with a walking foot are also models that have retained value, along with the real antiques: the Wilcox and Gibbs, or Wheeler & Wilsons or even a lotus flower decal Singer. Some manufactures are more popular -right now- than others, esp when it comes newer offerings like: Janome, Pfaff and Bernina.
This is all great as far as I'm concerned. Good to see machines finding homes and people still sewing, but it still leaves a lot of the older machines looking for a purpose. The domestic sewing machine, once a household item, is slipping into the past. The older (and far more reliable in my opinion) all metal heavy weights of yesteryear are having trouble finding owners.
My efforts to try to save some of them meet restrictions as well.
There's a list of requirements that many foreign countries have for sending them machines. Some don't have the access that we do to certain bits and bobs. Some countries will only take class 15 machines, others do not want a machine that takes cams, others yet will not accept Touch & Sew models, and some have very specific weight restrictions.
It makes things... interesting.
I have a friend who is very specific with restorations and could probably redo a vintage Necchi Supernova in her sleep... but finding a buyer for her beautifully cleaned and serviced machines is sometimes difficult. Many people do not know that these sixty year old machines are showing no signs of slowing down, or that a well restored unit will probably last another lifetime, or two. Let me know if you need one.
And then I know others who have spent months trying to find just such a machine. (Congrats to B. She finally found one, and it's a beauty!) Unfortunately the market in many parts of country is not as saturated as it is here.
And it's not just the old Singers and Necchi machines. There are collectors for the colorful Japanese made machines of the 50s and 60s, and many younger people are actively searching for 'energy alternative' treadle powered machines - even ones that can do more than a straight stitch - which is an very interesting blend of the new and the old.
I'm thinking perhaps this Japanese made Nelco will look really great in the Star Box. The colors are so close!
My sisters interests in older machines are specific to the projects she needs to sew - many involving thick layers of heavy material that often strain newer machines to a breaking point. And yet it was this interest that got me into re-doing these machines to begin with, and this same interest that makes me question my own actions.
It often comes down to making a choice. There are machines that cross my bench that I can save, but I'll have trouble finding them a home... and others that have enough market value that I really should consider selling the piece so I can invest the funds for parts for the other machines. There are still four Singers under the work bench that need top gears, and now two more that need new power cords... and sometimes I look around and think I should sell one... so that maybe I can save eight more. It's a moral quandary, and I often find myself wrestling with what I feel may or may not be the 'right' thing to do.
Then... every now and then I find myself thinking about a green yard sale Mira and a wreck of a 101... and how I personally would like the chance to restore them and maybe use them for a little while... and yet even that idea is sometimes fraught with a touch of guilt. At least I can talk about it. Say it out loud.
These two seem worthy of saving, but at fifty each? It's difficult to justify the costs of my time and parts. And really, what do I have in the end? A machine worth more than the market will allow - even if it sews like mad.
And then there's all the bits and bobs to sort through...
Oh geez... I wonder what these go to?
I live near Seattle. It is rare to find any machine at all here for less than $200. When I manage to snag one for $150, or- gasp!- $100, that's a jump-for-joy day. A vintage all metal machine for $50?? Your cup runneth over.
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