Featured Fixing a Sewing Machine for a Friend :P 1900s New Home V.S.

Still tinkering. Fixed the lid and the spring-clasp at the front of the base. Now all the hardware is fixed, I'm sorting out the uh...thingy...cosmetics and mechanics.

 

Damn bloody internet...

 

Can't get the thread tension right on this thing. I've tuned it about as best as I can, and that'll have to do. It'll sew, but I'm not sure how nicely it'll sew...

 

Good work!

 

I've read up on old N.H. manuals and the machine is DEFINITELY threaded correctly. The shuttle-tension is correct. But the upper tension is a bloody mess. And there's nothing I can do about it.

If there's no tension, the thread buggers up. If there's too much tension, the thread snaps. If there's some tension, then the sewing looks...alrighty...but if that's the best it'll do, then it'll never be perfect.

 

Shangas, you might not want to hear this but . . . find the oldest (and I do mean oldest) alterations/tailoring woman or man in your town and call them and perhaps get "invited" to bring the sewing machine to them to see if he/she can make the adjustment on the tension.

The first place I would call/contact would be a men's clothing store which sells (better) suits, coats, trousers for men.

You never know who might want to (and in fact would be quite pleased to) help you out on the project on the old sewing machine (and if you "hold your mouth right" as we say around here, their help just might be free of charge ).

 

Unfortunately that isn't gonna work. There's next to no places like that around here. And the only sewing place I know within a reasonable distance only handles modern machines. Something like this museum-piece is way outside of their territory. I doubt they'd even know how to load the shuttle if I wasn't there to tell them.

I *know* the machine is threaded correctly. Every diagram, video and set of photographs tells me so. But the moment I do anything to adjust the tension up top, it either snaps entirely or it bunches up. The closest I've ever gotten to 'proper tension' is right on the bottom, and just-past right on the top. If after all my tinkering I couldn't get it, I doubt anyone else can - there's hardly six moving parts on this thing to screw up!

 

Perhaps you could contact a local sewing club or school? You might be able to find someone with experience using older machines.

 

If it was a Singer, I would. It's a N.H. The chances of anybody around here having any experience with it, let alone knowing they exist, isn't very high. It's very frustrating living where I do.

 

New Home still exists and has been used widely. My first better sewing machine that I bought 20 years ago was a New Home.

Do I remember correctly that you're in Australia? One of the best magazines for what's called "heirloom sewing" is published in Australia, which might mean a love of traditional sewing... and older machines... isn't rare?

I realize it's a big country, but maybe you could luck out and find someone with the requisite experience.

 

That's right. I do live in Australia. Which means any antiques here were shipped over by steamers back in the 1800s and 1900s. Antiques here are rare as hell. And the prices reflect that. As does the knowledge-base.

I've I.D.ed the model-type (T2) and the year of production (1916), but that's about it.

 

Sounds like your friend is lucky to have her machine. I hope getting it working well isn't a lost cause!

I was curious and watched a video on threading an antique New Home that said one small part the thread has to go through is often missing. Just in case you haven't seen it, here's the video...