Congratulations on getting the "Vintage sewing machine bug"!! Yes, it sure is addicting. And your work on your Mother-in-laws machine was well worth it since no modern machine can come close to the quality. Great to hear of your success Greg!!

Yes, I agree. Of the many Japanese made machines from that time frame, I have found those from the White brand, Kenmore, and Morse to be some of the best. But I should say there are lots of exceptions to this so I never turn away any of them without checking them out. So many were made as private label brands that its not always easy to tell who made what 'brand', but overall, they are great machines and remarkable bargains compared to some Singers and European models.

You're welcome!

LMR translates to Left, Middle, Right. It is very common for that to be stuck as it is integrated into the ZigZag mechanism. I have videos here that discuss how to get machines unfrozen and how to focus in on the ZigZag mechanism. Do a search under my channel's video tab and you should find concept that might help.

Thanks for the visit

I don't think I do since I was just starting my videos when I made this one. However, I have a strong inkling that the issues with your machine are in the ZigZag mechanism. It the first feature that often freezes up and on yours, it was likely not used very much in the past. The good news is, it is 'likely' not broken but will require more persistence than a clean and oiling. Search my videos for how to get a machine unstuck and with penetrant oils, some heat, and patience, you should be able to wake that feature of your machine up.

Hello Mike and I agree with your instincts. If you look at my video on the "Federal" brand Japanese Clone, it looks just like a similar machine under the name SewMor as well as a few others. There were at least 6 companies (Maybe more) in post WW II Japan that made these machines along with copies of the Singer 15 Class straight stitchers. Soryu, Marusen, Janome, Toyota, and Brother amongst others were in this business. Brands such as Janome and Brother are well known today, but back in the early 50's, they built their businesses in North America thru private label production for department stores and other distributors with more Western sounding names that would have been more familiar to consumers such as Elgin, New Home, etc. This is why some parts of these clones are straightforward to replace while others, such as knobs/dials, might be more of a challenge to find since there were so many brand/styling variations of these models. But overall, they make great machines; don't cost a lot even when overhauled, and will easily outlast any new plastic machine you can buy today and that includes the high priced fancier plastic versions.

Hard to know for sure without seeing it, but it could be that their is corrosion or debris keeping it from snapping into place in order to hold the bobbin in place. These machines use Class 15 bobbins. People often report issues with new metal bobbins for use on vintage machines. You might try getting some vintage metal bobbins and trying this. It could also be that the spring on the bobbin winder shaft is failing and not holding. You might also consider a separate bobbin winder device. Some sewers use these for more efficient bobbin winding. If you are unable to repair yours, the machine itself is of great quality for sewing and it can definitely still be a good machine for you.

@@VintageSewingMachineGarage thanks for the advice. That’s what I was thinking that if that keyway on the winded shaft is spring loaded maybe it’s just corroded. I am having some other issues with this machine but I’m almost 100% sure that’s from my complete lack of knowledge about sewing and so far I’m not finding a lot of information on these older machines. Glad I found your video though, I need all the help I can get.

Me also my tension keeps getting tight

+StitchN Bee Hi Julie. I started about 7 years ago when I purchased a machine that ended up not working and I was determined to see if I could repair it. When I opened it up and saw how incredibly well made it was, I realized that almost all consumer items were once made this well and I got hooked on the hobby pretty quickly. The best way to learn is to start with Blogs and videos which can help you a great deal. There are also MANY Yahoo groups you can join that are dedicated to machine restoration and some specialize in certain brands. I have found that of all of the brands, Singer is the easiest to start with. Not because all of those models are "easy" to restore, but I find that vintage and reproduction parts are far easier to find for Singers (most models) than other brands. This is due to Singer having once been the largest maker of machines and the fact that Singer tended to keep models and parts in production far longer than other makers. Also, you might want to start with dedicated straight stitch only machines as they are slightly simpler to work on. Best of luck to you

Made in Japan after WWII. The Universal brand was a private label brand that was very common back then where lots of sewing machine sellers; including department stores; would contract with several Japanese makers to produce machines to compete with Singer and White which were sold via there own dealers.

You might try Sew-classic.com. See if they have one and/or contact the owner. She is great about answering and can guide you. Alternately, I have found bonanza.com great for original salvage parts.