The Berninas; 801 & the 830 Record

These two very nice machines came my way this week. I nearly passed on them because I don't know much about Berninas and each had one thing or the other missing.

I'm glad that I took the chance though. When I got them home and started playing them, I was quite impressed with their internal design and how well they sewed.

I tried them them on light, medium and heavy work. The 830 happily munched it's way through 7 layers of Sunbrella, and if I had some leather around the place, it would sewn that too.

Nice, solid, simple to use machines. Nothing flashy about them, just good quality sewing machines.

On the other hand, parts, lets talk about parts. Expensive! The asking price for the missing cord and foot controller for the 801 is $165. (I did find an aftermarket one for a mere $80....)

I looked up the new prices of some different feet, not cheap.....

Still, if you come into a complete working one, I highly recommend, the 830 Record.

The Rocketeer

This is the only 503 that I have ever come into. Here in BC they are rare and expensive so I was very happy when this one came my y for a reasonable price and a promise that it would go to someone who would use it and love it.

I love the styling of the machine.Much as I like the classic black and gold Singers,they do tend to be a bit stodgy and dull. Singer's 1950's and 60's styling is a lot more exuberant and cheerful. Perhaps they learned something from Japanese designers.

Interestingly, Singer never called the 503 a "Rocketeer". That name was bestowed on it by users, just like they gave names to all the decal patterns that Singer only referred to by number. I think that the styling of the 503 caught the eye and engaged the imagination of the users. It's the jet age sewing machine!
I also wonder if any modern sewing machine will ever have enough to style to make the users give it a name like the 503 did?
                                                                                                                  
                                            

Dance Band on the Titanic

Dance Band on the Titanic:
When I rescued this little 221 from the scrap metal guys truck, it was seized, had about an inch of powdery aluminum rot around the bottom and the back corner was broken off. I was not hopeful that much could be done with it. In fact, the more I contemplated doing something with it, I started humming Harry Chapin's song.

I'm in the dance band on the Titanic
Sing, Nearer My God To Thee
The iceberg's on the starboard bow
Won't you dance with me?

Never the less.....
I brushed off the aluminum rot, got it unstuck, gave it a light sanding and started to figure out what to do with it. Well even though Aleda suggested Elton John's Tiny Dancer as a more cheerful theme, I was still stuck with image of waves....
Things went down hill after that because, since it's too cold to paint out in the garden shed with my regular Rustoleum colors, I decided to try hand brushed acrylic paints. Not a good move, and they don't lay down evenly and don't sand worth a darn, so it's all lumpy.
So, now it's a lumpy old rust rotted feather weight, with a broken corner, but it's a much prettier, lumpy old rust rotted featherweight with the back corner broken off.
I'm in the dance band on the Titanic...sigh

Featerweight Forlorn

 Featherweight Forlorn, What to do?
This is the saddest looking 221 I have ever seen. It found me via a local scrap metal dealer, I plucked it out of the back of his truck for $5. (which is only about 3 times it's scrap metal value.)
It is currently, complete, seized, the back corner is broken off the bed and where the shellac hasn't peeled,off completely the aluminum rot has set in.
I could part it out, as there has to be at least $100 in usable parts on it, but I'm not really inclined to do that. Also I have sneaking suspicion, that if I free it up, make it sew, wire brush the loose shellac and aluminum off it, glue a stack of washers under the back corner and give a new coat of shellac , someone, somewhere would buy it off of me.
Now I just need a theme for it.  Hard to think of one because I have the lyrics of "Dance Band on the Titanic" running through my head. You know the song....
I'm in the dance band on the Titanic
Playing Nearer My god To thee. 
The icebergs off the starboard bow.
  Won't you dance with me?
Hmmm, maybe my my subconscious is trying to tell me something....🤔.

The Aristocrat

 I get sewing machines in odd ways sometimes. This very nice Aristocrat was given me by a customer who wanted a couple of machines serviced, and needed to make some space. So this and 4 others arrived on my doorstep, no charge. (Needless to say, the servicing on her other two machines was free)
While I love the color combination, I am taken by the stitch length control. If you look closely at the picture, you will see that on the top, there are numbers for stitch length. On the bottom, in the totally unnecessary window, you will see that the stitch lengths are represented by a series of two gold dot combinations, spaced closer and closer together as the length setting decreases. Not sure what the purpose of this is, but it's different and interesting.

Why I don't sew and the pink flamingo quilt.

Some of my customers think that because I selling sewing machines, I must sew.  When they ask me if I do do, I deny it, claiming that I'm a mechanic and I just fix machines. That's not strictly true......
I don't sew, because sewing, to do it well, is a skill, that takes a very long time and lot of effort to learn. Consider the Pink Flamingo quilt that Aleda Johnson gifted me.
Hundreds of pieces of fabric were cut out and stitched together precisely to form the squares. They were then sewed neatly and precisely into the larger cover, which in turn was sewn to the patterned backing. It's a lot of  fussy work.
That the squares were sewn together on 2 hand crank machines, and the quilting done on a treadle, tells me that this a labor of love on the part of the artist. And that's why I don't sew!













I was delighted to receive this quilt from Aleda, because now, Flamingo Sewing has it's very own official, Flamingo Sewing, Pink Flamingo Quilt to show off to our customers. Our QA manager, Alice (the cat) has thoroughly inspected it and given it her stamp of approval as well. (she took a nap on it it.......)
Thank you Aleda!

What happened to Singer 201K, #8304

By the time a sewing machine falls into my hands, it has generally had a long and interesting life: Take this machine for example: The serial number, EA146845, tells me it was made at Killbowie in 1932, one of a batch of 10,000 machines, which, as near as I can tell was the first batch ever made. This makes this machine the 8304th 201 built for production.
It shipped with a spoked wheel, which means that likely it was a hand crank equipped or in a treadle table. It came with a Singer hand crank, so that rules out the treadle stand.
I bought it from a young woman who told me that she got it from her "Gran". She was selling it because she didn't know how to sew, and ironically lives up above a shop where they make Tee shirts. (I was about to suggest that she walk downstairs and flutter her eye lashes at any hand male and ask for some lessons, but I really wanted the  machine...lol)
It came in a particle board Japanese table with a green motor and controller from a 200 or 300 series Singer, that didn't work, the hand crank and a clone instruction manual, titled "You have invested wisely....lol.
I didn't have a period correct motor on hand so I replaced the old green one with a newer .95mp one and matching controller, serviced the the whole thing and put it in a faux crocodile clone carry case.
The result of this; It's a fast and powerful 201, that breezes through 7 layers of Sunbrella, and just about everything else I have shoved under it's presser foot. Of course, because it's a 201, it's makes a great stitch while doing so.