drc9723 Report post Posted August 6, 2020 Looking for some advise... I have the chance purchase either a singer 78-1 or 111W101. I haven’t seen either machine in person yet. Both are supposed to be in working order. My main purpose for getting a machine is to try to do some automotive upholstery. Any thoughts about which machine might be a better buy? Price for either machine will be approximately $200 (Canadian), including table and clutch motor. I know some people would say buy a newer machine, but I’m happy to and like tinkering with antiques. thanks in advance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shoepatcher Report post Posted August 6, 2020 Buy the 111W101. Heavier sewing machine. glenn Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drc9723 Report post Posted August 7, 2020 47 minutes ago, shoepatcher said: Buy the 111W101. Heavier sewing machine. glenn I was leaning that way... The one thing that draws me to the 78-1 is the length of stitch adjustment. It’s so simple on the 78-1. And I’ve read bad things about the 111W101 stitch adjustment. Any thoughts? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted August 7, 2020 What they said The 101. I do horse rug repairs , and medium leathers with a similar machine ( Seiko STW) so it would be ideal for auto upholstery , I've done that too . HS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Constabulary Report post Posted August 7, 2020 (edited) The advantage of the 78 Class is that is has a very long stitch length of about 8.5mm whereas the 111 usually has about 5mm. Both machines do not have reverse if that matters. If you have the $ buy them both. If you do not have the space for 2 machines just keep 1 table you can use both machines on the same table (same size of cut out). The 78 has no feed dog, there is just a slot in the needle plate and that reduces the marks on the bottom side but that may not be too important in upholstery that's rather an advantage in leather work. But in instead the center feet often have heavier 2 teeth. I have a Class 78-3 on my shelf but haven't yet touched / restored it.... To me the78 looks like a very very simple and forgiving machine. It is technically reduced to a minimum IMO. But parts are hard to find nowadays. Nothing wrong wight antique machines, especially the 111 class series. I bought all my machines used and have even restored most of them. I like vintage machines A LOT! If I had too choose just one I´d take the 111. Edited August 7, 2020 by Constabulary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CowboyBob Report post Posted August 7, 2020 You will have a very hard time trying to find feet & some of the other parts for the 78 ,the 111w is no problem. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted August 7, 2020 5 hours ago, Constabulary said: Both machines do not have reverse if that matters. That can be overcome, but with horse rugs being so big, a reverse ( Seiko STW ) is a must, .....for me anyway And yes, I too love vintage machines. I can credit this forum for that ' sobsniff' . The more I read , the more I learn , and the more I appreciate their history . If only these old machines could speak eh? the stories they could tell ? wow !! In fact, I love anything old , even better when it still works and continues to outlast their modern counterparts. HS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drc9723 Report post Posted August 7, 2020 Thank you all for the input. I think I’ll go with the 111W101. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DonInReno Report post Posted August 7, 2020 I think you’ll find these YouTube videos informative - he does a good job showing the rules of thumb and methods. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drc9723 Report post Posted August 20, 2020 I went ahead and purchased the 111W101. I haven't much time to dig into it yet. The machine seem to roll over smoothly, everything seems to work. It does have a small amount of threads missing off of the stitch length adjustment (which seems to be a common problem for these early 111W machines). But it does stay in place while running. If it causes trouble in the future, it looks like it can easily be locked in place by adding a washer to the screw on the adjusting cam. The Consew clutch motor runs smooth and is very quiet. The table itself is in kinda rough shape. I think I'd like to find (or build) a solid wood table top. The wood looks nicer that the green laminate top, in my opinion. Would anyone have a link to a parts manual for the 111W101? I haven't been able to find one on the web. From what I've read, it seems most records for these "W" machines were lost. Is there any way to determine this machine's approximate year of manufacture? (serial number is W661150) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted August 21, 2020 @drc9723 Congrats on your purchase, now the fun begins eh? yeh sure, heres are a few links to manuals. https://www.manualslib.com/manual/364308/Singer-111w101.html http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/model-list/classes-100-199.html Heres a youtube link, good place to learn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh2Gc6soutE HS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drc9723 Report post Posted August 21, 2020 8 hours ago, Handstitched said: @drc9723 Congrats on your purchase, now the fun begins eh? yeh sure, heres are a few links to manuals. https://www.manualslib.com/manual/364308/Singer-111w101.html http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/model-list/classes-100-199.html Heres a youtube link, good place to learn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh2Gc6soutE HS Yes, i had visited those sites. I do have a copy of the Instruction manual. I'm now trying to find the Parts manual. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted August 22, 2020 9 hours ago, drc9723 said: Yes, i had visited those sites. I do have a copy of the Instruction manual. I'm now trying to find the Parts manual. Parts manuals are harder to find it seems , however, I did find this. Its for a 155, but similar to yours. The site is a bit of a ' dog leg', it took a while to get around it. https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZbsWLkZgK81EJwTRJkzmdwm31ffiSHKqGgk But I'll keep looking HS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted August 22, 2020 Found this also, but for a 106, an 'illustrated parts list' https://www.manualslib.com/manual/153768/Singer-111w106.html HS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drc9723 Report post Posted August 22, 2020 4 hours ago, Handstitched said: Found this also, but for a 106, an 'illustrated parts list' https://www.manualslib.com/manual/153768/Singer-111w106.html HS Thank you for that link. It looks like the 106 is very similar to the 101. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
