# reproduction singer 15 NEED HELP PLEASE



## buck_1one (Nov 26, 2004)

My mother gave me her Singer. She never used it, never completely put it together. I've spent most of the day cleaning it and putting oil in all the places it needed, got the treadle working right.

Problem is it will not sew. It goes through all the motions but the thread and bobbin don't hook or loop or what ever it is called. All I'm getting are little needle holes in the material I have. 

The directions that came with it are a complete joke. What am I doing wrong or what is wrong with the machine??

HELP!!!


----------



## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

http://sewingmachine221sale.bizland.com/store/page19.html

here's a manual - or a place to purchase one.

There are photos of threaded machines that might help you.


And soon someone with experience with one of the 15's may come by and talk you through it.


I'm guessing it's top or bottom threading of the machine.


----------



## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

I don't know how similar a model 15 reproduction is to an _actual_ model 15, so that manual might not help. But you never know!

Suggestion number one would be to make sure the thread path is correct. 90% of the time, this is my problem...


----------



## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

in the link I put up, I looked further down and there is a manual that can be bought for reproduction 15's. So, maybe it will help.


----------



## buck_1one (Nov 26, 2004)

Angie, thanks for the link. I have the manual that came with it when Mom got the sewing machine. There was a few interesting things I found on the site, though.

ErinP, I've checked the thread path several times, as best I can tell it is correct.


----------



## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

have you changed the needle? are you using good thread? do you have the bobbin with the thread coming out of it correctly?


----------



## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

Have you checked to make sure you have the right kind of needle? I think some of the old treadles use a different needle than the one most newer machines use. Is the needle turned the right way?


----------



## DW (May 10, 2002)

I used to help in home ec class...put the thread thru the needle the opposite way you have it.


----------



## stirfamily (Jun 18, 2002)

Make sure you've got the thread coming off the bobbin the right way. Also, check and see if you have the needle in correctly and up as far as it will go. 
Try here for a free pdf manual
http://blog.sew-classic.com/files/3/1/3/1/4/150637-141313/HA1Class15manual.pdf


----------



## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Molly, 
An original model 15 usually wasn't a treadle machine. They were electric. And they were the machine that _set_ the modern standards for bobbins and needles. They and the 66. 

But a reproduction was made just within the last few years. (Unless it's a clone, buck? A clone was made in the post-WWII years in Japan. They were just as durable and reliable as a Singer. But a reproduction was made in the past 15 or so years in China)
I'm guessing since you said you had to finish putting it together, it's a repro, though. 



buck_1one said:


> Angie, thanks for the link. I have the manual that came with it when Mom got the sewing machine. There was a few interesting things I found on the site, though.
> 
> ErinP, I've checked the thread path several times, as best I can tell it is correct.


As others have suggested, make sure your needle is sharp and that it's facing the right direction. This is guaranteed to cause problems, too. 

Beyond that, it's hard to say. I've heard some really mixed reviews about the reproductions. Some people are really happy with them, but others think they're junk. 
I don't know, myself. I've never even seen one in real life much less gotten to sew on it...


----------



## maxine (Jun 22, 2004)

Are the feed dogs up??


----------



## buck_1one (Nov 26, 2004)

Well I got it working late last night.

Here is what was going on, and I apologize now if I get too technical and loose you.

When the needle comes down into the bobbin area and starts going back up it makes a small loop of thread. Then there is this half moon spinnie thingie with a hook on the end to grab the thread loop. Well the loop was too small for the spinnie thingie to grab. I kept reading about needle this needle that online while trying to find an answer. So I pulled the needle and it was the correct needle and facing the correct way. When I put it back in the up and down thingie I found the needle would go way up inside. So when I put the needle back in I put it in lower then it was before I took it out. Now the needle goes deeper into the bobbin area and makes a little larger loop of thread when it starts going back up. Now the loop is large enough for the spinnie thingie go grab and make a stitch:nanner:

I ran several lines of stitching on a piece of scrap, and other then the tension being way off, it sewed just fine.

Now getting the tension between the bobbin and thread right:hair


----------

