Isn't it Majestic?

I recently saw an advertisement for this Majestic sewing machine in a cabinet. I had never heard of Majestic but branded/badged machines were quite common back in the day. Majestic machines were made by the White Sewing Machine Company who also made several brands of "badged" machines.
I went to see this machine and cabinet. The machine moved freely by hand. I didn't know if the motor worked because I was not going to plug it in to find out. It's cord was scary; it looked like someone had joined an old plug to a newer cord and wrapped it with electrical tape. The cabinet top was in a sorry condition and there were scratches all over but it looked pretty solid. The machine was missing the special t-shirt cover plate which I knew would be a bit of a hunt to find a replacement.
However, on the positives this machine had it's bobbin case which was important because the bobbin cases for these are not exactly plentiful. That fact was my make or break point; since it had it's bobbin case I could get this machine and take it home; if it turned out to be a dud I could sell the bobbin case on ebay and make my money back. Despite all the dust and oily grime it appeared to have a fair finish with nice decals.
This is what I brought home.

majestic sewing machine before picture

My first goal, as with any machine, is to sort out the machine head. I always like to work on these first. I did a general cleaning and oiling. I learned that it's motor pulley had a significant flat spot on it which is what happens when these rotary sewing machines sit unused for long periods of time. A flat pulley causes the machine to sound like the helicopter taking off when you try to run it. Luckily, motor pulleys are still available for White/Kenmore and the replacement one fit perfectly. Once, I got it cleaned and sorted I felt that this was a solid machine worth bringing back to life.
The next goal was to sort out the electrical issues. I carefully went over all the electrical wiring and surprisingly all the original cloth covered wiring at the motor and to the light was perfect. The big mess was all the wiring in the cabinet. It was crumbling and exposed copper. Just a mess and a hazard. It got all new wiring in the cabinet and a new plug thanks to the work of my dad. Then came that moment of hooking the new wires to the motor and turning it on. It ran like a champ. Full variation of speed.... just what every vintage sewing machine enthusiast wants to hear.
Now came the third project on this; the cabinet. The top section was in need of refinishing. The rest of it looked okay but worn due to the scratches. Some online research lead me to Howard Restor-A-Finish. I found some at the local hardware store and I selected a walnut color. I applied it as directed and then went over it with three coats of wax. That was the day I got over 10,000 "steps" on my misfit in an afternoon because I forgot to take it off before applying and removing the wax. The movement of my arm counted as steps. That took care of all the little dings and scratches. The top section was removed from the cabinet and scraped down. It was hand varnished with several coats of varnish and then I applied several coats of wax. Once again my dad gave me a hand in this as he is well versed in woodworking. It's not a perfect match but it sure looks much better and over time it may darken and look more fitting with the rest of the cabinet.

Majestic After

I brought it into the house. As I didn't have a manual I found it easiest to just watch a couple youtube videos on how to wind a bobbin and how to thread the machine. I had never sewn on a rotary machine before. I just set the thread tensions where I thought they might go and tried it out. Perfect tension right from the start. Great stitches and so quiet. As you can see I even found that T-shirt cover plate on ebay. It took daily searching to finally find one for a reasonable price that was in good condition.

My Top Ten Reasons to Buy a Vintage Sewing Machine

Probably one of those questions that people outright ask or at least think about is: Why would you choose a vintage sewing machine over something that is new that had hundreds of built in stitches?

Here is my top ten reasons for buying vintage

1.  Most people only use straight stitch and a basic zig-zag stitch so why pay for hundreds of unused stitches
2.  Metal gears. No plastic parts that can literally shatter. Having a seized up or frozen machine is not a catastrophic event for a metal geared machine.
3.  Availability of parts. You can find the parts for most vintage machines quite easily. Some machines are more easy to find parts than others but with enough patience you can usually find most parts. Keep in mind most of these machines are 50 years old or older. Modern plastic machines have planned obsolescence so parts on some, only a few years old, can be impossible to find. They want you to buy a new machine not repair.
4.  No computer. You don't even need to worry about expensive computer parts
5.  Ease of use. Vintage Singer machines are super simple to use and to thread making them a good choice for a beginner.
6.  Easy to maintain. Can you follow simple written instructions and drawn out diagrams? If you said yes then you can oil and grease your own vintage sewing machine. Most vintage sewing machine manuals explain how to do this.
7.  Heavy duty. Yep there are those metal gears again. Vintage machines can sew heavy denim and silk. However, despite some ebay seller claims, these are domestic machines not industrial. Some can stitch light leather on occasion but no domestic machine is going to be able to sew thick leather every day for 8 hours a day.
8.  They were made to last. These were investment pieces back in the day. People paid quite a bit for their Singer 201 back when it first came out and they expected it to work for many years
9.  For a price between $50 and a couple hundred you can get a machine that is superior to anything modern in that price range today. 
10.  They are just awesome and can come with great stories particularly if you purchase them from an original owner.

There are just a few of my reasons for finding vintage machines a wise choice. I'll cover more topics on some of the advantages later on.

Introduction

My name is Joanna and they say the first step is admitting you have a problem. Well in my case I don't see it as a problem. I am addicted to vintage sewing machines and if I had unlimited space I'd collect them all...like pokemon only with sewing machines.
My introduction to vintage sewing machines started early when I was just a little girl. My mom had and still has a Singer Featherweight. She would let me sew on the featherweight. The foot control would have to be on a crate so my foot could reach it. I would sit at the dining table and make little quilts for my dolls.
As I have gotten more and more into sewing, over the years, my love for vintage sewing machines has just grown. This blog is a way to share what I enjoy with others.