The Sewing Place

201k Aluminium

BrendaP

201k Aluminium
« on: August 19, 2017, 20:04:11 PM »
I collected my 'new' machine this afternoon and have been playing familiarising myself with her since.

One of 15,000 released in May 1957 it's in pretty good shape.  A bit of fluff around the bobbin and feed dog area and feels a bit dry and so has had a good dose of oil.  It doesn't run quite as smoothly as my 1949 model - which is maybe too easy it tends to run-on a bit after the pedal is released.  I don't think this one has had anything near as much use as the older one.

It came with a pretty standard box of accessories:
Ruffler, hemmer, edge stitcher, gathering/shirring foot, hemmer foot, binder foot, under-braider and 3 metal screwdrivers and a stiletto.  Also a separate zipper/piping foot, 10 bobbins, 2 guides for attaching to small scissors guide for cutting binding strips (methinks a rotary cutter and acrylic ruler is better!) assorted needles and a spool of shirring elastic - but no 201 instruction book!  And no 1/8" markings on the needle plate :S

Also included was a Stoppax hemstitch fork and a Stoppax darner attachment - I've never seen one of those before but it makes any foot bounce up and down for free motion or can be twisted round and out of use.  Fiddly to attach but can be left in place for regular sewing.  An expensive little bit of coiled metal - in 1955 when purchase tax increased it went up to 5 shillings and 6 pence in UK and currently https://singer-featherweight.com have sold out and they were charging nearly 35 US dollars!

There is also something which I think is a zig-zagger, but it doesn't have a Simanco number, it just says 'Made in Japan'.

All in all not bad for £30.  Worth that for the attachments alone.  0_0
« Last Edit: August 29, 2017, 12:22:02 PM by BrendaP »
Brenda.  My machines are: Corona, a 1953 Singer 201K-3, Caroline, a 1940 Singer 201K-3, Thirza, 1949 Singer 221K, Azilia, 1957 Singer 201K-MK2 and Vera, a Husqvarna 350 SewEasy about 20 years old. Also Bernina 1150 overlocker and Elna 444 Coverstitcher.
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.

BrendaP

Re: 201k Aluminium
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2017, 20:08:47 PM »
The darner attachment is as it arrived, inside out!  I've had a good fiddle with it and put it back together as it should be and got it onto the machine.  That's really a three handed job; one to hold the regular foot, one to hold the darner and a third to twist the thumb screw.
Brenda.  My machines are: Corona, a 1953 Singer 201K-3, Caroline, a 1940 Singer 201K-3, Thirza, 1949 Singer 221K, Azilia, 1957 Singer 201K-MK2 and Vera, a Husqvarna 350 SewEasy about 20 years old. Also Bernina 1150 overlocker and Elna 444 Coverstitcher.
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.

Roger

Re: 201k Aluminium
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2017, 20:19:57 PM »
Congrats!
Thats a cracking find and a nice looking machine. I have heard that the Hemstitching fork is the best way to hemstitch!

The stoppax additions are funny, but so collectable, I have one in my generic attachments tool box :)
A bit of a vintage sewing machine nut! Singers: 500a, 401g, 48k Elnas: lotus SP & grasshopper, Bernina 530-2 F+R 504, Pfaff 30, Cresta T-132

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Re: 201k Aluminium
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2017, 20:20:55 PM »
Congratulations, it's a good catch :- )

The stoppax accessoires and attachments can be very clever, and some have Singer variants. I have seen them here too, so I guess they were popular at the time. Nothing like that came along with my machines.

I have the same zigagger, its' light, simple and it works; just not the same as a real zigzagger.

You know everything about the 201 already, the internals are all the same. The bobbin case usually needs to come out and you likely need to poke the hole in the center screw with a tooth pick to unclog it; to make sure everything is cleand and oil reach the meshing gears. I'm just thinking out lound really, from experience with my 201K23 as well as the black one. It looks like it's in top condition except for a bit of cleaning and maintanance.