I'm working with the machines now, not in chronological order, but in complexity order.
So the first machine I have worked with is Helen. This bird is a 158.16010. She has a slightly green, maybe mint, enamel casing. Quick things you'll note about her and what basically drew me to these generations of machines is the simplicity of the design.
Basic features that are identical across the 1601/1701/1802 line are the side opening door to get to the light bulb, the easy to remove top (it is just held on with a tension clip around), and the order of the knobs. From left to right up to down, Stitch Width, Reverse Stitch Modifier, Stitch length (with reverse button), and Stitch Selector. Everything is upfront and easy to access.
All the machines I will be testing are flat bed, so to get to the bobbin casing there is either lifting up the machine and tilting it back, or popping out the access plate and hoping your hands are small enough to reach deep within the chasm. (Mine are, advantage for small hands!).
Threading the sewing machine of this style is pretty simple and isn't any different than any other sewing machine in this era. I'll make a different blog entry that goes into step by step threading of the machines, as sometimes I even need a refresher.
Enough about the machines in general, I want to talk about Helen.
She's powerful, I'll give you that. The whole reason for my previous post on bobbins was because of a bone headed thing I had done when first working with her. I broke three needles because I forgot to check if the seller had provided me the right bobbin case. After fixing that little annoying issue, it was time to rock and roll.
Boy did she fly. I tried sewing all the cams with a stitch width of 4 (max), and length of about 2. Once I fixed the bobbin issue, sewing with her was speedy and a dream, until some of the more complex C-cams in the 30s.
Something is amiss there. I'm going to have to take her apart and double check. My swans were just not coming out right. I'd have to adjust, and adjust... I just couldn't get it to look like the design on the cam. I eventually got close, with a reverse stitch of about 3/4 the way to M from S, a stitch length of 1.5. And the tension would be all wrong. I went through many, many tests for every cam that was like the swan, with intricate reverse and needle positions. I cannot imagine that is right, the sort of fine details I had to tune in would have been a nightmare for any user, and would not have garnered the praise of this design from so many over the years. Because of this interesting quirk, I have not yet tested the thicknesses nor advanced materials on her. I want to be confident on the internal health of the machine before trying to push her to her limits.
Once I got her dialed in right, the stitch samples were great. Smooth and consistent. (It was consistent even when it was wrong). Zooming through the samples was no issue. I took my time with her because of the dialing in, but I could have easily done all samples in three hours, with adjustments.
One of the big things I discovered with Helen is that a 1601 and an 1802 are NOT interchangeable. That was a huge question answered when I started working with her. The needle on Helen is centered to the needle plate and more narrow than the 1802 plate I had.
Her buttonholing was perfect as well. I used three types of buttonholer. The three screw into the bed types. And each of them being that they have the same mechanic worked wonderfully. The only issue I came to was something's also amiss with the stitch width. How do I know? The width would sneak up on me through the repeated zig-zagging of the buttonhole. You could physically watch the pulsing with each stitch.
I don't know if those are flaws with the design, or just her age. Either way, before she leaves my home, I'm going to give her a nice bit of my time trying to rectify these issues, if I can.
Somethings to be said about her and the 1601s that are just a matter of the design are the actual capabilities.
So the first machine I have worked with is Helen. This bird is a 158.16010. She has a slightly green, maybe mint, enamel casing. Quick things you'll note about her and what basically drew me to these generations of machines is the simplicity of the design.
 |
| Proof Helen is indeed a machine |
Basic features that are identical across the 1601/1701/1802 line are the side opening door to get to the light bulb, the easy to remove top (it is just held on with a tension clip around), and the order of the knobs. From left to right up to down, Stitch Width, Reverse Stitch Modifier, Stitch length (with reverse button), and Stitch Selector. Everything is upfront and easy to access.
All the machines I will be testing are flat bed, so to get to the bobbin casing there is either lifting up the machine and tilting it back, or popping out the access plate and hoping your hands are small enough to reach deep within the chasm. (Mine are, advantage for small hands!).
 |
| Centered Needle |
 |
| Not Centered Straight Stitch Foot |
Threading the sewing machine of this style is pretty simple and isn't any different than any other sewing machine in this era. I'll make a different blog entry that goes into step by step threading of the machines, as sometimes I even need a refresher.
Enough about the machines in general, I want to talk about Helen.
She's powerful, I'll give you that. The whole reason for my previous post on bobbins was because of a bone headed thing I had done when first working with her. I broke three needles because I forgot to check if the seller had provided me the right bobbin case. After fixing that little annoying issue, it was time to rock and roll.
Boy did she fly. I tried sewing all the cams with a stitch width of 4 (max), and length of about 2. Once I fixed the bobbin issue, sewing with her was speedy and a dream, until some of the more complex C-cams in the 30s.
 |
| Stitch Samples! |
Something is amiss there. I'm going to have to take her apart and double check. My swans were just not coming out right. I'd have to adjust, and adjust... I just couldn't get it to look like the design on the cam. I eventually got close, with a reverse stitch of about 3/4 the way to M from S, a stitch length of 1.5. And the tension would be all wrong. I went through many, many tests for every cam that was like the swan, with intricate reverse and needle positions. I cannot imagine that is right, the sort of fine details I had to tune in would have been a nightmare for any user, and would not have garnered the praise of this design from so many over the years. Because of this interesting quirk, I have not yet tested the thicknesses nor advanced materials on her. I want to be confident on the internal health of the machine before trying to push her to her limits.
Once I got her dialed in right, the stitch samples were great. Smooth and consistent. (It was consistent even when it was wrong). Zooming through the samples was no issue. I took my time with her because of the dialing in, but I could have easily done all samples in three hours, with adjustments.
One of the big things I discovered with Helen is that a 1601 and an 1802 are NOT interchangeable. That was a huge question answered when I started working with her. The needle on Helen is centered to the needle plate and more narrow than the 1802 plate I had.
 |
| 1601 centered piece insert inside 1802 needle plate |
I don't know if those are flaws with the design, or just her age. Either way, before she leaves my home, I'm going to give her a nice bit of my time trying to rectify these issues, if I can.
Somethings to be said about her and the 1601s that are just a matter of the design are the actual capabilities.
- Can sew with all 1 and 2 layer cams I threw at her, not an issue.
- 3 Layer cams become an issue due to the jutting magnet
- Has no issue with flatbed buttonholers.
- NOT compatible with the flatbed type monogrammers
- NOT compatible with any chain stitch adapters
 |
| Not going to fit, feed dogs just a bit too wide |
 |
| Look at that overlap, just so small, but these are precision machines, that is a big deal |
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