Adler 189A Adlermatic Zig-Zag

There are times when there is a particular model a collector has wanted for years and after spending those years looking high and low (price and location), that collector finally realizes that in order to acquire it, some fairly serious cash will need to be spent or a refurbishment will be necessary.

That collector is myself and the machine is the Adler 189A Adlermatic.  I knew I had to have one the first moment I spied a dark, grainy picture of its gorgeous green self.  The rounded, bulbous shapes, the beautiful levers with red increments and numbers, the cam door that slides up and open, the nose plate that opens clam-shell style toward the left, the Pfaff 130-like rear access plate, the steel cams, the belt cover, the speed and strength, the ungodly smoothness -- it was a heady mix for a still-learning collector and perhaps these shapes and features imprinted my impressionable mind so deeply that I couldn't let go.  And now I finally have one.  Well, almost.

I decided not to spend a fortune and bought a 'For Parts or Repair' example.  It's missing the motor.  (Yes, you read that correctly.  I bought an electric, heavy-duty sewing machine with its motor missing.)  It's missing the thread tension assembly (except the post, check spring, etc.).  The thread take-up lever has been broken right off at the face plate.  No cord, no controller.  The cord that it has was a seller attempt and he actually wired the lamp correctly, so that works.  The hand wheel turns very smoothly and the knobs and levers all appear to be working as intended, although I need access to a manual to be sure.  This is not a simple machine.  No cams, no presser feet, no bobbin case (although the Pfaff 130's does fit and that means they are plentiful and fairly inexpensive).  It also needs a very thorough cleaning and adjusting.

But I didn't just buy it on impulse.  I knew it was a project machine and so the question with any somewhat rare machine is where to buy parts.  How much would it cost to purchase all these necessities for a working machine -- preferably original parts?  Well, I found an eBay seller who sold me a huge lot of Adler 189A parts (including the motor, the rear access plate, the hand wheel, the face plate with the cam door, levers, hook, innards, take-up lever, gears, etc., zig-zag and cam assemblies, rods and shafts, etc.) for the princely sum of $50.  So I bought the machine with a pending Best Offer on the parts and had my shorts in a wad for only about 2 hours hoping I could have a complete machine in about a month of studying the service manual.

Cosmetically, I've seen better examples of this machine but nearly every other 189A I've seen has at least some small areas of paint loss.  Since I'm very interested in a complete refurb, a paint-matching trip to the auto parts store is on the agenda not only because I want the machine to look its best but also to keep the existing paint around the dings from flaking.  However, I think the machine looks pretty good for a 'For Parts or Repair' -- what do you think?

Meister 101

This past Saturday was a day I had been anticipating for several weeks.

My friend Janet -- someone I have become friends with through this blog and through her own, the very entertaining Suck It Up, Buttercup -- had found a Meister 101 in the wild, specifically Whitefish, Montana and offered to retrieve it for me.  (She lives in beautiful Kalispell.)  Like a true collector, she found yet another machine in my neck of the woods (the Seattle metro area), a Necchi BF Mira in excellent condition which I purchased for her; we agreed to meet in Spokane the aforementioned weekend to exchange machines and meet each other in person.

Janet's daughter Mariah was with her and according to Janet's own account, she remarked that though we had not met in person until then, it was as if we were continuing a conversation we had begun many years ago in which long stretches of absence never matter.  Janet is as friendly, funny, generous, and genuinely nice as her blog posts and comments and in person even more so.  The sewing community is filled with great people and Janet does our hobby proud; a shared interest often facilitates such meetings and I'm very glad we agreed to have a machine exchange.  Thank you, Janet!  I hope we can do this again.

As she knows, I'm particularly fond of German mid-century machines and this 1953 Meister 101 is a really wonderful example of the kind of engineering that makes them so smooth, powerful, and to me, desirable.  I admit I haven't run the machine except to test that it works (and does it ever), but it is the beauty of the design and the cosmetic and mechanical condition that help make it such a great acquisition.

The width and length levers have an extremely long travel, facilitating very small adjustments.  The hand wheel is large and set apart from the body, the needle position lever on top also being large and easily adjusted.  I love the oil port arrow decals (and the red oil ports on both sides of the 1.0 amp motor), the hand wheel direction decal, and the limiting switch in the width lever.  Sometimes found badged as a Sewmaster (though neither version is very common), much of the Meister's design reminds me of the Anker RZ, another German machine I really like.

The hand wheel moves with an ungodly amount of smoothness and without a single drop of oil I found it both heavy and free with the only sound being the rise and fall of the feed dog mechanism, a very soft click typically made by a precision instrument.  The shafts and rods of this machine are very thick, particularly the secondary drive shaft.  Like the Anker RZ, the Pfaff 130 and 30, and other German machines of this era, there is a semi-industrial level of quality here.

The nose plate reminds me of several German machines, notably the Anker RZ and some Pfaff models, although the Meister has an angled back edge that sets it apart.

Clearly this particular machine has seen very little use.  It's near-mint and I am extremely pleased to have it.  Once again, my gratitude is to Janet, a collector who has the eye and the passion for fine vintage machinery.  The Meister 101 is more than a keeper -- it is among the top few machines in my collection.

(Hard to believe it's about 62 years old!  Also hard to believe is the price: $30!)
        

 

Barn Pfaff 30

Here is a Pfaff 30 I purchased at Goodwill for $19.99.  Someone asked whether it's from a barn and I replied that I assumed so, as it had straw strewn all over it, mouse droppings, and smelled like, well, a barnyard.  Surprisingly, it powers on and the light works.  It's almost frozen solid and the length lever is hard to move.

I'll be documenting my progress on this one.  It'll take a few days to get it clean and running so if you're interested in seeing it improve, check back!

Well, here it is, the cleaned, running version:

This one was a bitch to clean.  It still needs a new belt and wiring but it's running; that it has some dings and scratches means it'll be perfect for someone who wants a machine in good condition without worrying about damaging one that is near-mint.

The painting behind the machine is one I picked up for a few bucks while perusing craigslist.  It reminded me of a friend back on the East coast years ago, someone I really like.    

Pfaff 130 no. 2

I admit that I've overpaid for a few machines.  And I admit that I've underpaid for others -- many others.  Today, I was in a thrift store not looking for anything in particular and I just happened to walk by the furniture area where sewing tables can sometimes be found.  Look what I found:

The price?  $9.99.  This 130 looks like it's been used maybe 10 times.  The thing is absolutely beautiful and came with a metal Pfaff box full of feet and attachments, the original 1952 sales receipt, and a few other odds and ends.  The cabinet is probably going to have to be destroyed -- I think it's too far gone.  No power cord but the knee pedal and cord are very much intact.  It was even clean, requiring just the usual wiping down, a little vacuuming in the crevices, and buffing of the chrome.  I'm amazed no one else saw the value in this, as I was told it had been sitting there for a while.

To celebrate, I stopped by the Italian bakery nearby and bought biscotti, a Black Forest cake, lemon cream puffs, and sausage cannelloni with a house marinara sauce and a wedge of Reggiano for grating.  So much for being thrifty, right?

Pfaff 30

I just purchased a 30 from a local guy who had no idea about/interest in it.  It was $40, a good price.

(By the way, what is it with me and $40, i.e. all the machines I've purchased for that amount?  What is up with that?  Is there a virtual sign above my head that says '$40'?  Do people look at me and say to themselves "Him?  Yeah, I'd pay him $40"?  WTF?)

The 30 is not common in my area.  (Now watch -- they'll start popping up all over.)  I've never seen one in person until yesterday, the only one I've ever seen for sale here.  It's straight-stitch only with reverse, feed dog drop on the deck.  It takes Class 15 bobbins, so it's high-capacity.  The motor, oddly enough, is not the 1.3 amp Pfaff that is common on this machine (and the 130) but a 1.4 amp.  1/10 won't make a huge difference but it is a notable departure from what I've so far read is standard for these Pfaffs in the US.  Needless to say, it has power and speed to burn.  I'll do a LOT more sewing on it but I've had this machine less than 24 hours and it has vaulted to the top of my straight-stitch heap.

(I should also note that the seller, very pleased, told me that he sprayed WD-40 throughout the machine in order to help me get it running really smoothly.  I smiled and thanked him profusely and began to sweat.  I may have even shed a tear of both joy and sadness due to his good will and the problem he created.) 

The design of the bobbin area is unusual (to me) in that a hinged collar holds the housing in place rather than the more typical bracket/screw design.  The castings of the shafts and pins are very impressive.  I'm no expert but it appears this machine borders on semi-industrial.  Not a whiff of plastic anywhere except the tension and the wheel.

The cabinet is sturdy but the finish is obviously shot.  I like it though and will refurbish it; I particularly like the hardware and the spider webs on the base in the picture add to the vintage feel.  In it, I found 11 pairs of scissors and shears, a boat load of notions, a pair of lace panties, and a box of contraception.  Thus, I assume it was used as a night stand.  (OK, what was that about $40?)  The original manual is here, too.

From its condition, this is a machine that appears not to have seen much use.  That's hopefully going to change.

Adler 187

Here's an interesting machine I picked up yesterday.

This is an Adler 187 made in W. Germany in the early 1950s.  I haven't done any research on this machine except glancing at a blog or two, so here goes:

Adler made these machines for only 3 years, 1950 - '52.  From what little I've been able to find out about it, I wouldn't classify this as a rare model; however, it's not common and parts can be difficult to find.  It's a zig-zag, which surprised me when I had a chance to see it in person.  From pictures I'd seen months ago (and the machine was in the distance in the ad for this machine), I assumed it was a straight-stitch, as most of the controls are in the bottom right and all I really saw is the vertical length lever.  Seeing it for the first time, I immediately thought of the Necchi BC with a bit of Singer 15 thrown in due to the tension/thread take-up on the nose plate.

It's heavy and heavy duty.  Most interestingly, this machine is built to run clockwise rather than the standard counterclockwise.  This means that the motor and shaft (which turn sympathetically like any belted machine) turn in the opposite direction of all other machines I own except rotaries which are friction-driven, the motor and shaft turning toward one another.  Odd.  The wiring is bad on this machine and must be replaced, so regardless of direction, it won't be turning except by hand in the near future.

Another interesting feature is the bobbin case/hook/race assembly.  The bobbins themselves are flatter than most, as is the case and are placed in a clam shell style housing whose door is then snapped shut which puts the bobbin into position respective to the needle.  In watching the movement, the distance between the needle and hook appear to be constant and thus the amplitude of the needle appears to be the diameter of the hook travel circumference, though I'm not certain.  

It came with a carrying case (not in good shape), a box of attachments (feet, bobbins, straight-stitch plate, manual, Adler oil can, guide/screw, etc.).

It also came with a rather cool mid-century style cabinet that is original with the machine, complete with both knee and foot pedals:

I did have to clean the machine pretty thoroughly, even a preliminary cleaning just to take decent pictures.  It was covered in an oil haze that resembled shellac and some of it was very difficult to remove.  I had to resort to the Necchi Solution: 90% kerosene, 10% sewing machine oil and I used very fine steel wool, a toothbrush, rags, etc.

For $40, I believe this was a good deal.  It needs work but my first impression is that this is a very well-made, heavy duty machine.  Looking underneath and seeing the various shafts and pins, this may very well be a semi-industrial machine, though it's small for anything other than domestic use.   

(Sorry for the lackluster pictures.  I'm getting used to my new cameras and have just cracked open the manuals.)

Free-Westinghouse LZ

 

Sometimes having a good eye really pays off.  Or perhaps I was simply paying attention.  The above machine is one I spotted in a craigslist ad about 8 months ago.  Although the dark picture showed the machine to be extremely dirty as well as distant, I thought the outline of the machine was interesting and the cabinet looked good.  For several months this ad reappeared again and again.  The price dropped once, down to $60 or best offer.  I kept wondering about the machine but never contacted the seller.  

Finally, curiosity got the better of me and I called the seller.  (He only accepted calls on his listings.  Sellers take note: by forbidding e-mails, you may be greatly narrowing your pool of potential buyers.  In this instance it was, of course, my gain.)  We met at a small, filthy warehouse about 30 minutes north of my home into which was crammed every imaginable knick-knack, all kinds of furniture from cheap and tacky to middle brow reproduction, etc.  After some confused digging, he finally found a dusty, dirty but very nice sewing table under a pile of crap.  

The machine was covered in a grime unlike anything else I've had to deal with.  It didn't take much to rub a bit off and see that the machine was in excellent condition and is a very beautiful design.  In fact, the dirt on this machine probably protected the finish.  I'd seen the Free-Westinghouse label many times but I had never seen this model until then.  The desk-type table's drawers were stuffed with attachments, the sales receipt, other small items, but no manual.  He offered it to me for $50 and I accepted.  So pleased that he made a sale, he turned and spied a Kenmore machine nearby.  He explained his need to be rid of it and offered it for $10.  I accepted, gladly.  We loaded them into my car (I'm always grateful for sellers who offer their assistance, even if I'm more than able to handle the load myself) and I excitedly drove home.

The machine is a Free-Westinghouse LZ, a zig-zag machine made in 1955 in what used to be West Germany.  It is actually a re-badged Anker RZ and there are two re-badged versions to my knowledge: the Free-Westinghouse and a New Home version with minor differences.  These machines were top-of-the-line in their day (zig zag and adjustable needle position weren't altogether common back in the day).  They were reportedly rather expensive and Anker (as well as FW and NH) didn't have large market share as did Singer or Kenmore.  Thus, they didn't sell well and not a great many were made.  Thus, this particular machine is somewhat rare.

It has a 1 amp motor and runs very, very quietly.  It does need a new belt and bobbin tire but it's in such great shape I have to wonder how much sewing it's actually seen.  The clear coat is thick and shiny, the decals are intact, the knobs and levers work smoothly, and the chrome and nickel are nearly perfect.  Even the cabinet (despite a small spot near the front left edge of the machine -- see picture) is in great shape.

This Free-Westinghouse LZ is a machine I enjoyed cleaning and oiling because the transformation was dramatic, even if it took an entire day of detailing.  And so even though I didn't really know what I was looking at in that dark photo months ago, I was able to spot a gem based upon the machine's outline, the cabinet, and the style of its zig-zag lever.  (The other controls were too small in the picture to really see.)

If you've ever wondered how to find great stuff among the ordinary, it's possible that by taking a closer look, by training yourself to see beyond dust and detritus, you may find what you seek.  True, it's only a sewing machine but I've found other non-sewing items that are just as interesting.  Try really looking -- your powers of observation may be well-rewarded.