Blackberry

I need to stay off CL because it is so tempting to me and I just guess I have no will power. I had decided to refrain from purchasing any more sewing machines in 2015 because we were out of room and I needed to spend more time with my charity lap quilting, BUT this ad was just too tempting. The ad listed them as 5 sewing machines for $30 some with cases all not working and to be used for spare parts. My thinking was not so much for the machines as I could use what looked to be like decent cases. However, when we got them home and I spent a minimal amount of time cleaning and oiling them, they are in really good working condition and sew a really nice seam. Most of them appeared to have been used very little. The only thing is there are no cams for the Singer Touch and Sew 635 and no accessories for the rest of them either. Of course, no manuals. There is a Kenmore, a Nelco, a Seammaster, a Singer Touch & Sew, and a Singer Fashion Mate FM 17C. My plan is to get them ready to find new homes for them as I just don't need them. Does anyone know if the cams for Singer Touch and Sew are readily available. I have found two of the manuals on the internet but still nothing for the Nelco, Seammaster or the Kenmore. Also, does the Singer Touch & Sew use the same type of slant feet as the Singer 401.

Macybaby

stuff for the Singer T&S are very common on eBay. Same with the Kenmore.

Rodney

What Macybaby said. You want the black tophat cams for the T&S. Singerco.com has free downloads for manuals for many of their machines. IMO the T&S requires a manual if you want full use out of it.
Rodney

Quincunx

You have a Touch'n'Sew that did not make a tangle on the first few stitches? That is half the battle! I was reading a PatternReview thread on Golden Touch'n'Sew and people were divided between calling them just another Touch'n'Swear and people saying theirs worked fine. Maybe you got lucky and this is one of the ones that was not a lemon. That will use Touch-n-Sew 600 series cams (wide, black top hat, with a U-shaped hole in the disc) but it already has plenty of cams in the stacks.

ann31039

sears.com and hammerwall.com for the kenmore manual. I was able to get all but one of mine on there.

Sunflowerzz

As far as I know none of them are lemons. Singer would not go to the trouble of making thousands of machines that don't work. Singer has made several machines that were way beyond their time and they didn't last just because they weren't understood. It has too many differences, people had to actually read and study the manual in order to run it, and most people that are disappointed with it haven't studied the manual.

If they tangle on the first few stitches then it is human error caused by not reading the manual and knowing how to correctly operate the machine. These machines have to be started with the needle all the way in the down position and into the fabric.

They have some very different ways of use including the bobbins which I love now that I know how to work them, and if anyone tries to use these machines like most other machines they will fail miserably. I bought one because I am stubborn and wanted to figure them out. Mine works beautifully but I did have to read the manual from cover to cover and highlight all of the rules of use and it is now one of my favorite machines. When I tested it by trying to use it like my other machines it was the dreaded birds nest. When I used it as described in the manual, she sewed flawlessly. I have about 5 now and hope to teach classes on how to properly use these wonderful machines.

It just saddens me to keep reading about how terrible they are, when it is actually just plain human error.

maviskw

In early 1980's a relative bought a Golden Touch 'n' Sew, and she took it back to the dealer. On that machine, the needle always stops in the "up" position. There are many time when you want the needle to be down when you stop.

purplefiend

My Mom had a Golden T&S 750, that was an awful machine. Thread barfs constantly. She thought it was wonderful, my sister and I didn't.
Sharon

nlpakk

I had a Touch and Sew 626 and I loved it and sewed a ton of clothes on it for my kids and myself. My hubby did replace some plastic gears but it was a simple job. The hard part, at that time, was finding the gears or getting anyone to order them for you. I think it would be different today as more people are discovering these older machines and appreciating them. I finally gave mine to a teen age girl who didn't have money for a machine, hopefully she is still using it. I also have a 600, which was given to me, but have not used it much, but it does work fine.

time2quilt

Stories like yours make me feel so much better. I don't buy on CL, but do at every yard sale or thrift shop where machines are available.