Zero Cost

We have a "zero cost initiative" at work where we are looking to have college course materials that are free for the students. It would be nice if every course would only have the cost of the tuition and not have to pay even more for books! Thinking along those lines, I got a zero cost sewing machine on Sunday that is pretty interesting, an Adler 153A:

Adler 153A

I answered the ad in the first half hour and they wanted me to come as soon as possible so I got in the car and started driving to get there before 3:30 when they would go to the next person if I was a no-show. Sometimes it is hard to give something away! I not only got there before 3:30, they handed me a bag of accessories and even carried the machine out to the car for me. That's great on both parts because the bag contained parts for the Adler and also an Elna! Plus, she's a hefty 46 pounds and I do not want to have to carry her around any more than necessary. Electrical looked good so I turned the handwheel only to find it was not going to move...yet. Heat, oil, thread removal, oil, heat, much persistence and she started to move. It was difficult to see where to even put the oil:

Adler 153A with back plate removed

After some decent movement and cosmetic cleaning of the exterior I could turn my attention to the decorative stitch cams. It came with one installed and two in the bag of accessories. I could see how they worked but there are two levers and I'm unsure about what each ones does: no manual but several videos that I'll need to watch again.

Cam inserted with dials below: on or off?

When I tried to install the other cams I could see they had a position pin on the back that should be inserted into the cam holder inside the machine. This machine did not have an actual hole, just a spot where the pin would catch. The cam would not click in flush, it stuck out too far and didn't engage the feeler finders for each knob. This meant some modification was in order: I filed off the pin on each one until it would fit comfortably. This is a very big no-no but I have no other Adler for these cams yet one that needs those cams. Leaving just enough of the pin so it could still be used by the machine they were meant for, it was a decent compromise.

Adler 153A with top off and exposed cam mechanism

Stitching is good, tension is great, I tried several belts to keep her quiet, so I think she is ready for prime time! As I go to pack her all up I notice the foot control, all scratched up and dirty. I clean up the outside and then take out the one screw that is holding it together to find:

Foot control opened up: dirty inside!

It's really dirty in there. A somewhat open design, there were rolls of dust and even a few slivers of fabric wound around the moving parts. I got it all cleaned out, electrical double checked, and reassembled with two screws to hold it together better than before. It's fun to run and works similar to the Brother Select-o-Matic: when the cam is running the zigzag and needle position dial moves automatically:

Adler 153A with Automatic dial feature

It's pretty cool to watch it run. I need to make a stitch sample to check my final product and wanted to wait until it had a chance to sit in its newly oiled self before running it again.

Sitting overnight with time for the oil to penetrate, it runs better in the morning. Here's a stitch sample I made up with a variegated thread:

Adler 153A stitch sample

Not too much information online about this model except to say it was known to have a cleated belt made out of a fiber that didn't hold up. Many of these models are around but not running without that belt. Check: my belt is in great shape so I dodged that bullet. I'm pretty happy with her and think I can find a new home for her. Zero cost: that's my style.