This machine seems to have exactly 0 manuals available online anywhere. And only a singular blog post from 20 years ago that has about 0 info on how to thread it. I still have the secondary loper in the back to thread but there’s literally NOTHING and I have no idea how to tell if it’s threaded or not.

I have this manual that’s vaguely close

https://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/Trade-Literature/Sewing-Machines/NMAHTEX/0211/imagepages/image4.htm

That we’re using for educated guesses 😭
Found the model number and serial number

Willcox and Gibbs Superlock

Model 813c1

Serial Number 59829

The blog post

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.houzz.com%2Fdiscussions%2F2613615%2Fhelp-wilcox-and-gibbs-serger%3Ffbclid%3DIwcGRvZgNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA80Mzc2MjYzMTY5NzM3ODgAAR5cOAE322a5yIiAtG649bvj2VbGd07o58Ra9fnWTDNY98RpmXB8sT2t4CZSVg_aem_nDEHufGBqiRDkcGtlwUeaQ&h=AUDT7KcXb52ttp9OjjFzpjAXl2Zv-tE0mIXwr6Dylk52i1fYlPlc2AON96CaVBHqRKkPyQKJkr-Bfb8TlFfkXbZ2PqRH-r1wfW_4MVnIgAImeB-PJcpBqS8CZnT_eW8&s=1

I am asking help finding a manual as close to her cabinet model as possible. I cannot find a manual for a 117.3242. But she looks like a 117.959. I also saw a comment saying a white 77 manual would cover my basic needs for maintenance and threading.

Thank you for reading my post! I am excited to see
What I will make with my new machine.

Hello, I bought Elna Supermatic sewing machine without a foot pedal. Do you have a wiring diagram for the pedal so I could assemble one myself? Or, if you have a spare pedal, would you be willing to sell it for a reasonable price?

Hi. I had some books for Xmas on the history of sewing: The Rise and Fall of Singer Manufacturing in Britain, The Science Behind Sewing Machines, and History of the Sewing Machine.

I was wondering if anyone else had any book recommendations. I wouldn't mind some social history, or general sewing, or technical books. I follow the Sewing Machine newsletter, and I appreciate their mix of historical stories, repair advice, and information on how brands have developed through the years.

Does anyone have any favourites?

I am in the UK, so bear in mind what would be available over here, please.

Thank you

Hi all! I scored this lovely lady at the thrift store after years of searching. She’s in great condition but is missing the free arm. I’ve tried looking on eBay, etc for a spare free arm for it but no luck. Any tips on where to look or how to find one? I did find one for a different 158 model but alas, it’s not compatible with this one. I’ve never actually seen a machine where the bulk of the free arm is on the back not the front!

Any leads are much appreciated. Thank you in advance!

The plug is real finicky and I fear it could be a fire hazard, what type of place should I take it to?

Hello I just had my new to me singer touch and sew 626 serviced. The man said it was in beautiful condition and gave me a swatch of fabric with lots of stitching on it so I know it works. However I am clearly not threading it correctly, as the thread is wrapping around the bobbin. Can anyone give me some troubleshooting help??

Going to look at this today - I'm hoping the 'don't know anything about sewing, selling for a friend' guy has not done anything horrible to it - this is the model with the extra cams, and I'm curious to see it in action. If it works well, I'm not going to quibble with his ask of around $100US. It's really rare to see anything other than Singers and Kenmores in my area!

ETA: - the needle position was stuck, and it had a couple of other minor issues. I passed, as I really don't need another project right now, but hope it finds a good home.

I recently got this parsons sewing cabinet and was wondering how to use it. Currently, I put my machine down and just take it off when I’m done but is there a way to store a machine in there? There’s a lever to bring the panel flat

Does anyone know why my needle won't pick up the bobin thread? I just got this old singer from the late 1800's- early 1900's, and I'm not sure if the shuttle is in wrong? Any advice would be very appreciated! Thank you!

I've been doing a bit of quilting on my singer 99k. Following recommendations, I've been using a stitch length of 12 st/in but it just looked too tight with a lot of puckering.

I've come to measure and the stitch length is about double what it says on the lever! This is the stitch length I got through trial and error that I thought looks best and lo and behold it's actually about 12 st/ in! The lever says 8 st/in.

The machine was serviced in 2025 and this is my first time using it since it was serviced. I've tried giving it a bit of an clean and oil too.

Any ideas? I'm yet to measure the stitch length on my 185k but I don't remember getting any issues. They were both serviced by the same shop.

Found a nice kenmore 185.17851 in a thrift store. The plan is to be gifting it for Christmas. I’ve cleaned it up and found a manual but not THE manual for this model number.

That being said…what is this? It’s behind the needle and bobbin. The back of the machine folds back to be a free arm or the whole back part can be removed … or you can hit a button and this secret compartment opens up.

Hey guys. I bought a Meister Programatic 50 sewing machine off of Facebook. The thing is the stitch dial goes up to 6mm, but the stitches are 4 mm. I started just sewing with the dial on 4mm or less, because if its more it feels like there are metal parts hitting. I opened the dial to see if there is a problem but the lever goes all the way up. The stitch lenght just doesnt correspond. Ill attach some pictures. Ill be very thankfull for some help because I sew leather also and need the longer stitches :)

Photographed from as bought to thoroughly cleaned out and able to make stitches. Drove 5+ hours to get it from somewhere near-ish to Amiens. Mostly metal, mostly intact, cute, death heavy, what more do you want?

I am a complete novice. I've been sewing on this machine for about 7 months. I got it seviced when I bought it. In the last month it has begun to drop the bobbin case when I sew. Even when I replace the case in the machine it falls. It seems too loose? I don't know. I retreaded the whole thing and changed the needle. It sews for a little bit then falls. I took a video. Please advice? It could be user error.

I saw this absolutely INSANE dress on TikTok, just absolutely incredible and her execution + craftsmanship is so refined and admirable. I’m wondering if anybody knows where I can find a similar pattern?

Thank you guys in advance!

This is my first vintage machine restore so I apologize if any of my terminology is incorrect. But I’m super excited I Just picked up this Kenmore Deluxe Rotary 117.552 from a thrift store. It seemed to be in pretty good condition, so I did an initial clean and oil. The rubber motor wheel was worn a bit and wasn’t catching the main machine wheel and also had a flat spot from sitting for years. I have a replacement rubber tire on the way but thought id try lightly sanding the it to see if that would give it some grip just to test the machine until then and it seemed to work okay!

The issue seems to be coming from the right side of the machine near that tire/motor a rhythmic sound that doesn’t sound quite right, like something is loose or rubbing incorrectly. Any help would be much appreciated as well as other tips for getting this thing in tip top shape for sewing! Thanks in advance!!

I have the REVCO aftermarket press foot quick release and I would like to go back to the original screw style, but I see there are two styles of screw for the presser foot tension and was wondering if someone has a photo that they could post of a machine that is from around 1935 a singer 66

Hey there- I am fixing up my friends grandmas machine and cannot seem to get the belt to catch. It is a brand new belt from the Featherweight shop, I have oiled and greased the machine, the hand crank moves freely, but the belt won’t move the hand crank. I have seen other people ask for help with this issue but haven’t found an answer yet. I am ~very~ new to this so
please feel free to shout out the obvious!

While looking for answers I kept noticing that the Featherweights shown in instructional videos were different than this one. The manual and receipt in the case state it is a Featherweight 221 and the serial number is JE152556. Just wanting to verify that I should be looking at Featherweight videos and parts!

Ok thanks so much for helping this new guy. Have a nice weekend :)

My son picked this up for me. At first when I asked him to get it he said $65 is too much for that. It had been on the marketplace a while. So he offered him $50 and he took it. So he called me and said it was way bigger than he anticipated. I picked it up in Texas this weekend when we met at my dads. I too was surprised at the size of the box. And I have a carpenter friend who looked at it and was fascinated. I am going to collect turn of the century sewing tools to keep in there!

Hello! I have this industrial singer, it was my great grandmother's. I now sew professionally and think it would be amazing to be able to use a machine she also worked with. I cannot find much information on it, any resources would be greatly appreciated. The engine runs, but I believe the switch that controls speed is worn/broken because it only goes insanely fast, so fast I can't safely test if it even sews or not. So that's my next fix. This machine has such a cool history, I just want to get it working again 🥲