For those of you familiar with Washington State's highways and byways, I drove to Washtucna on I-90 to Vantage, then took 26 across the state for a straight shot to my destination. To get to Wenatchee, I drove back to Othello on 26, north to Moses Lake on 17, west on I-90 to 281, north on 281 to Quincy and 28 (F Street, in town), then west and north to East Wenatchee where this machine was waiting for me:
This is a Brother lockstitch buttonhole machine. It is huge and very heavy. It is all-metal, made in Japan, and in very good condition save for two parts that are missing (that I know of). There are several reasons I bought it: 1) I have a chain stitch buttonhole machine that I love but the chain stitch, although very beautiful in a buttonhole application (especially corded), is limited due to the fragility of the stitch itself; 2) price; 3) I'm always looking for an excuse to go to Wenatchee and if you've never been there, it's a very nice town and I recommend a visit; 4) price; 5) buttonhole machines are fascinating to watch in action and so fast and accurate -- no fiddling with an external attachment, templates, etc.; 6) price. Did I mention the price was really low?
The seller is moving across the country and needed to sell machines. She's a self-taught seamstress and sewing machine mechanic/collector and she had some beautiful machines to show me. We spent a good hour together just discussing our passion and how much we enjoy it, we swapped some tips and funny stories and generally had a great time. Delightful.
I've since downloaded the manual and spent about 3 hours cleaning it. I'm guessing this machine is from the early to mid-'90s and operating the positioning crank, it's smooth, smooth, smooth. As you can see behind the plastic guard, the machine operates on a huge steel cam that changes the direction of the feed for each side of the buttonhole. A full set of gears and accessories/tools was included, although the machine is missing a bobbin winder wheel on the side and the bottom plate the machine sits on. (These are the parts I know are missing; I'll update if and when I find out more.)
I'll have to get a table for it (I have a spare .5 hp clutch) and spend some quality time with the manual. I may even have a tech stop by and make sure I've set it up correctly as this is one complex machine. Threading it appears pretty straightforward and the knife mechanism seems to be highly accurate and unforgiving. Ginsu!
Anyway, I think it's a neat machine and I'm anxious to get to know it. How cool would it be to make jeans and other trousers using a genuine dedicated buttonhole machine instead of having to use a buttonhole attachment? At some point I'll make a video and upload it to YT so you can see it work its magic. These single-use industrials are miracles of ingenuity.
*THAT* is a marvel of engineering and a thing of beauty.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's a nice one. I couldn't not buy it. :) But it's about 200 lbs.
DeleteThat is a beautiful machine. Glad you got it. I almost bought a buttonhole machine recently. Lack of space stopped me. Can't wait to see yours in action. Love to see them in action on YT.
ReplyDeleteI always tell myself I don't have the space but I always manage to squeeze in one more. When I get moved, this one's going to be center stage in my studio. All I'll need is a director's chair.
DeleteAn engineering marvel. Looks like a lot of levers and gears to play with.
ReplyDeleteYes, color me intimidated. (Actually, when you look up close, it's pretty clear what's going on. But don't tell anyone and thus blow my cover.)
DeleteUnlike a few of my machines, I think this is one industrial that I'll actually use fairly often. Buttonholes are fun? Yes!
I almost hate to bother you about this, I found you through Suck it Up Buttercup blog and now I follow you. Janet said you have a 158.18011 and you love it. I found one at goodwill yesterday for 12.oo. It is cosmetically in good shape but stiff from neglect. I cleaned it up and got it running free again but the motor was smoking and sparking. Since I used to rebuild alternators. as a teenager I didn't hesitate to open it up and the brushes were shot. I contacted sears and they couldn't help. What would you suggest. Where can I find machine brushes or where can I locate a new motor. I hesitate to buy a new one as I operate my 20 plus obsession on a shoestring but I just can't stand to see things not running. If I can fix it...
ReplyDeleteHello and thanks for commenting! Any friend of Janet is a friend of mine.
DeleteIn my experience, brushes are very commonly found on eBay -- they needn't be from Sears or necessarily from a sewing machine motor in order to be appropriate. Price-wise, you might be better off buying a used sewing machine motor rather than the brushes themselves. Also, you might consider a donor motor from another machine. I have found Kenmores on CL for free, complete with motors that are in excellent condition. I just got back from the Dept. of Licensing (renewal -- ugh) and stopped by the local thrift store. 3 machines, 2 of them Kenmores, 1 of them in bad shape but probably has a good motor (the underside was very clean) and it was only $5.99. That's likely cheaper than buying brushes and you still have other parts you can sell yourself. The problem with that is that you are still left with a motorless machine. However, if the donor machine is in truly bad cosmetic condition and is giving its organs to save a very nice 18011 (and the donor machine is free or extremely low-priced), it's a good and probably necessary process.
I hope you find a good and inexpensive solution, as these older Kenmores are such wonderful machines and will be sewing long after we're gone thanks to our efforts at fixing and maintaining. I hope my suggestions are helpful...? Let us know how it works out (I share your fixing obsession) and best of luck!