Steve, I love the ad. Who is that woman? She is holding it like it is a cupcake! Thanks for the info too. I'm trying to understand the numbers on the Clones.
~G~

Here's my new found Beauty! I don't know much about it (yet) but I am absolutly in love with it![ATTACH=CONFIG]389415[/ATTACH]

Japanese Badged zig zag machines: http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...s-t207877.html

AND

Japanese Badged machines that do fancy stitches!!! http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...s-t207880.html

Please feel free to post your pictures

Any twins out there?

I made a collage of the machines that have appeared here on this thread so far.
~G~

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I cann't beleive some of these pictures and they still work!! Wow!!

wesing (post#19) I love your machines, but the upright piano in the background is awesome!

All but six of those machines are Japanese 15s! I love that collage - it is already my new wallpaper!
Just click on your cut and paste menu - then save it as wallpaper!!! Easy!

Grant -

Thanks for making the collage. It is a really neat statement to the quality of all these great machines.

Darren

I get seven non 15 clones, Miriam. The black Admiral's tension is on the front of the machine so I don't count it as a 15 clone.

I enlarged the picture so I could see better. You are right - there are 7 - they are Japanese machines though. The 2 Atlas machines are not clones - You have to love them all anyway!!! Especially in wallpaper.

Darren and everyone that liked the collage, you are welcome. I am glad you all liked it.
I picked up another clone yesterday. I found a hand crank clone in a nice bentwood case. My first hand crank. I just started to wipe it down last night and the paint is nice on it. I do have a question. It has an unusual backplate on it made of, what I believe is plastic. It has some lettering on it. Any ideas as to what that is? It also has a plastic bobbin race on the front of the bobbin / hook area too. All of my other clones had metal for both of these parts. I am wondering if this is a later clone.
Here is the before picture.

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interesting, Grant - maybe it is a reproduction clone? feed drop dial etc plastic?

Miriam, Yes. The knob and the little skirt thing under it is usually chromed metal and these are plastic. Parts of the hand crank are plastic too. Reproduction of a reproduction? I have it in the back of my mind that it may have been made in India or China. No markings on it that I have seen yet but the small decal below the stitch length lever looks familiar. Like two overlapping boomerangs. I think I have seen it before.
~G~

No I have not Caroline. I just got it late yesterday and I always tear them down before I try them out. I do already have it about half done now though. :) Something tells me that it was made in India too. It may be pretty recently too. I don't know but I am intrigued.
~G~

Hoover clone 15-91 I think?
 

I learned to sew on this machine in the mid 50's...glad to have her back. Have lots to learn on cleaning and taking proper care of her. My mom started quilting at age 70 and made over 200 quilts, plus lots of totes, pillowcases, placemats, etc on this machine. I too started quilting last year at age 70. I feel my moms presence every time I sit down to stitch on "Hoovie".

I think it used to have a knee pedal that attached to the foot controller, but havent found that yet.



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Somebody in the Greater Houston area please buy this to keep me away from it! It's a Universal, 15 clone (as near as I can tell from the picture) and it's said to run, whatever that means. Usually it means that they plugged it in and pushed the pedal without oiling the machine or putting fabric under the foot. http://houston.craigslist.org/atq/3650465666.html There is no mention of attachments and the cabinet is in deplorable condition, but for some puzzling reason the machine looks cleaner and less used. I'm not too sure about the price either. Maybe the seller should pay someone to have that icky cabinet hauled away. For out-of-towners, just let me mention that this area is subject to relentless humidity. Rot, rust and corrosion are the rule rather than the exception, unless things are kept indoors with air conditioning.

There are a whole lot of vintage machines on CL here this morning, and I shouldn't even be looking!

Over priced unless it has been serviced - not hard to rewire.

I worked on some clones this week. I'm really loving the Kenmore and the Universal. Very nice machines.
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Ok let's try the nose plate again.
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I also worked on a yellow clone earlier this week. It was in very nice shape. Then I tried to sew. Something was wrong with the tension maybe. So I took a hard look. The tension unit was not seated into the housing quite right so I took it out - the spring was bent and not in the channel. Got that cleaned up and tried to sew. Nothing. So I put a nose plate from a working machine on it. Nothing changed. Then I checked out the bobbin case - it checked out ok. I traded it out anyway. Nothing changed. So I looked hard at the shuttle. There is a little spring in the shuttle and it was loose. I tightened it up and WOW that machine works wonderfully. It is very much like a new machine.

Here is my 15 clone, made in Japan for a department store that use to be in St. Louis,MO. It was given to a Grandson and I gave him $100.00 for lugging it home. Sews beautifully and had never been used. It needed a new belt, oil - lots of it and a bit of grease on the spindle next to the motor, it would get hung up and break the thread. It is a Vandervoort, that was the name of department store.
Pics didn't load.Here are the pics.

I like your Vandervoort. Where did you find the blue belt? Most clones had motors added to them after they got here in the states depending on the customers order and specifications.
~G~

My newest 15 clone - just picked it up last night. No idea what "name" it used to say.

Take a look at the flip top bobbin cover plate though. I like that!!

I guess you can name that one anything you like - real nice machine.

It looks like it may have said "Stitchmaster" to me.
~G~

Sounds about right .. the closer I inspected it I can tell that the first half was definitely "stitch".

That is one name on a clone that I have seen a on a few machines before. The script comes in at least three different designs or fonts that I have seen so far. Clones are GREAT straight stitch machines. Your looks like it is in great condition too except for the name.
~G~

I don't know if I have seen that name or not - I think I like them all.

This is the black clone I posted on another thead. The decals look a lot like Doghousemom's. Needs the cord fixed before I can check out if it sews. The hand wheel turns easily tho.

I think this one is a clone too. The tenison is on the front. It is in rough shape, been used a lot. Need to clean it up too.

It definitely looks like it was a Japanese made machine. It has the same main body as some 60's Kenmores.
~G~

Yes, it does and I need to get to work on some of them as soon as the weather gets warmer.

I haven't seen many treadle machines in this thread except for pumpkinpatchquilter @post# 227. I thought I would add mine to the great collection here. I could very easily become obsessed with these great machines. Love that Cinderella.
Here is my old girl. I think she qualifies as a 15: She isn't very pretty but boy can she make a beautiful stitch.

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Maria ... that Vertex is pretty. I can tell you that not only is the machine a Singer clone ... but the treadle cabinet is as well. I know Singer made a cabinet like that one as I have one myself. They actually made two like that - the original has wooden legs, the newer model (circa 196X) has steel legs. Unfortunately, I have the new model with steel legs. I'd take a photo for you but it's in pieces at the moment getting a 'spa treatment'.

Ube ... I have one like yours. Mine is a 115. There are a couple difference, but one I remember is that the 115 has a full rotary hook and the 15 has a oscillating hook. Open her bobbin cover, give the hand wheel a spin and see if the hook makes a full circle around the bobbin case. If so ... you've got a 115. If it turns half way then goes back in the other direction ... it's a 15.

Maria, I can't offer any help. But that is one pretty machine.