Sewing Machine Week In Review
07-31-2023, 10:32 AM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2022
Posts: 135
Sewing Machine Week In Review
My Sewing Machine Week in Review
From Tragedy to Triumph
Last week was a mixed week in the sewing machine department. First, the tragedy. On Thursday, FedEx delivered my spiffy new green machine. I've wanted one of those cute 185s or 285s for a while now. One popped up on the goodwill site, a 285K and it didn't look bad. The light was scraped up but otherwise intact. Well, until goodwill tossed it in a box, mostly devoid of padding. Pretty well destroyed by the time it arrived. It took some kind of a hit to the stitch length regulator, even breaking the plate around it (along with other obvious damage). The lever now won't move. Probably not worth fixing.
Redemption comes on Saturday, when I head out to meet a very nice couple of sewing machine enthusiasts and to buy the Elna pictured below. Dating to about 1955, it's a very complete package. Missing a couple of odds and ends but nothing major. It runs well in the limited 2 minutes I've had a chance to actually run stitches. It needs some elbow grease on the case, but otherwise it's very nice.
At the same place, I picked up the Necchi BU project machine. It's one that they started and just got away from them (like we all do). This could be one of the most fun machines I've ever bought. The first thing she did was study the exploded diagram ... and did that to her machine! I laugh every time I think about this machine, all it's parts meticulously labeled in plastic bags, blue painters tape protecting it everywhere. Taking them back down to bare metal isn't my usual MO, but the finish was so alligatored that the lady started scraping it down. I plan to take a chemical route but go the same place with it. She had all the repro decals. This is another one that came with boxes and boxes of extra stuff.
Both machines had original manuals and she emailed numerous service manuals for both.
I hope your week went equally well.
From Tragedy to Triumph
Last week was a mixed week in the sewing machine department. First, the tragedy. On Thursday, FedEx delivered my spiffy new green machine. I've wanted one of those cute 185s or 285s for a while now. One popped up on the goodwill site, a 285K and it didn't look bad. The light was scraped up but otherwise intact. Well, until goodwill tossed it in a box, mostly devoid of padding. Pretty well destroyed by the time it arrived. It took some kind of a hit to the stitch length regulator, even breaking the plate around it (along with other obvious damage). The lever now won't move. Probably not worth fixing.
Redemption comes on Saturday, when I head out to meet a very nice couple of sewing machine enthusiasts and to buy the Elna pictured below. Dating to about 1955, it's a very complete package. Missing a couple of odds and ends but nothing major. It runs well in the limited 2 minutes I've had a chance to actually run stitches. It needs some elbow grease on the case, but otherwise it's very nice.
At the same place, I picked up the Necchi BU project machine. It's one that they started and just got away from them (like we all do). This could be one of the most fun machines I've ever bought. The first thing she did was study the exploded diagram ... and did that to her machine! I laugh every time I think about this machine, all it's parts meticulously labeled in plastic bags, blue painters tape protecting it everywhere. Taking them back down to bare metal isn't my usual MO, but the finish was so alligatored that the lady started scraping it down. I plan to take a chemical route but go the same place with it. She had all the repro decals. This is another one that came with boxes and boxes of extra stuff.
Both machines had original manuals and she emailed numerous service manuals for both.
I hope your week went equally well.
07-31-2023, 11:02 AM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: South of St Louis
Posts: 823
I shipped 2 sewing machines once to a person in NY, shipped via UPS, I prepackaged them with some shrink wrap and a board to protect the bottom; I hand carried them into UPS, the packaged and shipped, and it cost the person in NY about $200, just for UPS, but they arrived safe and sound. I've read more than a few stories of machines arriving from Goodwill in a condition other than as pictured. I won't ship a machine again though, even if the person is willing to pay for everything.
Have fun with the Necchi, The green one I had was super heavy, super smooth, and a little overengineered I felt.
Have fun with the Necchi, The green one I had was super heavy, super smooth, and a little overengineered I felt.
07-31-2023, 12:30 PM
#3
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 9,608
Ooooooh! That looks like a grasshopper! I've always wanted one of those. I haven't seen one for sale here in ages. I love the 185/285's too. I'm so sorry that GW didn't do a better job of packing. I'm sure not going to buy a machine from them and have it shipped.
07-31-2023, 05:39 PM
#4
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2022
Posts: 135
I think there was a model prior to this one (Supermatic) nicknamed "Grasshopper", wasn't there? I've never paid much attention to Elnas until I blundered into this one. I think I'm going to enjoy it.
Last edited by AlZilla; 07-31-2023 at 05:47 PM.
08-01-2023, 04:42 AM
#6
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Carroll, Iowa
Posts: 3,431
I had a brand new TV shipped by Sam's Clue from CA to IA and here is what I got. Wouldn't you know it, I can't find the photo I took of it when we turned it on. At first we thought it was someone's sick joke of a screen saver but it looked shattered within. No marks on the outside, only the inside and could only turn it on and off, nothing else. Shipped with FedEx. I've never had good luck with FedEx and was worried about having a TV shipped. Had to ship it back and now waiting patiently for my refund to show up. Sorry about your sewing machine. You'd think they would have at least put some padding around the machine. My TV had the styrafoam around it but that didn't save it. I'm thinking it must have been dropped on the screen side to cause the damage we saw.
08-01-2023, 06:57 AM
#7
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2022
Posts: 135
I forgot my own rule with goodwill - "don't buy anything with a cover". 3 problems, really - 1, they never pad enough between the machine and the case. 2 the case is so bulky, they use too small a box to keep shipping cost down and 3, they don't secure the base to the machine. The net result is that the machine head bangs around, damaging everything. This particular location is 3 for 3, by the way. 3 machines, 3 problems. 2 destroyed, 1 w/o a case made it intact but totally seized up. I'm still soaking and heating that one.
