Dollars and Cents

I love what I do. Buying, refurbishing, and (hopefully) selling vintage sewing machines has become a hobby that makes money. Sort of. Since we have passed the end of the year, I now need to pay taxes on what I've sold and that includes craft fair items and sewing machines. When I have my personal taxes done I come prepared with all of my expenses and sales as well as labor charges (sometimes I only perform labor, no sales) and that will tell the real tale. Do I make a profit? Not last year but I think this year I just might have. This takes us to the question of how much money do I make off of the machine I sell to you? Now we are getting personal!

Stories are told of finding highly sought after sewing machines for a mere pittance and the joy of bringing it back into working order. What a find! For example, a sewing machine was only $3 at a thrift store because it was half price day or I could use a seniors discount. I take it home and find I need to do some major cleaning, oiling, and adjusting, about 4 hours of work. Because it came with no accessories I have to either purchase a set of feet and bobbins or see if I can put together a set from my own supplies. These might come from a donor machine or if there were extras with another machine but they are worth at lease $5-7. New needles need to be a part of every sewing machine and those do have a cost even if I use 50% off coupons. Now my bargain sewing machine has run me about $15 plus 4 hours of time. This is a basic run-of-the-mill example but most are not so easy and need rewiring of the foot control/motor/light that can take anywhere from one to four hours with the cost of the wire and new plugs adding up. Does the wooden box need a recover job? What kind of shape is the cabinet in? Can it be restored or does it need a full strip-down and refinishing? It's not just the time either but all of this takes supplies that get used up and need to be bought again and again.

I have a set of shelves of sewing machines that are all ready for someone to take home and begin sewing. I take one off the shelf and get it ready for a photo session, which used to mean putting it on a table and taking up to 10 photos with my phone's camera. If I plan it right, I can now use my husbands new camera and set up the tripod, staging area with backdrops, lights on poles, and photograph more than one sewing machine while I have it all set up. Photos have to be downloaded to my computer, cropped, and edited in many ways. Now comes the fun part: setting up an ad for my local Craigslist. Each ad needs proper wording to put the best features forward and to be as descriptive as possible. Here's one ad:

Vintage White brand sewing machine in a cool zebra striped portable case. This sleek sewing machine makes great stitches, looks in near perfect shape, has all metal inside and out for long wear. The custom covering on the portable case gives this machine a new and clean feel. Includes a box of accessories and foot control. Has been cleaned, oiled, and tested so you will not have to take it in for service but just get ready to sew. Give this sewing machine a test drive to see what you are missing!  

This White sewing machine is an animal!

Each photo shoot and ad takes at least an hour of my time and skill. If you have been adding this up you will see that even a bargain sewing machine in good shape takes a considerable amount of time and sometimes money to bring it to the buying public.

How about pricing: how do I decided what to charge? This is usually based on the market, looking at other similar sewing machines and seeing what they are listing for and using Ebay sold items price. That $3 sewing machines is selling for $50 on Ebay and I have invested $20 and 8 hours of time. Can I price it for $150? Sure, but it will sit on my shelf. So I price it to sell and put a price tag of only $40 on it thinking it would be a nice addition to a collector, beginning sewer, or to fill a special aspect of someone's herd of sewing machines. You can see that I'm not making much money on this but I get to work and play with each machine and have the privilege to place it in someone's hands, hopefully, to make it productive again or open up a world of sewing to a beginner. That might sound hokey to some but I really do like to match up each person looking for a sewing machine to the right machine. The look of delight in their eyes when they walk out the door with their treasure is pretty wonderful.

Now for the hard part. Negotiation. Most people are not taking into account all of the above and just want a sewing machine for a bargain: that's why they are using Craigslist, right? But when that $40 sewing machine, that now works great, is posted I really do think it's a bargain price. But I frequently get asked if I can go lower, like to $25. Of course I can, but I'm reluctant to let this now nice sewing machine walk out my door with only $10 going into my kitty. All that work for $10? With my asking price I'm only making $25 and that's for about a days work on it. If you want a bargain you can get that sewing machine at a thrift store like I did and take it home with you, spending your spare time getting it into shape. Don't have the skill or time? That's what you are paying me for, my skill and time. It's nice when you honor my request for a price as fair because you are not getting cheated and I'm not getting rich with my hobby/business. Trust me.

A Little Saturday Serendipity

I love a Saturday with no plans, walking around in pajamas, drinking cups of coffee, reading the newspaper. Last Saturday was just such a day with no special plans so I did a little sewing, worked in the yard, cooked up some applesauce, and made Belgium waffles for lunch. When I finally sat down for a quick late afternoon nap I check my phone and went to the local Craigslist ads. Why, why, why? I was trying to rest, not look at more sewing machines! I tell myself I'm just checking out the "competition" but I'm only kidding myself because when the right sewing machines come along I'm ready to buy.

The ad said there were four sewing machines, two in cabinets, $10 each. The photos weren't too clear and I think only two were heads and then two closed cabinets. Upon closer inspection I saw that one was a Singer 201. No kidding. A 201. The 201. $10. I text the seller and asked if the photo of the Singer with the light in front was still for sale (it's now 4 hours after the posting start) and it still was. Got the address and took off, checking first to see if my husband wanted to eat dinner now or later. After those waffles he was willing to wait, just my good luck. The Singer was on the front step when I pulled up so I handed the woman $10 when she asked if I wanted to see the others. Of course: I thought you'd never ask! One was a Singer vibrating shuttle in very poor condition, an old White with mold spores (I already have two in good shape), and a Kenmore that was shiny black in a model 15 style. The Kenmore had my interest but the poor cabinet was painted red so was a disaster. No plug, no foot control. Hummm. But here's a lady that wanted them gone so I offered $5 and the 201 and a black Kenmore came home with me:

Singer 201-2

 Besides just needing a good clean-up, the foot control had been snipped off but the wiring appeared to be in fine shape. Six feet of new lamp cord (16/2?) for the foot control and she runs. Well, sorta, so I had to take the bobbin casing out, clean up and figure out how it was supposed to work. This is where owning another one comes in handy to check and see how it was supposed to look and work. I've got it working now but the tension is off so more adjustment is coming. The bed of the machine has almost no decals left but the paint is smooth and still very usable if not very pretty. Here's the good part: I looked up the date via the serial number plate and it was dated June 13, 1950. Yes, my sister Sue, one day before you were born. How about that? I think she should be named Susan.

The Kenmore is a 148-273 and looked pretty good but needed a cleaning and a three slot plug. I do have one but the control is supposed to be a cabinet mounted knee control so it's a bit tricky to sew while holding the control in both hands. But she does sew and is quite handsome:

Kenmore 148-273

Isn't she a beaut? From what I can tell, she even sews fairly well but I will have to figure out something else for the foot control. This was one great Saturday, with two sewing machines that might not be exactly classic but come with all that's needed to sew, and do it with style.

I continue to try and finish up the spray painting in the garage since the daytime temps are only mid 50's so really too cold to leave a sewing machine out in the garage to dry. I will try my best to spray paint when I get home and it's the highest temperature for the day and then bring the sewing machine indoors before bed so it can dry in a warm environment. It's getting exciting to see the Pfaff 130 turning out so well but I'm trying to beat-the-clock of impending winter. Speaking of winter and trying to get the cars back into the garage: anyone want a free cabinet? They have got to go!

Males and Females

The joys of electrical connections! But I am not joyful. On New Years Day, we have our neighbors over for home-made donuts for a nice end to the holiday season and a way for us to connect before we all go inside for the winter and only see each other passing by in our cars. Our next door neighbor, Bob, has a long history with sewing machines since his own dad repaired them for a school district. We showed him the Damascus, a sleek beauty with a potted motor (potted motor = stuck on the back but integrated into the machine, not a separate piece you can trade out) and in good physical shape. Here's where the male and female parts come in: the electric plugs at the motor have one male, one female. The male outlet needs a female plug for the foot control and the female outlet need a male plug for the connection to the electric outlet in the wall.

We only got the foot control part so no connection to the electric source. We took it all apart with Bob's help to see if we could change the outlets/plugs but didn't see how that was possible so it got put into a box and there it sits. Until now. Same machine, different name, potted motor, both the same male and female plugs came up on Goodwill Online Auction this week and, yes, I did win it. No shipping & handling charge since I can drive into their center in St. Paul to pick it up so it's more affordable and I could bid a bit higher than others. For under $20 she came home with me today.

1st Damascus on left, auction item on right

 Now I have the electric plug so I can finally test this all out. The plug end looks okay but the wires will need to be fixed but that should be okay, too.

female left, male right

Very funky foot control, too!

Even the foot controls are different with the bottom of the shoe shape and weird vented box on the side. But things don't go as I expected when I cannot get the motor back into the sewing machine. The carbon brushes are out, nothing to obstruct, but it doesn't go in. While I wait for inspiration to strike I start to turn the hand wheel and find out this thing barely moves. I get it oiled and keep trying to keep things moving but they haven't moved in a long time and are reluctant to start now. I go back to the machine from the auction and it moves great, of course. So the machine that looks great is not moving, motor pulled out (and not going back in too well) but the machine that looks crummy is moving right along. Oh boy, now I have a dilemma. Keep working on the bright shiny model or try to clean up the poor one in hopes of getting it to work? No! I will not give up but will find a way to get that motor back inside and working again. It isn't going to be easy so stay tuned. Just like in all relationships it's not always about the obvious but it's the little things that can do us in!

She's Wired

Sometimes I wonder if I like the handcrank and treadle (termed "people powered" amongst their fans) sewing machines because I don't have to worry about the electrical connections. Today I decided to put my new-found electrical skills to the test. I have a section of the work area with machines labeled for various wiring jobs and picked two out that I thought I could successfully tackle. Here are some before photos of the offending parts:

Cracked rubber casing exposes wiring

Wires between motor and 3 prong receptical

The motors were opened, inspected, cleaned out but re-wiring was not in order just some electrical tape as reinforcement.

Motor insides are quite mysterious

After the motor was reassembled, now came the part I was most unsure about since I had placed the cords in the wrong 1,2,and 3 prong spots before. I made a diagram on a post-it:

Not an artist but accuracy was the skill

I second guess myself on the foot control wire so asked hubby for his opinion and changed it back.

Success!

I plugged everything in, got the motor and light firmly attached, and hit the gas. Okay, so I made quite a few adjustments before it ran smoothly but here's the Singer 15 now all ready to go:

Singer 15

With this much success I tackled the next one with similar problems but this time the motor was newer and slightly different. It did not want to come together but I finally got it to work but not too smoothly. This is where my research helped because they said after you run it awhile the bearings will adjust and they were right. Here's both the Singer 15 and 66 (second sewing machine to get wiring):

Neither of them are beauties cosmetically but the 15 is a great machine and sews beautifully so a few wear marks on her are fine. Now the 66 is a different story because it has initials scratched into it; I think this will be my first paint job. It's amazing what a little success can lead you to try!

Where to Begin

So many parts in wiring a Pfaff 130

I was so proud to finally find a Pfaff 130 that I almost disregarded the state it was in. Not to be too discouraged, I got the price down to what it was worth at this stage of disrepair, but I would need to put  quite a bit of time into the cabinet as well as the machine itself. The cabinet is another very long story of grief I wrote about in this post but today I will address the sewing machine itself. Hubby and I looked over the wiring, knowing it had to be replaced, determining we would have to order a new set of wires. Order was done and I had to wait only a few days but it was with bated breathe. On the day it arrived you can see by the mess on the kitchen table what happened.

Wires done wrong!

In discussion about how electrical wiring works, I followed my husbands advice but didn't dare try it out until he checked it over. Glad I waited until he did because the next photo notes the wrong way to put the light and motor wires onto the three pins. We tested and reversed wires until it was running correctly.

While waiting, I cleaned the part of the machine that would be more difficult to clean when the light and motor were put back on but you can see it's in pretty poor condition with paint bubbling up and peeling off the bed. This is not acceptable for sewing when paint chips off onto your fabric! I fear we are looking at a new paint job. Will this sewing machine be worth it?

Note poor paint condition on bed

Stitch sample

With the wiring all done and put back together I got it all oiled up and started to sew. Many adjustments later and warming up in general (how long had she been on that porch before coming home to me?) I finally got it to sew. Note the fine stitches I got right from the first! It's a honey of a sewing machine and will be worth a repaint job.

Her papers

I even took a photo of the paperwork that came with her (no longer an "it" but now a "her"!), noting it was bought on April 28, 1953. The cabinet model number is 144,  The Californian, so modern, so new. It's not love but it's certainly admiration that I have for this old girl who is going to enjoy getting spiffed up.

Little Critters

Most people feel compelled to tell me why they are selling or giving up the sewing machine I'm buying or taking home for free. Here are some reasons I've heard:

• I just don't sew.
• I don't sew anymore.
• It was my mom's (and she must not be around anymore).
• My mom tried to get me interested in sewing but I'm just not..
• I'm tired of feeling guilty so I'm just selling it.
• It was in my ex-wife's family but none of them wanted it.
• Mom went to memory care.
• My eyesight isn't what is used to be and I had to give up sewing.

Only a few times have I heard someone say they bought a newer/better sewing machine. Maybe that is tactful since I'm getting something they clearly have cast off as not being good enough. Of course, I'm delighted to take their unwanted gem!

Sewing machines are frequently stored in garages and basements, delegated to a spot in the corner with everything stacked on top of it. Years of storage in a basement leads to a musty smell but the garage is even worse because it is cold in Minnesota! Freezing a big chunk of metal like a sewing machine doesn't help it even when it thaws; lubricant on metal gears dries and it can't do the job it was meant to do. But even worse is having such an item in a place where little critters can come and make a nest.

I went after a Kenmore sewing machine this week that was being given away.

Decent small wood cabinet, accessories included, knee control and wiring were all there, but when we went to take the head out of the cabinet there was all kinds of junk that fell out of the head. They said that must have been from when the squirrels had gotten in to the garage where it was stored. Of course squirrels like to nest but I'm thinking inside a sewing machine is very tight quarters, more like mouse headquarters, not squirrels. I took it home and proceeded to pull out quite a bit of clean material that was used for nesting. It included string and fabric fibers, feathers, cat food, leaves, and other fairly dry materials.

Of course, I had to remove the motor to get to a large part of it and I wasn't too happy about it since I was cringing at the thought of finding the owners of the nest, but that didn't happen. Yet, this little exercise taught me a good lesson.

Once everything was out and I could look from the bottom through to the top, I could see the cord for the light had been gnawed and there was only bare copper wire for about 4 inches.

Two wires. Two wires that aren't supposed to touch. If I hadn't taken it apart I would have plugged it in and even without the nesting materials those base wires would have given me quite a shock. Do I check the internal wiring before I plug a machine in? Heck no. Should I? Yes, especially when someone tells me the sewing machine was stored in the garage. Some poor hungry critter tried to make a hospitable home but plastic coating on wire isn't much of a meal.

Glad to be alive and still sewing.