Pfaff 130 in an Industrial Table

There was no need.

But the presence of several outstanding vintage sewing machines hanging around waiting to be used was not enough to dissuade me from purchasing this Pfaff 130. Why did I want this one (since I could never claim to need it)?

It's in a butcher block table. I love them and have had my eye out for one for some time. It's not the kind of thing a person can buy on eBay.

There is a knee lift, presently deactivated. I have not yet worked out whether or how it can be brought back into service. Your thoughts welcome on this! But if I can have the knee lift on a classic vintage machine that does both straight stitch and zigzag, I would love it.

Pulley and industrial motor setup such as I have never worked with. I can't resist the lure of the unknown.

The machine and its paint and decals are in lovely condition. All of these photos are in "as found" condition. I am optimistic that this machine will clean up beautifully. That strip of masking tape on the bed in the photo is already a thing of the past.

That hump on the back is a device called the Automatic 50010. Pfaff's manual notes: "With this device some 54 varieties in fancy stitching can be done by the use of but one needle." Well, it may be some time before I get around to exploring those 54 varieties, but it's a curious and interesting device, which seems rather similar to the Wonder Wheel available for Necchi machines of the same era. You could purchase these to add a set of external cams (all completely metal, of course) to your basic zigzag machine.

Things you can't see from these photos: first, and most importantly, the needle and hook for this machine are mounted such that the needle goes in with the flat side to the back. I'm sure there's a name for this, such as "transverse" or some such, but I don't know it. This setup allows the use of a twin needle, unlike the needle mounting arrangement of the Necchi BU or the Singer 201 or lots of other vintage machines. When the eye of the needle faces to the side, a twin needle can't be used.

Second, and I must take more photos to show you, this machine came with a very complete set of attachments--hemmers and tuckers and rufflers and cording feet.

A happy discovery: the M class bobbin used by the Pfaff (no, it's not a class 15; that would be just too easy to be sporting) is the same as that used by many single needle drop feed industrials. I just sold one of these machines (long story), but I kept the nicest of the bobbins I had bought for it, which were manufactured by Viking for its MegaQuilter. It's a wonderful thing to have a good number of beautiful, high quality bobbins for this Pfaff, especially since the bobbins that came with it are quite corroded.

It wouldn't be an unnecessary, probably over-priced, Craigslist sewing machine purchase if I could just come home and sew, now would it? I've applied lots of oil to the visible points, but there is still much stiffness. Planned next interventions are to remove the hook and grease the hook gears and then to perhaps remove the handwheel and lubricate that area. It needs a new treadle belt, which I fortunately have. At the moment it is SLOW, which has come as a surprise.

So that's my find. What do you think?