Thank you! I have the feed dog lever in the up (in this case the "on" position) but I can't even feel the tips when I slip my finger over the dogs. I will adjust the foot pressure as well. Do you think the feet would rise with the foot pressure tighter? Sorry, but I'm only a few days into my new obsession....vintage machines. Lol!

Miriam! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I lowered the foot presser knob, threaded her up, put a new needle in, and she hummed right through 4 layers of cotton and 1 layer of thermolam. I'm thrilled! She is absolutely worth the rehab I'm going to send her to. LOL!

The feed dog piston under the machine freezes up. I have a thread on it somewhere. It is an easy fix. Don't try to force that lever. The lever will likely move once that piston is unfrozen. The is no doubt a lot of dried oil in the shaft.

The feed dogs must be in the right place. Here is a link for stuck feed dogs:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...ghlight=Piston
i had trouble loading pictures so they are scattered through that thread.

The old machines are so heavy and the wood boxes are fragile. I also had a machine arrive once with the case broken during the shipping. The last time I purchased a machine I asked the seller to take it to UPS and have them ship the box separate than the machine and have them pack it and I would gladly pay for the extra charges. It was worth every penny, it arrived in separate boxes with the foam molded around the machine and it was perfect!

What a beauty! And...at a fantastic price! I hope she sews well for you.

my Simpson `s
 

love all info on here...will get to know mine....

I can only hope pics will post today.
This is not a Singer 15
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The bottom is entirely different. It is a Singer 115 made in 1912 and sews very nice.
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Monarch
More pictures on Victorian Sweatshop Forum since It is more picture friendly for me.
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The Monarch has some very neat features, well worth visiting - title is will the odd Japanese 15 clone please stand up...

Hello everyone,

I am new to the board and wanted to contribute to this thread with my SHMEN treadle sewing machine.
I am desperately trying to find out more about this machine.
It is definitely a clone 15 and in a very good condition, sews superbly (I think). And I also think she is beautiful!:cool:
If anyone can identify the "SHMEN" badge or provide any insight whatsoever as to where she may have been built, I shall be highly grateful.
I have the original Operator's Manual that I can share with anyone interested. The manual states, 'printed in India'. Should I assume possibly built in India too? The machine was bought new in 1968.
I am new to this and I think I have caught the virus.
Greetings to all from far away Athens, Greece.

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This is a great board :thumbup: and I have already learnt a lot.
Thanks.

Very interesting information. I do not have anything to share about Singers and Clones, and am sticking with my Elna from 1965. Maybe not as good, but when folks offer me a new machine I say no thanks to plastic parts and electronic brains.
These are such beautiful pieces of craftsmanship and reliability.

there is room for some more pictures!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]572036[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]572037[/ATTACH] Seamstress Deluxe Super. wow! must be great to have a name like that ( cough)

She sure is pretty all nice and cleaned up.

Yes, beautiful machine with great stance! Thanks for pics.

Good afternoon! I was wondering if anyone could provide me with any information on this sewing machine. It's my Mom's that she has had since the early 1970s. I am cleaning it up and doing maintenance on it for her. It's been in a closet for several years as she thought it wasn't working anymore.

I believe it to be a Japanese 15 Clone. The main tag on it says Kingston by Brother, a smaller tag on the side says Made in Taiwan, and the motor is made in Japan. [ATTACH=CONFIG]582372[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]582373[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]582374[/ATTACH]

That Kingston by Brother could easily become your favorite clone. Love that case. Read this whole thread and you will find lots of info including manuals to help you restore that machine. The clones were made in Taiwan and now in China. Parts may or may not interchange. My guess is the basic throw away parts are going to fit as does the manual. If you have specific questions, feel free to ask. A lot of times they need a good cleaning and oiling and a few adjustments. It is likely your mother could have had it serviced and it would run like it is new.

If it is made in Taiwan, then, to me, it is not a Japanese machine. Further, I believe the reference to Singer 15 clones has been broadened too much. A Singer 15 clone looks very similar to a Singer 15 yet may have reverse and feed dog dropdown features. Often, a generic manual, may be referred to as an HA-1 manual.

Having problems typing on this site, so will leave it as that, for now.

Farmhousesewer,

My Singer 15 has reverse and feed dog drop as it's made like in the late 40's or early 50s so that distinction may be moot.

However, I do agree if it says Made in Taiwan then it's not a Japanese made clone!

True, it is not a Japanese clone. It does have a side tensioner and it has a 15 bobbin and the mentioned manual should work. The body of the machine is not the Singer 15. What ever works.

Love old sewing machines.

Great thread.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]606591[/ATTACH] I was given this machine some time back and just recently took it out of the case. Sorry for the large picture. I did reduce it prior to posting.

I didn't mean for the picture to be so large. [ATTACH=CONFIG]606592[/ATTACH]

Pretty machine. Love the color and the face plate. That plate is super shiny!! Did it come that way or did you spend some time with some metal polish?

Those are such fun machines. Enjoy it.

These machines are beautiful! Do most of you rescue them then see if they can be repaired? What is a clone?

I haven't done a thing to the machine yet except to check to see if it runs. I found a pdf manual online and hope to try some stitches before long.

I cant Find any information on this machine, can anyone help.

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Newer Chinese clone. Plastic parts. Same manual as the Japanese clones. The japanese ones don’t have the plastic feed drop knob on the base of the machine.

Love your Organ machine! Too bad about those gouges in the finish. The decals are unlike any I have seen (though admittedly I am no expert). Your machine appears to be a classic 15 "clone." I think I see some Oriental characters near the bottom of the badge on the pillar. Most any 15 manual will give you what you need to know.

I read 5 pages and will finish another night. I honestly don’t know what a “clone” machine is ! I thought it would be clear to me after 5 pages but it isn’t. Please enlighten me.

Tranum, the clones were made in Japan after WWII. The singer patents had run out. This was an effort to reboot the Japanese economy. I have a clone made in occupied japan. It is a piece of junk but it looks just like an older singer 15. I don’t know if it was poorly made or poorly adjusted at the factory or what. Later they improved on the designs. Many different companies in Japan made the clones. They have different JA numbers on the bottom somewhere. Some have names stamped in the bottom. You might be able to do a google search and find info on the J A numbers. Clones are still being made in China and maybe India and other places. The ‘newer’ clones usually have wilder paint jobs and there may be plastic parts. The most telling is the knob to drop the feed dogs. Some clones have a bit different shape than the Singers they were copied after but the tension is always on the side and they use class 15 bobbins in a case and on the side. They do not have drop in bobbins. There are many other Japanese machines and they are often well made. But there are some that are really junk. Cari who was banned for some reason knows a lot about the Japanese machines. I think you might find more info on google.

Thank you Wesing I’m trying to find the top pressure assembly and how to set it it’s only missing the check spring but it works nicely.

Foot pressure gets set so you can just pull a piece of fabric out.
You do need a check spring. Those are available on line but there are two kinds depending on which tension unit you have. The clones with the bar need a long spring. The ones more compact and no bar need a short spring.
I made a thread here called taming the 15 tension.

I'm confused, both lonestardreams and Santiago machines sure look like clones to me. Santiago's Organ machine would be Japanese as the trademark is the same as the Organ needles which are Japanese. Granted the stitch length regulator is different, but the rest of it sure looks like a 15 clone. As well as the tension assembly. The feed dog drop looks metal to me.

Santiago, I can't tell from the pictures as to what you are referring to as "top pressure assembly." The pressure regulator screws in and out to adjust the pressure, unless it was to have a "quick release" type.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

I I’m sorry it just needs the thread tension check spring but I don’t have any reference to how it goes.

And yes Ourworkbench, all parts on my Organ machine are metal. I haven’t seen another Organ machine for reference, so I don’t know if the hook on the spring goes up or down. I was also confused because it came in a Brothers wooden case.