I dropped by the local Value Village to shop for a few things and just happened to walk through the furniture aisle. You never know what you'll find, AM I RIGHT? Now, I love a good formica end table with one end of the handle falling off, a side strip of the laminate coming unglued, and a water stain from a houseplant. Don't you?
OK, let's cut the crap. I went in that store determined to find a sewing machine -- hoping and praying for a Kenmore -- and lo and behold, this 8-stitch beauty was sitting fat and sassy, ready for my greedy mitts. Perhaps that water stain was my drool, I'm not sure.
It was filthy and still has a fair amount of dirt in the crevices and seams. I'm going to be cleaning this one every time I run it, seeing little lines of dirt and old oil between every panel. Ah, the price we collectors must pay for our indulgences.
It's one of the lower-end Jaguar/Maruzen Kenmores built in Taiwan in the late '70s, probably 1977 or '78. (No wonder the transition to Janome was so uneventful.) I'm happy to report that it is as smooth and heavy as its Japanese counterparts.
It has plenty of small dings and fine scratches but all the knobs, spool pins, thread guides, etc. are present and in good working order. It's been sitting in the sun, as it has a light case of UV on several of the plastic panels. No attachments or manual were included -- not even the power cord/pedal. Fortunately, I have an extra cord/pedal that I believe will work, once I dig it out and see if it has the proper plug configuration.
The model tag states 'Simpsons-Sears, LTD. (LTEE.) - Canada.' It's possible this machine was purchased in Canada and brought south, as I found it near the Canadian border. I haven't seen many of these 8-stitch models; perhaps these were made primarily for non-U.S. markets. Once I get it fully oiled and running, I'll update this post and hopefully give two thumbs up.
This is exactly the kind of machine I love to find and the $4.99 price tag makes it all the sweeter.
I've got a metal Kenmore that came from Canada--the serial number starts with C, the motor was made in Montreal, and it also says Simpson-Sears on the machine. It's a nice little machine and it only needs a little bit of work to get it running.
ReplyDeleteI have not had much luck at Value Village, but I keep checking.
Yes, that's a machine made for the Canadian market. I've only seen one of them in this area and one advertised up in Blaine, although I do see the black 1950s Canadian Singers fairly often. Is the universe telling me that the Pfaff I've been eyeing on CL up in Vancouver is the one for me? One must be open to suggestions, right?
DeleteDuring all of this collecting, VV has been one of my mainstays. Fantastic deals on just about everything but especially machines. Then again, there are about 5 of them within a fairly small radius. Even my family is shopping at VV due to my harangues.
We're so close to Canada, too, that I wasn't that surprised to find it down here. Don't think I have seen any Canadian Singers, though--at least not that I can remember. Which Pfaff are you looking for? There is a model on the Spokane CL that is haven't seen before.
DeleteWe have no VVs here but there are a couple in Spokane that are easy for me to check out. I like how all the thrift stores are clustered together in Spokane. It sure makes it easy to shop for sewing machines.
There's a Pfaff industrial that appears every few weeks or so. They probably haven't sold it, as their price is above most domestic machines (as it should be), so I expect it will re-appear in a short while. I'm looking for a 545, 145, or 1245 H4. That's the last industrial I plan to buy for a very long time, as it's a heavy-duty straight for vegetable tanned leather and other heavy materials. I would like a hybrid compound feed like that one (walking foot in combination with needle feed), as it offers superb control. They're really hard to find at a price that is reasonable because only specialists buy them and they all know what they're worth.
DeleteGo look at the Pfaff 139(?) on the Spokane CL. Why does it look like that one Kenmore model? Or is it my imagination?
DeleteIt's your good eye. The Pfaff 139 was manufactured in then-W. Germany by Gritzner-Kayser, a longtime manufacturer of great machines which was later purchased by Pfaff. They made the same machine (different design details, colors, etc.) badged as Pfaff, Gritzner, White, Domestic, and Kenmore. There were two versions: a basic zig-zag and one that took cams (under the nickel-plated name plate in the middle of the machine -- it's a small door). The 139 offered at that fantastic price is the basic version. I have one and I also have two of the Kenmores, too -- one basic, the other being the higher-end model with the external cam assembly.
DeleteVery good machines, though not really Pfaffs. Gritzner made excellent treadles and some early electric straight-stitch machines.
Oh, interesting. The things you learn.
ReplyDelete