Sheilajeanne Report post Posted March 30, 2023 (edited) In a hurry, otherwise I'd research this myself. Could this machine do leatherwork, with a new motor to slow it down? FREE to a good home or business! Or even an okay home or business. Industrial sewing machine – brand JUKI, Model number “DOL” 555? (Some of the 5s might be 8s) The South Simcoe Theatre needs to free up some space so this heavy duty workhorse of a sewing machine needs to find a new place to call home. Some quotes from those in the know: “It would be fantastic for anything big or heavyweight...set pieces, upholstery, draperies...plus the general hems and construction or reconstruction…” “It will sew anything, but only straight stitch.” It needs a tune up with an estimated cost of $250.00. We were told that it should then “run like a charm and is a very good machine”. Message us or email info@TheSouthSimcoeTheatre.com if you’re interested. Pick up only. It’s very heavy so bring your muscles! https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=797589705054394&set=a.645397746940258 Edited March 30, 2023 by Sheilajeanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheilajeanne Report post Posted March 30, 2023 If anyone is interested, the theatre is located in Cookstown, Ontario. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quade Report post Posted March 30, 2023 Damn I have one of those. They're fantastic for cloth. It's not a good machine for leather. I'd pick it up if it was close. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted March 30, 2023 The Juki DDL-555 is an older model tailoring/dress-maker's sewing machine. They're usually run hard and put up wet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheilajeanne Report post Posted March 30, 2023 Thanks, Wiz! I was in a hurry this morning, as I had a course to get to at 9:30, and didn't have time to research this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DonInReno Report post Posted March 31, 2023 These are right out of the groovy disco days of the 1970s. I have one that was used by a tailor in a Nevada casino - when he retired the machine was gifted to him, but from the looks of it, he stopped sewing all together and it sat in a storage unit across the street from the casino. Back then he could smoke and drink while working - apparently a cosmopolitan was his drink of choice and there were hundreds of little dots of red on the frame and hidden sides of the machine. With a happy gleam in his eye - told me about living in the casino fast lane - the parties, the iconic shows of the time, all the excesses that surround VIP pampering. The sewing table would have certainly tested positive for cocaine residue. A tailor was always on standby in case a show girl’s outfit ripped a seam, the band ended up in a scuffle or Dean Martin or Sammy Davis Jr needed a last minute suit alteration. Maybe just a VIP with a dress that needed to flatter a little more. That old Juki had sequins of all colors in every conceivable nook and cranny - every time it gets deep cleaned a few hidden sequins appear…and it makes me smile. These are high speed machines and the automatic oiler doesn’t work unless it’s run fast, at least for a minute or so. They aren’t worth much and I rarely use it, but it’s a fun time machine so I’ll hang onto it until the estate sale. Lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quade Report post Posted March 31, 2023 I got mine for free off CL. They guy originally wanted $50 for it which I was more than willing to pay. Someone scared him about the clutch motor so he just wanted to dump it. It was his mom's machine. She put all the kids through college by doing alteration jobs for people on it. It looked like it have been dropped and maybe kids played with it. I had to buy a thread stand and some thread guides. It doesn't seem worn. The paint is in great shape. I use it for pretty much anything cloth related. Has a servo on it now. Really the first thing I bought for it. Turned the clutch motor on once and immediately noped. It's a machine that will last for generations as long as you keep it oiled up. They still sell the same machine. https://www.amazon.com/DDL-5550-LockStitch-Industrial-Machine-DDL5550n/dp/B079NQNPHG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted March 31, 2023 3 hours ago, DonInReno said: These are right out of the groovy disco days of the 1970s. I have one that was used by a tailor in a Nevada casino My story doesn't include a Juki, but an ancient Singer 31-15. My Father became a tailor after arriving in America, in 1920. I don't know how he acquired his equipment; I suspect his relatives already here financed him. My Dad only had that one Singer 31-15, bought brand new from Hoffman Brothers in Chicago, which he used to do alterations, sew patches onto uniforms for the 5th Army, hem pants and skirts, shorten sleeves, install zippers, etc. That sewing machine fed our family and paid the rent. It sewed clothes for millionaires on the near north side of Chicago. It repaired silk lined Pucci and Gucci suits owned by known Chicago mobsters. I delivered clothes to those guys in person and waited holding my breath while they inspected our work. I was often rewarded with a $100 tip! I still remember Joe Fusco saying: "Ya's guys did a good job. Tip the man, Mario" They were Good Fellas and we were solid with them. Evidently, the word got passed down over the decades that my Dad did favors for the Outfit during and after Prohibition. A Singer sewing machine and an old black lady born in the late 1800s who did all the hand pressing for those super important and picky customers made all the difference between our tailor shop and all the others. I learned to sew on that 1920 Singer 31-15. It's long gone, as is my Dad, but I bought another one built in 1921, I use to sew linings and broadcloth. I still have two Ace Clippers and two Wiss shears from the tailor shop: Park Shore Cleaners and Tailors. I use them to secure patches for sewing onto bikers' vests when the edges are within 1.5 inches of an edge. The pinking shears still work perfectly on linings. Old American chrome steel with edges that can last 100 years! Old iron and steel sewing machines that last 100 years! The scent of the oil... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted March 31, 2023 11 hours ago, Wizcrafts said: Chicago mobsters My dad was in Chicago in 1939 taking a diesel engineering course. One day he was just coming out of a department store when a mobster car came by and gunned down the people on the steps below him. Supposedly was Al Capon's crew. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DonInReno Report post Posted April 1, 2023 23 hours ago, Wizcrafts said: My story doesn't include a Juki, but an ancient Singer 31-15. Wow - that’s a lot of cool history! Those are the best kind of stories. The 31-15 is timeless - quite a feat to have lasted so long with very few changes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheilajeanne Report post Posted April 1, 2023 Cool stories, Wiz and Don! Thanks for sharing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
