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["SISU!" <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

sjc wrote:

> Sounds like you have it pretty much under control.
>
> The 15 was a great old gal, in production for many, many years.  Many
> of them were used daily and on rough fabrics---twills, other denims,
> and most fabrics were a lot coarser in times gone by---and still they
> performed well.  There are a lot of them still in daily service,
> although not usually to their original masters.....

Yup.  My mother had/has several machines, and I was lucky enough to talk
her out of the Singer.  She didn't want to part with it because she said
the newer ones just wouldn't sew the heavy stuff.  I know I have sewn
through multiple denim layers, vinyl, thick upholstery fabric, you name
it, and never broke a needle, so when the needle broke the other day, I
knew something was seriously wrong.  I suppose I could blame it on
gremlins.....



> As to oiling, I oil any machine without a pump or oilpan once a month
> or so, but my machines are in use most days, sometimes all day.
> There's no chance you'll not want to oil it after sitting all that
> time.

Okay, two votes for oiling....I'll do it tomorrow...but just to clarify,
the machine hasn't sat idle for 15 years tho.  I use it a couple of
times a month, mostly for small jobs.  I just meant that I have had the
machine that long and have never oiled it.

 The only
> thing is what kind of oil.

I have Singer sewing machine oil.  No problem there.


> Most of the machines that come here for repair have some sort of
> tension issue (usually user-induced)

Yeah, "Mama said" never mess with the tension unless you are sure you
need to do so(heavy/light fabrics, special threads, etc.)

 but the next 'batch' of problems are related
> to the wrong kind of oil having been used and the whole thing feels
> almost like it's seized.  So using the right kind of oil according to
> the frequency the manual calls for is the key.

Yeah, I read that in the manual.  It says that oiling can cause problems
if you don't use the right oil, use too much, etc.  That's why I have
not done it.


> Need any more info, holler.

I will.


> OT from the OT:  I had 107 of the old 'black' Singers, at least one
> primo example of each major machine that Singer made, when the house
> burned.  All were up and running nicely and I loved playing with
> them.  Now I have a few that folks brought in for repair and then
> abandoned, but nothing like the gang before.

Wow.  I'm sorry for your losses.  That was quite a collection.
I only have the one machine at present.  It serves my needs well.  My
mother has a featherweight that she uses for quilting-can't remember
what brand, a Bernina and a Brother.  Each one has a different purpose,
but I am not sure about models or what she uses them for.  I suppose I
will inherit them one day.  What I really, really would like to have is
my sister's serger...  :)

Bev
--
Bevanron in NW Georgia          EarthNSky Farm  34.498N 85.076W
SISU! (Finnish--There is no single word in English that encompasses
all that sisu means, but it combines the following ideas: guts, pep,
determination, stubbornness, perseverance, hardiness, stamina, go, do,
nerve, spunk, pluck, and grit.  It's like "Just Do It!" & "Go for It!")
                                GO NAVY!