Cari-in-Oly

Absolutely. A thread injector.

Cari

headonz

Well it arrived ,special packaging and all.Bailing twine ,sellotape and 2 pieces of card board taped to the sides of the case.That was it.

A bit grubby and plenty of gunk inside ........ but it got here intact but no discs, needles or foot attachments.

Rodney

Congrats on getting it and on it arriving safely in spite of the seller's best efforts. It may not look like much right now but it will clean up nicely.
Rodney

Sewnoma

Oooh, I LIKE that 320! I've never seen one before, didn't even know they existed! I have a 319 in the same green - the flatbed version. It takes 206x13 needles which are a bit hard to find here - I assume the 320 takes the same size but don't quote me on that. I love the looks of these machines, those "typewriter" keys are too cool. I don't have cams for mine either yet, they're a lot more scarce than the "tophat" style and I'm not willing to pay the premium prices I've seen online. I rarely use anything besides straight-stitch and zig zag anyway so I'm not in a rush!

I don't have any Singer free-arm machines; I'd like to find one but they seem pretty rare around here so it makes sense to me that they just weren't sold in the US as much. I don't even see them on eBay very often since I limit my searches to this continent. I like how the box on yours wraps around the bottom of the machine.

Have fun getting her all clean and shiny!

headonz

Yes they are kind of quaint aren't they,Singer went way out on the design concept with these .
Runs very smooth now its had a good clean inside and out.Still smells a little like an old kerosene lamp but that will go in a few days.Havent threaded it yet as the only needle that came with it is 15x1 but no damage to the bobbin that I can see ?? So not sure what is going on there.

Correct Rodney , its coming along quite nicely.

manicmike

You can alter the bobbin case so the 15x1s will work perfectly. 206x13s are identical from top to hole, but shorter hole to tip. The reason is that the longer 15x1 can strike the bobbin case during wide zig-zag. This is solved by simply grinding off the area of the case the needle strikes.
A friend of mine in Tassie wrote an excellent explanation of the problem and its solution. I modified my first case two years ago and have been using 15x1s in all their permutations (different sizes, points) since then and not one broken needle of needle strike, and I use the machine most days for making jackets. I have several 206x13s but have no need to use them any more.

Andrew's blog entry is here: http://andrewcaddle.com/wordpress/si...ndard-needles/
Mine is here: http://tailororfailure.blogspot.com....-case-mod.html
Embroidery on your 320K: http://tailororfailure.blogspot.com....y-on-320k.html

Free motion embroidery doesn't work on a 319 but works on the 320. Can't drop feed dog on 320K either due to limitations of the design, so swings and roundabouts as they say.

Not modifying the case was not an option for me: I wanted to use my machine and only two very limited needles are available in 206x13. My sewing guy charged $5 a case, Andrew used his dremel and paid nothing. Either way we both have machines that can sew anything.

One thing these machines seem susceptible to is the hook timing wandering. If you get tension problems (just can't seem to get it right) suspect the hook timing. Extremely easy to correct.

Sewnoma

Interesting! I'm curious - what is different about the 319 that makes FMQ impossible? I haven't tried it. Actually I haven't tried FMQ on ANY of my vintage machines, I use my modern Janome for all of my quilting; it has the largest throat in the herd and it's set into my largest table.

On the 206x13 needles - I recently found some size 16 on eBay, so now I have THREE sizes of needle for that machine...really going places! LOL

Sewnoma

I've read that they weren't very popular when they came out but I think they're cool looking. I like the black version a little better, maybe, than the green; but only a little.

I still think the Rocketeer is the coolest looking Singer; at least the coolest looking out of the machines I've been able to get my hands on. But these machines have that steampunk appeal, which is part of why my 319 has been named "Verne".

jbj137

***
*** HI! Y'all from the upstate of South Carolina.
***

manicmike

Don't know technically why, but I tested both machines. As soon as I started to move the fabric in directions other than front to back on the 319, the hook stopped catching. Embroidery with the built in stitches worked well but I've never really been interested in that. The 320K can do everything, which surprised me a little. It also came with an embroidery hook and hopping foot, whereas 319s never did (now I know why).

I also have 12, 14 and 16 but don't need them now thanks to my OSMG Nick. I'll likely sell them one day on eBay.
However I have dozens of different sizes and points I can use on my 320K and partner's 319K, including sizes 18 and 10, leather point, ball point and jersey point, plus the variety of twin needles that can now be used.
Massive variety, many manufacturers and very cheap. I saved the $5 (for the BC mod) in needles alone within a month, then there's the fact I don't have to drag out another machine for anything that requires something other than a universal point 12, 14 or 16, like sewing simple baby clothes in jersey (in which the universal point makes holes and completely failed to stitch).