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The good. SWMBO has a fancy embroidering sewing machine. She has been sewing masks except her bobbin winder has cr*pped out. (A known flaw apparently, on a machine that 18 years ago cost similar to a used car! - annoying) At any rate after many attempts and trying to enlist friends, today we hooked the bobbin up to my cordless drill and ' Bob's your uncle.' Better wound than the machine ever did. Huzzah!
Then to the garage to begin dismantling this:
A vintage Viking Sewing machine. I got it for free and even though I managed to get it working, only ever partially it is time for it to go. Learning to sew is pretty high on my todo list even though it hasn't been todone. (I have a proper industrial machine in the basement)
At any rate I am recycling the motor to use on a scroll saw for my daughter.
I must admit I was genuinely sad to be taking it apart. Sadder in a way even than a car as it isn't rusty, it isn't broken, it is just obsolete. But what a precision thing of beauty. No rivets, plastic, plastic clips just gorgeous machine screws - slotted all of them. Beautiful castings, lovely retro paint and an almost steampunk like mechanism to make it all work (cams and cogs and all sorts of wonderment). I have a little bowl of screws but will likely end up throwing it all away as I really can't think of a good reason to keep anything but the motor.
It's sad. And I know that in terms of usability the new ones are better and easier and much more versatile but you can't beat the old ones for just heavy beautiful precision construction.
Then to the garage to begin dismantling this:
A vintage Viking Sewing machine. I got it for free and even though I managed to get it working, only ever partially it is time for it to go. Learning to sew is pretty high on my todo list even though it hasn't been todone. (I have a proper industrial machine in the basement)
At any rate I am recycling the motor to use on a scroll saw for my daughter.
I must admit I was genuinely sad to be taking it apart. Sadder in a way even than a car as it isn't rusty, it isn't broken, it is just obsolete. But what a precision thing of beauty. No rivets, plastic, plastic clips just gorgeous machine screws - slotted all of them. Beautiful castings, lovely retro paint and an almost steampunk like mechanism to make it all work (cams and cogs and all sorts of wonderment). I have a little bowl of screws but will likely end up throwing it all away as I really can't think of a good reason to keep anything but the motor.
It's sad. And I know that in terms of usability the new ones are better and easier and much more versatile but you can't beat the old ones for just heavy beautiful precision construction.