Cecilia S.

Hi All,

I have just joined, and I posted this in the "Introduce Yourself" area; someone suggested I post it here. Thanks in advance!

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Thanks for all the wonderful information that is already on your group.

I just acquired a very solid old German sewing machine, a Phoenix 429. The handwriting on the paperwork says it was purchased in January 1955.

It has the manual but... it is in German.

I would really like to see an English manual, particularly the portions pertaining to tension, threading, and bobbins. Or just learn from any of you who have this machine, regarding its unusual-to-me threading and bobbin.

I hope someone here has the same machine :-)

Thank you so much in advance,

-Cecilia.

nanna-up-north

Welcome to the board and the vintage blog. I don't have a machine like yours and don't read or speak German but I'm sure someone will have some information that you can use. Did you look on the ismacs.com site to see if there is a manual somewhat like your machine?

frudemoo

Hi Cecilia

Welcome to my world!! I have a Phoenix 250. No manual to be found anywhere in English - but it looks like I might finally be getting one from Germany. It will be in German but I will ask a friend to translate.

Not sure about a 429 but unless there's someone here who has one, I would definitely recommend finding someone to translate it for you as I think it would be quicker than finding an English manual. Otherwise you can try using a manual from a different model and see if there's enough crossover to get it working well.. Try this link

Once I've got my manual and spent a bit more time with my machine, I'll be very happy to share any information I learn. Best of luck to you too!

Cheers,
Amelia

Cecilia S.

Thanks all so far for the responses!

The manual is a compact booklet, 63 pages long, lots of text. Mostly I can intuit what I need to about the machine, but the bobbin is weird; the bobbin case is not the funky one as on the 282; rather, the 429 bobbin case looks more typical, but with a funny hook on it. (But no vault-like housing as on the more modern Phoenix machines. This machine, by the way, does only straight and zig zag.)

The link in Amelia's post to the 282 manual is largely helpful, for the machines are similar; however the bobbin and such still has me stumped.

The threading is also bizarre, with a funky tension spring on the upper tension dial that I can not intuit how to thread properly. I think the upper threading is similar to the other Phoenix machines; is anyone willing to send a close up photo of how to thread around the funky tension spring at the upper tension dial?

The machine is in great order, but I threaded it to the best of my intuition, and based on the diagrams in the German namual, but no doubt missing some all-important details in the text, and I caused a thread jam in the bobbin assembly (race?) which will require full disassembly. So I know I am doing something wrong.

Needle direction? Threading direction? Bobbin thread direction? Who knows...

-C.

p.s. My machine looks very similar to this one: http://rudolfcouture.com/wardrobe/in...d=47&Itemid=39

Cecilia S.

By the way, how do I post a photo here to show you the machine? Do I click 'attachment' or 'insert image'?

-C.

JudyTheSewer

insert image. Welcome to the board! I like German machines.

wesing

There are on-line translators that you can use to translate some (or all) of the manual yourself. I have translated text for work this way, and in general have gotten good results. With 63 pages, you might want to be selective, but you can translate the section or chapter headings first, then go straight to the sections you want to see first.

Darren

miriam

Try going to a school and see if someone wants to translate.
I had a Phoenix machine until a month or so ago... A little gal came looking to buy a machine and the more I talked to her the more I knew she needed the Phoenix. I had so NOT intended to sell that machine. I just loved it. Anyway she bought it. When I sold it to her I figured out the free motion - WOW WOW WOW that one was wonderful - it had something in the back you let down and a neat little foot. I'm wondering if you can shoot a pic of the bobbin case? I'm betting the thread winds through that thing you said sticks up. Once you figure out that machine you will love it.

Cecilia S.

I am so excited to have found this group of Old Machine Enthusiasts!!!! I am very new to sewing, and I love old solid things. I could not stomach the idea of going to Sears and buying a plastic machine that sounds like a stitching staple gun. So I am now suddenly the proud owner of:

1) Single-stitch White brand machine, blue in colour, just gorgeous to see, hear, and feel.
2) Centennial Featherweight, barely been used, the lady had the needle in backwards and just thought it did not work well; I bought it for a song and had no idea that the blue-rimmed badge meant Centennial, meant Collector's Item!
3) Bernina Lemon #1: Record 530, the nicest bedside lamp I have ever had. Motor turns out to be burnt out and not replaceable. :-(
4) Bernina Lemon #2: 730, turns out to have a cracked gear. Someday I will tinker and replace. Otherwise --pristine--.
5) Green Elna Supermatic. Needs new friction wheel, but otherwise I think maybe it was used six times. So pretty.
6) Elna SU 62, in great shape but needs ongoing de-gunking and de-nicotine-ing from the heavy smoker who owned it previously.
7) Phoenix 429. Nicknamed: The Beast, for it looks a bit scary and if I were a child, I'd probably have nightmares about it!

Am insane? ;-) I guess we may all have a collector's streak in us. Okay, next I will try to send some photos of The Beast! :-)

-C.

Cecilia S.

Okay, firstly, I could not resist showing you my Bernina Bedside Lamp in action.

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