Inside Defender’s head

I've been cleaning up my latest acquisition - A.G. Mason's Defender, a vibrating shuttle machine very similar to White. These machines have a removable head that contains all the fixtures - the presser and needle bars with their drives, and the tension assembly. I was unfamiliar with this design and was having trouble because the…

The little Vesta Saxonia

I found her sitting by a street bin, abandoned. This is Vesta Saxonia TS, serial number 1477490, made in 1924, according to fiddlebase.com. Complete and working. This is a small model - what they call "half size". It has the typical geared Saxonia balance wheel with integrated handle - this is a hand-crank and the…

It’s all in the head

The ability to form stitches is pretty essential to any sewing machine. 🙂 And most machines fare just fine with "easy" fabrics like cotton poplin, but sewing satin, chiffon or organza is a different matter entirely. The ability to sew slippery fabric depends on the feed mechanism, needle movement and needle point type. Problems arise…