Davis New Vertical Feed. For sale at NC TOGA

 

Here is a Davis New Vertical Feed treadle head.  Think it looks rough?  You are absolutely right.  This is a machine that could either be restored with time and effort, or used as a parts machine. 

NC TOGA is coming up in June.  If you don't know what that is I'll be describing it in a future post.  One of the things it is, is a swap meet.  I have some machines for sale.

This is a straight stitch only machine.  This particular model uses "ordinary" needles, the kind that all modern domestic machines use.  Older models of Davis used different needles.

Davis vertical feed machines are very unusual and interesting.  There are no feed dogs.  The NEEDLE moves the fabric.  Needle down, needle and fabric move forward, needle up, needle moves back, needle down, repeat with each stitch.  There is no possibility for the fabric to slip.  It is way better than a walking foot.  Quilters love it for attaching binding.

 I had plans to restore this but I'm no longer interested in doing that.  

 

Here's a warning for anyone who wants to tackle a restoration, or even merely cleaning, of a Davis Vertical Feed of any era.  DO NO REMOVE THE NOSE PLATE until you have found the specific directions for putting it back together again.  Google will help you find these instructions and there are also YouTube videos.  It's very tricksy and if you put it back together wrong you'll get some interesting results.  AMHIK.  

 

 

The serial number is at top of the slide plate.  Can't read it?   Neither can I.

 

 

A working Davis Vertical Feed machine is a wonderful thing.  Are you up for the challenge of tackling this one?  The price will be in the "please take this off my hands" range.

 

* * * * * * * * * * 

Here's how this works:  I  create a blog post for each machine and describe what I know about it in detail, pros and cons.  Once I have all the machines up on this blog I will post a price list at the NC TOGA Facebook page.  If you are attending the TOGA and are seriously interested let me know and I will bring it.  "Seriously interested" means that you plan to buy it IF you like what you see in person.  Absolutely NO obligation in advance and I won't take any money in advance.  

Cash or PayPal.  I don't use any other payment apps.  Hey, I'm an old lady.  Can't be learning new apps all the time.

Once the price list is up you can call dibs on any machine and I will make sure you get to see it and decide if you want it before anyone else can buy it.

This approach has worked very well in the past.  Just please don't ask me to haul 40+ pounds of cast iron across North Carolina if all you want to do is ogle it.  Serious interest only please.

Some of these machines will have been serviced and some will not so read the descriptions carefully.  It is not my usual practice to sell machines that I have not serviced first.  But I really need to downsize the herd and TOGA is almost here.  Many TOGAteers are experienced antique sewing machine mechanics themselves.  They will also be glad to provide advice to others about whether a machine is a good choice for a newbie.  

Necchi Supernova Julia. For sale at NC TOGA

 Molly has dibs on this one.  If you want to be put on a waiting list in case she does not want it, leave me a message on the NC TOGA Facebook page.

 

 

 What is hiding in this horrible case?  Oh yeah, I already told you in the title.

 

 

It's a beautiful pink Necchi Supernova Julia 534.  Lovely exterior and fairly clean inside too.

NC TOGA is coming up in June.  If you don't know what that is I'll be describing it in a future post.  One of the things it is, is a swap meet.  I have some machines for sale, including several Italian-made Necchis. 

 

 

It's a high shank zigzag machine which appears NOT to be treadle-able.  I have an original manual for it.

 

It has a feed dog drop.  And you will know that I haven't read the manual when I tell you that I have no idea what Min and Max do.  But you can read about them if you take this beauty home.

You can see how glossy the finish is by the reflections shown.

It comes with a box of cams and accessories.

 

The inside lid has a dial which shows the settings for the stitches made by the cams.

 

 

 

The top tray of cams swings away to reveal the presser foot beneath.

There are two types of cams.  Notice in the photo below the cams in slots:  the black tabs on the left lift those cams up.  Some of the tabs are broken.

Cams go in the top.

 

As someone who works on machines as well as sews with them, I always prefer individual cams over a cam stack machine.

It has a very unusual needle plate.

You can rotate the needle plate among zigzag, straight stitch, and what-the-heck-is-that.  Again, the manual will tell you.

Here's the motor controller, aka foot pedal.

And it's PINK.

 

* * * * * * * * * * 

Here's how this works:  I  create a blog post for each machine and describe what I know about it in detail, pros and cons.  Once I have all the machines up on this blog I will post a price list at the NC TOGA Facebook page.  If you are attending the TOGA and are seriously interested let me know and I will bring it.  "Seriously interested" means that you plan to buy it IF you like what you see in person.  Absolutely NO obligation in advance and I won't take any money in advance.  

Cash or PayPal.  I don't use any other payment apps.  Hey, I'm an old lady.  Can't be learning new apps all the time.

Once the price list is up you can call dibs on any machine and I will make sure you get to see it and decide if you want it before anyone else can buy it.

This approach has worked very well in the past.  Just please don't ask me to haul 40+ pounds of cast iron across North Carolina if all you want to do is ogle it.  Serious interest only please.

Some of these machines will have been serviced and some will not so read the descriptions carefully.  It is not my usual practice to sell machines that I have not serviced first.  But I really need to downsize the herd and TOGA is almost here.  Many TOGAteers are experienced antique sewing machine mechanics themselves.  They will also be glad to provide advice to others about whether a machine is a good choice for a newbie.  

 

Necchi BU Mira with Wonder Wheel. For Sale at NC TOGA

 

NC TOGA is coming up in June.  If you don't know what that is I'll be describing it in a future post.  One of the things it is, is a swap meet.  I have some machines for sale, including several Italian-made Necchis. 

 

 

This one is a Necchi BU Mira, with a Wonder Wheel attachment.  The machine is a high shank zigzagger and the zigzag function is built in.  The Wonder Wheel allows you to make additional construction and decorative stitches.  Necchi BUs are treadle-able and I am ASSUMING that this applies to the Mira also.  The alignment of the handwheel leads me to believe this is true.

The Wonder Wheel tire is shot.

 

There are four double-sided cams so there are eight additional stitches.  One cam on the machine and three more.

The machine is very dirty on the outside.  I blew some of the dirt off and oiled the machine so that I could test the stitching.  There is a motor but no motor controller.  And the drive belt squeaks.  If you want to treadle it these things won't be a problem.  So I tested the stitching by turning the hand wheel.  It does form stitches.  That's obviously the most important thing.

 

If you are the kind of person who loves the satisfaction that comes from transforming something from yucky to lovely, this could be the machine for you.  The photos tell the story but I must tell you that they have been edited to show details and this makes the dirt look worse than it really is. But it is bad enough to provide you with that satisfaction.

How's that for marketing spin?  Regular readers know that I tell it like it is.  And I am that person who loves cleaning up old machines.

It's actually not too bad on the inside, although additional cleaning is needed here too.

 

It comes with several high shank attachments and three additional needle plates.  There is a zigzag needle plate on the machine.  There is a straight stitch plate and two plates that cover the feed dogs:  a straight stitch one and a zigzag one.  I have not tested the ruffler.

 

I do not have a paper copy but I can email the buyer a PDF of the manual.

So.  A project machine that needs a lot more cleaning and testing but DOES form stitches.  Treadle-able.  If you are not interested in the additional stitches you could ignore or remove the Wonder Wheel and just use it as a basic zigzagger.

* * * * * * * * * * 

Here's how this works:  I  create a blog post for each machine and describe what I know about it in detail, pros and cons.  Once I have all the machines up on this blog I will post a price list at the NC TOGA Facebook page.  If you are attending the TOGA and are seriously interested let me know and I will bring it.  "Seriously interested" means that you plan to buy it IF you like what you see in person.  Absolutely NO obligation in advance and I won't take any money in advance.  

Cash or PayPal.  I don't use any other payment apps.  Hey, I'm an old lady.  Can't be learning new apps all the time.

Once the price list is up you can call dibs on any machine and I will make sure you get to see it and decide if you want it before anyone else can buy it.

This approach has worked very well in the past.  Just please don't ask me to haul 40+ pounds of cast iron across North Carolina if all you want to do is ogle it.  Serious interest only please.

Some of these machines will have been serviced and some will not so read the descriptions carefully.  It is not my usual practice to sell machines that I have not serviced first.  But I really need to downsize the herd and TOGA is almost here.  Many TOGAteers are experienced antique sewing machine mechanics themselves.  They will also be glad to provide advice to others about whether a machine is a good choice for a newbie.  

 

Singer 66, barn fresh. For sale at NC TOGA

 

"Barn Fresh" is antique sewing machine slang for a machine covered in dust and cobwebs, possibly rusty and possibly including mouse droppings. This machine had lots of dust and cobwebs, a bit of rust, but no mouse droppings.  I removed much of the dust and cobwebs and you should be able to see the little bit of rust in the photos.

 The Singer 66 is a straight stitch,  low shank machine and is treadleable.  It needs to be in a cabinet (like a treadle cabinet for instance) or a case in order to function.  No case or other accessories are included.

The slide plate is missing but can easily be found online.  At the time of publication $10 would get you one.

 

The filigree decals are worn away in the usual place where fabric moves across the bed when sewing.  Just think about how much sewing this machine has seen!  And the paint is chipped in places, especially along the edge.  A Sharpie paint  pen (not a regular Sharpie) could touch this up.

 

I risked life and limb and plugged the funky wiring in.  And the light came on and the motor runs!  The belt is loose so it didn't actually run the machine but I turned it by hand and it operates fairly smoothly.  If you want this for a treadle you will be removing the motor anyway so the cracked belt and funky wiring will be irrelevant. 

Is something missing from the bobbin winder?  Looks like it but I didn't check it out.  The bobbin winder does turn when in position against the hand wheel.

It has a pretty nose plate that should polish up nicely.

 So if you are not too picky about appearance, are willing to do a bit of work, and need a treadle head at a supremely affordable price, this could be the machine for you.

* * * * * * * * * * 

Here's how this works:  I  create a blog post for each machine and describe what I know about it in detail, pros and cons.  Once I have all the machines up on this blog I will post a price list at the NC TOGA Facebook page.  If you are attending the TOGA and are seriously interested let me know and I will bring it.  "Seriously interested" means that you plan to buy it IF you like what you see in person.  Absolutely NO obligation in advance and I won't take any money in advance.  

Cash or PayPal.  I don't use any other payment apps.  Hey, I'm an old lady.  Can't be learning new apps all the time.

Once the price list is up you can call dibs on any machine and I will make sure you get to see it and decide if you want it before anyone else can buy it.

This approach has worked very well in the past.  Just please don't ask me to haul 40+ pounds of cast iron if all you want to do is ogle it.  Serious interest only please.

Some of these machines will have been serviced and some will not so read the descriptions carefully.  It is not my usual practice to sell machines that I have not serviced first.  But I really need to downsize the herd and TOGA is almost here.  Many TOGAteers are experienced antique sewing machine mechanics themselves.  They will also be glad to provide advice to others about whether a machine is a good choice for a newbie.  

 

Singer 15-91. For sale at NC TOGA. a good one

 

I've got more than one Singer 15-91 for sale.  This one is a peach.

NC TOGA is coming up in June.  If you don't know what that is I'll be describing it in a future post.  One of the things it is, is a swap meet.  I have some machines for sale. 

This is a straight stitch machine with a "potted" motor.  Not treadle-able.  It takes class 15 bobbins.

 

The little "pot" on the back houses the motor.  This machine is direct drive, which is why it can't be treadled, unlike a belt driven machine where all you have to do is take the motor off.  Notice also that someone removed it from a cabinet by unscrewing the hinges.  Not the best thing to do, but handy if you need the hinges.

 

 

As you can see the decals are lovely.  Not perfect but very nice.  This style is called "filigree".

 

You can also see here  that although glossy, there are some issues with the finish on the bed.  A good polish and some wax might or might not improve this.  Probably would, but no promises on that.

 

The paint is chipped on the hand wheel and in places on the edges.  I have used a black Sharpie paint pen (not a regular Sharpie) in the past on other machines to minimize the appearance of chips.

The configuration of the motor controller (aka foot pedal) plus the presence of the hinges tells us that this machine was removed from a cabinet.  This particular controller can be used either as a knee pedal or a foot pedal.  The projecting knee pedal swings out of the way and towards the power cord to turn it into  a foot pedal.

I did not disassemble the foot pedal but my impression is that the discoloration is rust rather than the result of electrical scorching.  I did peer inside and the discoloration does not appear to be near any electrical parts.  

No case and no additional accessories come with this machine.  A Singer 15 can stand alone on a table without a case beneath it.  This is not true of all Singer models.

I did sew with it and it is very smooth and makes an excellent stitch.  And without any maintenance on my part.

* * * * * * * * * * 

Here's how this works:  I  create a blog post for each machine and describe what I know about it in detail, pros and cons.  Once I have all the machines up on this blog I will post a price list at the NC TOGA Facebook page.  If you are attending the TOGA and are seriously interested let me know and I will bring it.  "Seriously interested" means that you plan to buy it IF you like what you see in person.  Absolutely NO obligation in advance and I won't take any money in advance.  

Cash or PayPal.  I don't use any other payment apps.  Hey, I'm an old lady.  Can't be learning new apps all the time.

Once the price list is up you can call dibs on any machine and I will make sure you get to see it and decide if you want it before anyone else can buy it.  And

This approach has worked very well in the past.  Just please don't ask me to haul 40+ pounds of cast iron if all you want to do is ogle it.  Serious interest only please.

Some of these machines will have been serviced and some will not so read the descriptions carefully.  It is not my usual practice to sell machines that I have not serviced first.  But I really need to downsize the herd and TOGA is almost here.  Many TOGAteers are experienced antique sewing machine mechanics themselves.  They will also be glad to provide advice to others about whether a machine is a good choice for a newbie. 

Necchi Supernova Ultra. For sale at NC TOGA

Linda E has dibs on this one.  If you want to be put on a waiting list in case she does not want it, leave me a message on the NC TOGA Facebook page.

Not going to lie to you, this is probably the toppest of the top of the line vintage sewing machines I will ever have on offer.  Lots of bells and whistles come with this one.  I won't be sorry if it does not sell and I am forced to keep it. 

NC TOGA is coming up in June.  If you don't know what that is I'll be describing it in a future post.  One of the things it is, is a swap meet.  I have some machines for sale, including several Italian-made Necchis.

This is a high shank free arm machine which uses cams to create utility and decorative stitches.  It takes class 15 bobbins.  Necchis are absolutely legendary in quality.  I'm not going to outline all its features or why Necchis are so great.  If you know, you know.  I apologize to the readers who come here to learn these things, but I'm in a rush getting ready for TOGA.

I don't have a paper copy of the manual but I can send a PDF to the buyer of this machine.

I tested this one some time ago and the test samples show that it was working properly.  I'm not going to have time to re-test all the machines I might bring so it will probably need to be oiled. The other Necchis of this era are treadle-able.  If anyone has experience with treadling this model please let us know in the comments below.

 

The bells and whistles come in a box that has a stitch selector dial on the lid.  Dial in the stitch pattern you want and the settings for it appear in a little window.

 

It has cams on the top tray which swings aside to reveal the presser feet and other accessories below. 

 

Here's the motor controller (aka foot pedal) and the wiring.   There is a piece of electrical tape near the wall plug end.  I took a look underneath and it is obvious that this does not cover up bad wiring, but a point where three wires were reduced to two.  I am NOT the person to discuss electrical things with. You can take a look for yourself and I guarantee someone at TOGA will be able to explain what is going on.  I have used the machine and it works the way it is.  That's the best I can do.

 

It also came with two additional needle plates which I failed to get a photo of.  Because I'm rushing through the herd of machines getting ready to offer them at TOGA I'm not going back to this machine which is already buckled up again.  Let it be an additional surprise and delight when you see it.  If you are seriously interested, that is.  

* * * * * * * * * * 

Here's how this works:  I  create a blog post for each machine and describe what I know about it in detail, pros and cons.  Once I have all the machines up on this blog I will post a price list at the NC TOGA Facebook page.  If you are attending the TOGA and are seriously interested let me know and I will bring it.  "Seriously interested" means that you plan to buy it IF you like what you see in person.  Absolutely NO obligation in advance and I won't take any money in advance.  

Cash or PayPal.  I don't use any other payment apps.  Hey, I'm an old lady.  Can't be learning new apps all the time.

Once the price list is up you can call dibs on any machine and I will make sure you get to see it and decide if you want it before anyone else can buy it.  And

This approach has worked very well in the past.  Just please don't ask me to haul 40+ pounds of cast iron if all you want to do is ogle it.  Serious interest only please.

Some of these machines will have been serviced and some will not so read the descriptions carefully.  It is not my usual practice to sell machines that I have not serviced first.  But I really need to downsize the herd and TOGA is almost here.  Many TOGAteers are experienced antique sewing machine mechanics themselves.  They will also be glad to provide advice to others about whether a machine is a good choice for a newbie.