This is going to take me weeks to sort out having absolutely no experience of sewing at all so please bear with me whilst we work out how to upload photographs and videos. We also have the challenge of working out what the hundreds of attachments are for. These were all my late brothers machines. All were lovingly restored. He has left detailed instructions on what has been done to each machine. The 185k open to donation to the sewing place even if it is £1. Apparently he hated it and would have burn't it. He didn't though.. His machine was the 15k. Better than any 201k due to it's bobbin feed...? So here is a list of machines... PM me and I will do my best to upload pictures etc.
221k.
2x 201k
99k
185k £1 or more donation to the forum. Must collect though (Leeds)
15k Bernie's Machine

Jim

  Well the big old fight has come to the final round and I am down on points... So I have decided it is time my collection moves on to people who may enjoy them whilst I am still able to do this.
This is just a tentative post and I know I have not been here for some time for obvious reasons but other than you good people I do not know who would appreciate them more.

I have a 221k, 2x 201k, 1 x 185k and my favourite 15k that need to find new loving homes. There are also tins of presser feet and various other related items that need to go also.

So if anyone is looking for a vintage machine that has been lovingly restored and is both mechanically and electrically in superb order then just drop me a PM.

Barny

I got a call today from a local charity shop and they had a Bernina come in and would I be interested? Well of course I was and I was there pronto. It is a stunning condition 830 Record and going by the serial it is one of the later models with the serial beginning 21 (1981)? Anyhow this is not without complications as there  is no foot control or extension table. I managed to grab a very good condition table from the Bay for £25 and I am now on the lookout for a suitable foot control.
There are genuine Bernina items on ebay but they are quite expensive and I would be horrified if the machine didnt work after buying a new control.
I really cannot believe how clean this machine is, not one bit of lint or fluff anywhere! The carry case too is in excellent condition and very clean.
The question now is how do I test it without the foot control???

Pics to follow!

Barny

I love our vintage machines I really do but sometimes they drive me mad 
I picked up a 63 Alu 201k in very good condition, remarkable condition actually. Having done the usual wiring checks I plugged it in and what a racket!!!
The motor induction noise and the foot pedal popping and fizzing lead me stripping them both down for inspection.
The motor was pretty clean but being a BAK 13-12 it is a noisy motor anyway. Induction whine on my test foot controller was still evident but nowhere near the level of the unit it came with and that lead me to the control unit within the pedal itself. Stripping it down and removing the "putty" or whatever it is that frees the threaded bars that in turn unlock the carbon / graphite disks I started the sripdown. There are 53 of these little round disks in each side with the thickest being at the bottom. That means cleaning 106 disks smaller than a half pence piece and half as thick. The way a foot pedal / motor contol works is via resistance. The carbon disks offer resistance thus slowing the speed of the motor, the upshot of resistance is heat and perhaps some noise. Panic not if your pedal gets warm, it's a genuine result of electricity. Anyhow, this pedal in particular was suffering. There was no flow through the depression of the button, it was all or nothing, very little in the graduated acceleration, slow, slow, quick, Holy Cow!
After stripping it and emptying the disks on to clean kitchen towel, one for each side. it became apparrent that all was not well. Both bottom (thickest) disks were broken as well as a total of 15 resistance disks. The noise I was hearing was electricity popping through and arching over the disks. The heat generated was due to additional resistance, half a disk alters the resistance and can induce arcing and as such increases the heat. This was the popping sound. Bear in mind that if yours does pop it doesn't mean that anything is wrong, that is just the heating and cooling process.

Finally, after cleaning every single disk and replacing the broken ones with clean replacements the pedal was reassembled. This in itself is a tricky aspect, explanion in another topic.

Plugged it all in and tested it on the noisy BAK and yes there was induction noise and hesitation but once plugged into the other machines it was glorious, so smooth and predictable, single stitch predictable. I still have fingers full of graphite as I write this, it's a dirty job and unless you want to endure a day of tedium I would just go find another pedal. If on the other hand you are like me and like to delve into the unseen parts, how they work and how to fix them then dive in, just dont do it on the kitchen table!

Barny

Well, it is finished. Other than a polish the 221k is now ready to move on. It's a shame really as I really like it but needs must. Here it is and you will have to excuse my sewing prowess, holding a camera whilst trying to sew is a new level of awkward!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W873u6_U-Lg

Barny