Sewing machines anyone?

[MrWhoopee]

Mine is a 60s vintage Necchi Bu Nora. I bought it in '78 as a "graduation present" when I left Shell to go back to school. I was making a lot of backpacking equipment, including designing my own tent. I went around to the sewing machine stores, telling them I wanted something that was all cast-iron with straight stitch, zig-zag and PUSH-BUTTON REVERSE. I wasn't interested in embroidering duckeys and dutch boys. Finally one of the shops brought this thing out of the back. It looked to have been some girl's high school graduation present and never used. The case was perfect and included all of the attachments and the literature. Eighty bucks and it was mine. It has seen a lot of use over the years. It was one of the first things I brought up when I bought the house in the mountains, I had to haul it up on a sled.

 

[Dabbler]

@savarin @great white we also have a 10"dob we got from Eftonscience long before they went under...

 

[Hawkeye]

I have four of those power tools - an ancient straight-stich White, a middle-of-the-road Singer and my mother's Bernina "sewing computer". The Bernina will handle anything up to vinyl and light leather and has 30 programmed stitches. For heavier leather, I have the Chinese cobbler. Amazing for it's strength and simplicity. Most of the time, for thick projects like cell phone holders, I use punches and saddle stitch.

 

[Toolmaker51]

Can't believe this thread and the extent of various (diverse?) divers. I joined a couple weeks back with a difficult Adler, to be lighter that my Japanese Consew clutch drive copy. But fits exactly the usage planned, mainly stitching up webbing & machine shrouds. I've sewn literal miles of tadpole tape used on furnace doors, with the clutch machine. Adler has very little wear, the finish is dang near porcelain, all iron and steel.
Singer, TriFlo and gun oils all have good reputations. The main quality is "non-gumming".

 

[mickri]

I also think that it is amazing the number of forum members that use sewing machines. I probably shouldn't be surprised because it's just another tool. And we all love tools. My Pfaff 130 is now working. Need to make a case for it. Another project added to the never ending list.

 

[Hawkeye]

If anyone says "What ... you sew?", just say "What ... you don't?"

 

[great white]

If anyone says "What ... you sew?", just say "What ... you don't?"

"Real men can sew" is what I respond to when confronted with that.

Shortly after, the jokes usually start with "panties and lace" being the main thrust of the barb.

I simply point out the upholstery in my cars/motorcycles, the belts, straps, covers and bags around my shop and that's pretty much the end of that. They have to pay stupid money for these things, I simply make them from whatever material I have lying around or pay pennies for a couple meters of "off brand" fabric or “end of roll” bolts.

Gets real quiet after that. I simply don't understand how you can be into making things and not know how to sew. It's an integral part of making things, even if it's just a sheath, holder or dust cover.

"Real men sew"

 

[great white]

Started a new thread on the "Chinese leather patcher (ie; cobbler) machine": https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/chinese-leather-patcher-sewing-machine.103718/

 

[Hawkeye]

The first real machine sewing project I did was to make a set of sails for a 20-foot mast.

 

[savarin]

My friend writes songs about sewing machines.

Sew it seams he's a Singer songwriter