TO GIVE SOME CLARITY TO THE PHRASE “INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH“, PLEASE SEE MY DEFINITION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS LISTING.
Submitted for your perusal is this POWERFUL, AND PERFECTLY FUNCTIONING Singer 201-2 sewing machine. This vintage Singer machine features a classic aesthetic; and incredibly reliabile useability.
This machine features a newly wired motor, no small thing, considering this is a 60+year-old machine.
Do not miss this one! It runs very strong and sews GREAT!!!
I will stand with countless other is saying that the 201 is the finest machine Singer ever made! By the time this 201 rolled off the assembly line, Singer had been making sewing machines for about 100 years! They peaked with this model!
It is all metal, of course, and features a full rotary hook driven by all-metal spiral gears and connecting rods. No fabric link belt, and no rubber timing belt to stretch, break, or slip. The rotary hook makes for a faster, smoother, quieter, and all around more efficient sewing machine.
This machine can handle virtually anything you can fit under the presser foot. The internal gear-drive motor drive makes sewing thick layers almost effortless.
The 201 will accept up to a size 21, whereas many new machines can only accept up to a size 16. You can also regularly sew with bonded nylon thread.
The motor is strong and smooth, the hook area is clean and the feed dogs are very crisp and grip exceptionally well. The original japanning is intact and overall, looks very nice. Although the lacquer has cracked and peeled a little, the original gold leaf decals are intact! It has been tested and operates as it should. See the captions for the pictures demonstrating the kind of work this machine is capable of doing.
I have no qualms at all at saying this machine has industrial POWER... Not speed, mind you, but Power. It is NOT an industrial machine like many people selling on ebay like to claim. But it will indeed sew leather, vinyl, sunbrella, denim and whatever else you would want to sew in your home. If you are going to start an upholstery business, you should buy a walking foot which was designed for constant heavy production. But if you only need to sew through 12 layers of denim (yes, it can do it) or 4 layers of leather occasionally (grin, wink) and don't want a 200lb. 4 ft. long machine sitting in your living room, then you cannot go wrong here.
When you are looking at the pictures, make sure to look at the bottom stitches... The bottom stitches tell the tale where tension and timing are concerned... No matter what machine you buy, make sure they show you the bottom! Any piece of junk can make a pretty top stitch, but a good stitch is BALANCED
5 Layers of Upholstery Leather!
2 pieces of 6-7 oz. Vegetable tanned leather!
A piece of 9 oz. Latigo plus a piece of 5 oz. vegetable tanned leather!
How about this! 4 pieces of upholstery leather plus 2 pieces of leather bag stiffener...
Purses, etc.
Needless to say, it sews all fabrics with incredible consistency.
Above is an example of 2 pieces of cotton suiting.INCLUDED IS...*Foot control/power cord
*Downloadable copy of the owners manual
*3 extra New metal class 66 bobbins
*1 package of NEW needles
*1 straight stitch foot
*1 3 in 1 Teflon foot
If you have been looking for the best, cleanest, and most reliable 201-2 you can find, then don't mess around, just hit the buy it now! I've done all the dirty work, you can enjoy the fruits of my labor. You will not go wrong with this one!
Tailors, Quilters, seamstresses, do-it-yourselfers, this is the machine for you! It looks and sews great! I'll be happy to answer any questions you have. Heck, you can even call me and I'll let you listen to it run over the phone! And if you are unsure as to whether or not this machine will do the work you want, ask me and I will answer you HONESTLY. I am looking for happy, satisfied customers. (704) 846-7346 or (704) 560-5360. My name is Marc.
Thanks, and have fun.
Sewing Leather
I
am sure that many sewing machine aficionados and antique sewing
machine collectors would cringe to see a machine like this being used
sew leather... and would be quick to point out that they "were not
intended for that..."
But
hey, a 1949 Cadillac wasn't originally intended to be a race car
either, but they were turned into race cars because they were fast!
Well, in the same spirit, many vintage all metal sewing machines can be
used to sew thicker materials than than they were "intended" to sew.
Pedantic, narrow-minded thinkers would tell you that you shouldn't do
that... Well, I say "The proof is in the pudding!!!"
"Oh, but it will hurt the machine..."
HOGWASH!
Are you kidding me? We are talking about a solid cast iron machine
with steel connecting rods, cams and lobes. The truth is that many
parts on domestic machines from the '50s were also used on Industrial
models! And that's the truth!!!!! This is a tool that is meant to be
used. Anything that might get damaged or hurt on this machine can be
replaced! Realistic worst case scenario would be a broken hook... Big
deal, they still make them, and you can buy a new one for $10 from me
if that happens! If you are inexperienced, you might, out of
ignorance, burn up the motor. But they can be replaced as well, and
you probably won't do that if you read a little further...
Yes,
we may be "bending the rules" a little, but we are simply trying to
find a realistic, practical and affordable way to get the job done!
And that's what it's all about! This type of machine is the last stop
before an expensive, full-blown, 200 lb. stationary machine.
Advice for sewing leather...
Know
your sewing machine! Even though these machines are motorized, get
used to turning it by hand. This is often the best way to start
stitching and to approach a stopping point. It is the only way to
start sewing leather. Turn the wheel to lower the needle past the
resistance, and at it's lowest point, you can engage the motor. When
turning corners, stop shy of the corner, and hand turn the wheel until
you are ready to pivot. With the needle down, lift the foot and pivot
your leather. To avoid skipped stitches, turn the needle down and let
it just begin it's upward travel before lifting the foot and pivoting.
If your motor begins to stall or hang up, STOP!!!!
Turn the wheel by hand for a couple stitches then try the motor again.
Also, it is not recommended to sew leather in reverse. To lock the
stitch, sew a few stitches, then turn your material 180 degrees and sew
the other way, then back again.
I hope to add a lot more to this section in the future, so feel free to check back.
Thanks!
I'd like to go over the phrase "Industrial Strength."
It is admitedly vague, and, I'm afraid often misused and/or overused on ebay. I will give you my own definition of "Industrial Strength" and hopefully that will give some reference to the expectations of this type of sewing machine.
My definition of an Industrial Strength Sewing Machine...
An Industrial Strength sewing machine is a domestic machine that was built to a very high standard of performance and durability in that it can perform heavy-duty sewing tasks with reliability and relative ease. These machines MUST feature ALL METAL workings, (i.e. gears and connecting rods) and cast iron or aluminum heads (housings/body). They are portable or can be mounted into a standard sewing cabinet. They are self-contained, meaning that the motor, whether internal or external, is part of the machine. The unmodified presser foot clearance is 5/16" to a maximum on some machines of 3/8".
Excluded from this category would be any models that feature nylon/plastic gears. Although the design of some of these machines is proven, the gears themselves cannot stand up to time or stress.
Today, virtually NO SEWING MACHINES, other than full-blown industrial machines are all metal! Thus, by (my) definition, Industrial Strength machines are inherently vintage, generally from the 1960's and back.
An added implication is that a machine described as Industrial Strength would exclude any known "problem" models, or models for which parts are no longer available.
My description of a TRUE Industrial Sewing Machine...
(I own several Industrial sewing machines, so I can very easily discuss them)
An industrial sewing machine is a very large and heavy machine (usually about 75 lbs.) that CANNOT work independently. They are all metal, and are driven by a seperate motor (usually a clutch motor weighing about 45 lbs. itself) that is mounted underneath an industrial sewing stand. The stand with a mounted motor is called a "power stand." They usually run on 220v 3-phase power, but some are standard household 110-115 volts.
There are literally hundreds, maybe thousands of different kinds of industrial sewing machines. They are usually built for very specific functions, including overlocking, button hole making, blind stitching, bag closing, carpet binding, zig zag stitching, etc. But the basic machine is a straight stitch machine. These machines are generally modified and fitted with various attachments that direct their function to one single job in a factory. These are almost always self-oiling machines, which means they sit in an oil pan and use an internal pump to circulate lubricant throughout the head's moving parts. Since they were designed for factory production, they run EXTREMELY FAST!!! And are often very difficult to control at lower speeds. The average speed of an industrial straight stitch machine is 5,000 stitches per minute. They have a maximum presser foot lift of about 1/2".
An industrial straight stitch machine setup is hardly practical for home use, though some people do own them. They are permanent fixtures, weighing over 200 lbs. and taking up an area of floor about 4 feet wide.
I am often asked if the machines I am selling are walking foot machines.
My definition of a Walking Foot Machine...
A walking foot machine is STRICTLY INDUSTRIAL! It is basically a straight stitch machine that is designed to feed materials evenly (top and bottom pieces). It features a two-piece foot that moves one side at a time along with the feed. As it moves, it appears to "walk".
There is no such thing as a domestic walking foot machine! They do make a universal attachment that you can mount on a domestic machine. This attachment is made to serve the same purpose as a walking foot. They are sometimes called walking foot attachments, but this is a misnomer as it does not duplicate the motion of a true walking foot machine. They are also known as a plaid matchers. If you are interested in one, they are readily available for all styles of domestic machines.
I hope this information will help you in your decision.
Again, I am always happy to answer any questions either by email or phone.
Thank you for your consideration
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