What Do I Do With a 300Lb Singer?

[Amatino]

I was gifted this beauty and was told it works well and weighs about 300Lb.

Now it definitely needs a good clean up and the gifter says it’s worth $$$$$$ but… if it weighs 300LB I don’t see how it has much value other than as scrap metal!

Any sewing machine experts who can fill me in? I haven’t collected it yet so can’t give any model info and a Google image search was unhelpful.

[Sharyn]

I’m not a sewing machine expert, but the darker machine looks industrial – like something make for a business and not necessarily for the home. I’m assuming it is mounted to the table, which would make it 300 pounds. You could do local pickup or look into the freight options that Jay has been talking about. Because portions of it are connected directly to the table, I don’t think you can free it up.

The lighter colored one looks like it could be shipped separately.

[icequeen]

The one mounted on the table I believe is a Singer walking-foot industrial machine used for heavy fabrics or leather.

I would either separate it from the table, offer local pickup only…or go the Craigslist route depending on what I encountered during clean up.

I was gifted a singer treadle with the same amount of rust from someone’s basement. It was frozen solid and was a bear to get unstuck and clean up, but eventually with a lot of time and work it did clean up nicely.

I took the Craigslist route on that one.

Most of them will easily unbolt from the stand, and the legs of the stand unbolt fairly easily from the top…(should you ever need to move one of these barges by yourself like I’ve had to).

[Jay]

You should check for a serial number. Singer is good about having numbers determine the age and kind: http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/serial-numbers/singer-sewing-machine-serial-number-database.html

Big questions are:
–are you willing to store it? Ship it? let someone pick it up at your home?
–what condition is it in? Does it turn on and run? Is it just rusted shut?

[Jay]

One other note. Industrial sewing machines are more valuable since they can go through leather, canvas etc. If it works, it’d be worth it.

And like others mentioned, you can detach these from te table, sell them separately and ship them. The table is a liability since its so big.

[Sharyn]

According to Amatino’s post, she was told that the sewing machine works well, so that’s good news!

The only thing about taking it apart is that the motor portion (or whatever the wheel thing does) appears to be connected directly to the table and is not part of the main sewing machine (unless I’m not seeing it correctly). Plus the on/off switch appears to be part of the table as well. If that is true, then the machine will need the table to work properly.

So, according to Amatino’s gifter friend and Icequeen’s comments, this machine will be worth something to someone.

Here is one with a table that sold on ebay for $195 with local pickup:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SINGER-211G165-Walking-Foot-Lockstitch-Industrial-Sewing-Machine/182823740659?hash=item2a9124e4f3:g:8SoAAOSwJ59Z2p31

[Jay]

Ah, thanks for the clarification. If it has to be sold as one big piece, then that’s cool. But if you can break it up, then just makes it easier.

[So Cal Joe]

I had a similar machine, just the sewing machine part. There was no motor and it was rusty and a bit of a relic. It was originally mounted to a table and wasn’t meant to be operated by itself.

I still got $50 for it plus shipping, so I think you’ve got some money there, regardless of how you sell it.

[Amatino]

Just got back from collecting The Beast. It was winched onto the truck, we’re going to use the tractor to lift it down. Tomorrow. It’s raining today! 😉

Thanks to all of you for your help. My husband, who has not paid much attention to my enthusiasm for the SL community, was astounded how quickly you all came back with useful info!

Sharyn, the link you supplied looks exactly like this one. Using the keywords from it, I found several on Worthpoint, they all sell for about $300.

Icequeen: according to the gifter, it was used at an upholstery store, so you are spot on. The gifter plugged it in and ran it in front of me, but it sounds a little rough, so Himself is going to strip it and clean it up. It’ll will be purring like my cat in bed on a cold winter’s morning by the time he’s done!

Jay, thanks for the link. When we get it down and Hubs starts cleaning it up, I’ll get the model info. In answer to your questions:
– we live on a ranch, storage space is not a problem; if someone wants it shipped, sure! We don’t usually let folks come to our place, but the weight of this thing might require that we deliver it rather than have people come to collect in person. That would be up to the Minister of Security after he’s done cleaning it up.
– it was apparently a workhorse right up until a few months ago when the upholstery shop closed down, so it is a bit dirty and dusty and just a little bit rusty from being stored incorrectly, but it was run on in front of us, so it probably just needs a tune up and a little bit of attention. DH is really handy, and is happy to do it for a change, to my delight.

The second sewing machine (on the left in my photo) is apparently the original machine off a treadle base. The treadle works, but the gifter wanted to keep it to make it a plant stand. Boo hoo! Now, that one looks like it needs a whole stack of work, I’m not sure if we can get it going. I also don’t know if it will have any value at all without the treadle, but the body of the machine is gorgeous under the rust and dirt!

[Sharyn]

Sounds like some work, but worth it. Hopefully, you can sell the second one to someone who has the treadle, but their sewing machine broke.

[Anonymous]

I clicked on this expecting another joke thread from Amatino. What a disappointment!;-).

I don’t have much experience with the big machines, but I’ve restored a few of the regular Singer machines. If they’re seized up, I usually start by dunking them in a bucket of kerosene. It loosens everything up and makes the rust easier to remove. There are a ton of blogs and websites out there that will walk you through the process – and it’s really pretty simple. Some of those old gals are really beautiful once they’re out from under all that rust. The Singer website will give you the date of birth of any machine with the model #, and tell you the place of birth;-).

Is there anyone else who wondered what the punch line was to the question “What do I do with a 300lb singer?” Maybe it’s just me and a sign that it’s time to wrap up listing for tonight.

[sonia]

A and C,
My mind went in the humor direction upon reading this topic title as well, but I couldn’t come up with a clever or funny answer. All I got was “make sure she sings last”.

[Amatino]

LOOOOOOOL! I gave up on the joke thread because nobody was joining in. See, Jay, that’s why we need a Like button! 😉

I’ll start a new thread for jokes, if y’all want it.

[skydog]

“What do I do with a 300lb singer?”

Boat anchor?

[AdventureE]

I personally do not think any joke thread that allows for making fun of any population of people would be appropriate or needed.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 5 months ago by AdventureE.

[Amatino]

I’d have to check, but I think my jokes were just that: jokes. I don’t generally practise mocking any class of people. Do you watch sitcoms? They’re funny, right? Friends, Seinfeld, Modern Family? They all take things we experience in life and put a humorous spin on it. Being able to laugh at life and the stuff we go through is good, making fun of folks based on shortcomings is not. I’d like to think this group knows the difference.

By the way: my grandson is autistic. My best friend’s son has CP, and a lot of his friends are paraplegics. I’ve been astounded at how much these guys laugh at themselves. If we made jokes about them the way they make jokes about themselves, we would be terribly un-PC and reviled. The thing is, they accept their situation in life and make fun of it. I love their spirit and strength and resilience. They’re incredible people! Will I crack a joke with one of them? Hell yeah! They’ll love it!

P.S. The 300Lb Singer of my title is a sewing machine, as shown by the links. So the comment that it would make a great boat anchor is funny. If you could find a boat that was strong enough to carry it out to sea. Damn thing would probably sink the boat! It would be heading out with the nose in the air, tail under water, and the skipper’s assistant bailing madly as it slowly… oh, so slowly… went under! 😀

[Amatino]

If you’re not offending someone, you’re doing it wrong.
by Noah Henry
The state of stand-up comedy is bleak. Or at least, it appears to be. Jerry Seinfeld — a family-friendly comedian — even said recently that he doesn’t like playing college campuses because the crowds are too politically correct. The thing is, stepping across the boundary of what’s deemed appropriate is what the funniest humor is all about.

Stand up comedians work on the principle that you practise equality: offend everyone equally!

C’mon! It’s Friday. Let’s have a great weekend!

[icequeen]

The missing base on the other actually might make it easier to sell online. : )

Here’s an article on cleaning.

http://www.treadleon.net/sewingmachineshop/cleaningmachines/cleaningmachines.html

Heed the advice on staying away from the ammonia based, or harsh cleaners, some will turn the gold decals silver.

[Amatino]

Thanks icequeen! I agree, and a friend of DH has said he may know where I can get one. Will it fit is the question now.

OMG! I have just clicked on that link and LOVE it! Thank you x gazillion!

[Author]

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