Month: July 2023

The Pfaff 130 is regarded as one of the very best vintage machines due to it’s precise construction, smoothness, sewing speed (2500 stitches a minute), and ability to sew pretty much anything that you can fit under the foot. The motors were 1.3 amps to provide high speed and torque as the ceramic flywheel does not add much punching power.

This newly arrived 130 was and is still covered in a lot of old oil residue, that may also be nicotine, gas stove residue, and maybe even some 3 in 1 oil, which turns into shellac over time. This is why you should not use it for lubricating a machine as over time it will freeze them up solid.

After an initial wipe down with oil the machine looked a lot shinier and the plated parts that can be removed easily came off to go into the kerosene tank to soak. During the wipe down with oil a lot of brown crud was coming off the machine and in many cases this could be degraded clear coat, but due to the coating of crud on this machine we are pretty sure it is the same as the bright work.

Pfaff 130-6 with the tension unit and faceplate removed for cleaning, and looking very shiny after a wipe down with kerosene, which makes it look really shiny but once that dries you see how much crud is left on the head of the machine. 3 in 1 oil leaves a residue like this and one of the best ways to remove old 3 in 1 oil, is to use 3in1 oil as a cleaner as the matching solvent breaks down to old gummy residue.

It is a painstaking process to clean a machine like this, as you want to proceed carefully and remove small layers at a time to make sure the clearcoat is not compromised or starting to break down. We expect this machine to sparkle like a new penny and it will then be made available for sale, it has a lovely cabinet with a stool that stores inside.

This is a Pfaff 130-6 we currently have available that has been restored cosmetically, electrically, and mechanically, and it has a very nice table, accessories, and all it’s original manuals. It also have the very desirable “coffee grinder” which is an attachment that adds extra decorative stitching.

Our price for this lovely example is $450.00 cad

The Singer 301/301A debuted in 1951 during Singer’s 100th anniversary and has gone on to become one of the most loved and appreciated machines ever made.

It uses the same vertical rotary hook as the earlier 221, is gear driven and is powered by an internal motor that is mounted vertically, and gives the 301 a sewing speed that tops out at around 1600 stitches a minute.

Being made of cast aluminium is it a rather light, full size machine so is ideal for travelling, and came in a long bed model as seen here as well as short bed models.

It came in beige (as shown here), black, and a two tone beige and white with the beige and black models being available as both long and short bed models.

It also introduced Singer’s slant needle system.

Some examples we have had in the shop over the years, the black short bed model belongs to our permanent collection.

The stitch quality of the 301 is perfect and as such is highly favoured by quilters and sewists of all kinds.

We have a number of 301A machines available for sale, models with no A suffix are a little rarer as these were only made in 1951 during the first run, and black long bed machines are probably the most desirable.

Happy sewing.