Triplets

Part of the haul I got from Judy as I wrote about in Overloaded included three Berninas that I quickly tested and then put aside. I finally got tired of tripping over them so got them up to the table to see what was going on. For starters, there were two 1008's and one 1006 with the main difference being stitch selection.

Bernina 1006 stitch selection: 13

Bernina 1008 stitch selection: 16

The Bernina 1008's had eight basic stitches that were doubled when switched to stretch stitches. The 1006 had a few more decorative stitches with a total of sixteen different selections. First we had to see what was holding them up and for the most part it was bobbin adjustments or replacements and foot control speed adjustments.

For the most part. This is a moment to pause and take a deep breath.

One of the 1008's would not make a full turn as it kept hitting something I couldn't see. Peering inside showed there was quite a bit of thread wound around the take up arm mechanism so I carefully removed it section by section until it looked pretty clear. That helped but there was still something hitting. With a pen light I spied something like a small white disk resting at the bottom of the needle arm so using my hemostats I lifted it out. It was a small plastic part of something that had snapped off and gotten wedged into place keeping the needlebar from going all the way down. Success! No, it still had a significant hitch in its giddyap so I kept looking and found more thread in another place and kept pulling it out until I saw clean metal. Still something was catching so I looked again with a pen light to find the other part of the broken piece also lying at the bottom of the needlebar. Now it would move nicely and I could make other adjustments for a good stitch. It was okay but sounded too loud so more adjustments and it finally stopped working. On to number 1006.

Bernina 1006

This model was a bit simpler but there were problems with the jack-rabbit take off speed. Wow, no one could sew like that but then I took a look at the actual foot control and noted it had an adjustment screw on the bottom. Out of the three foot controls, one was adjusted easily but the other two still were too fast even after moving the screw as far as it would go. That left opening them up and I did, at least two to three times each only to find one of them could not be adjusted any further and wasn't going to get fixed by me. It's possible I could do a bit of research to see what else is recommended but the 1006 has another problem:

Bernina 1006 backside looks a bit exposed

Yes, the lower panel that hides the feed dog mechanism is missing. What? It's possible I could find another one but there's also supposed to be an accessory box in that spot so maybe I should search for one of those instead. It's also getting put aside for the moment.

The final Bernina 1008 is just fine, only needing the tension adjusted and it's sewing perfectly. I try out the buttonhole steps but that's not quite right and then I remember that's one of the parts that fails unless it is used frequently so now I better read up on it but don't think it should be a deal breaker.

My three Bernina's weren't a slam-dunk but are very doable with a bit more work and a few more parts but they are Bernina and do sew a fine stitch. It's possible I won't get the dead 1008 to revive and in that case I'll see if I can get the back plate to fit into the missing space and use the better foot control. With the holiday's here I've been listing machines and selling so I expect it to be a busy week with appointments as I keep cleaning, repairing, and selling these oh-so-sweet vintage sewing machines.