Singer 15-91

Howdy, I need help.  I just received a Singer 15-91 machine that I want to do free-motion quilting with.  Do I use the darning foot? And where can I find a darning foot for this specific model?  Thanks for your help. Peggy

I have a 15-91 as well and all you need is a generic darning foot.  I bought mine at my local sewing machine dealer/repair shop and it actually fits very well.  The best part was that is was only about $8!
And if you don't have the manual, to drop the feed dogs on your machine just to tilt it back and un-screw the thumb screw which is directly under your feed dogs.
Let me know if you need any other help.  I absolutely love my 15-91!

Irene, Is the 15-91 considered a low shank machine?  I am lucky to have the original book and all the accessories and cabinet too. Thanks for the help. Peggy

Irene, Well I figured out it is a low shank machine but I have more questions.
1.  Does the pot moter stay warm/hot if you leave it plugged in when you are not sewing?
2.  I cannot read the stitch legnth unless I use a flash light is yours dark too?
3.  The "normal" presser foot sews a less than 1/4" seam, can I buy a 1/4 inch foot for this 15-91?
4.  My knee controler does not always stop when I take my knee off it do I need to give it a squirt of WD-40 or do something else, this machine had not been used for about 20 years. I did have it serviced and wiring checked.
5.  How often do you oil yours?
Thanks Peggy

No, your motor should not be warm to the touch.  Since you wrote that your knee controller doesn't always stop when you take your foot off of it, your machine could be "on" all the time.  I would take your pressure foot out of your cabinet and set it on the floor. (Your manual should give your an idea how to take it out.)  Personally, I do not use the knee lever and prefer to use the foot on the floor.  It gives me more control.  
If your machine motor is still hot, then I would consider taking a closer look at your pressure foot. I've rescued three 15-91's and rarely have I seen one that did not need to have all their wires replaced.  It's just too dangerous with these all metal machines.

My machine still has it's gold decals on the front so the stitch length can easily be seen. I've heard of people taking white-out and painting over the numbers then wiping it off. The white-out stays in the groves and allows you to easily read the numbers.

"3.  The "normal" presser foot sews a less than 1/4" seam, can I buy a 1/4 inch foot for this 15-91?"
This one I'm not sure about. I've always just used the small foot which came with my machine. I would check out your local shop.

"5.  How often do you oil yours?"
It depends how often I'm sewing that week, but I oil the spots on top the machine just about every time I sew. (I highly recommend finding an oiler with a tube which can easily dispense one drop at a time. It's too hard to control otherwise.) I oil every spot recommended maybe once a month.

Hope this helps!

A couple of things:

All sewing machine motors (except for electronic or computerized models) are universal motors.  This means that they have carbon brushes that ride on the armature as the motr spins.  This produces friction and the motor will get a little warm (not hot) as it runs for a while.   So, slightly warm is normal, but hot is bad.

I would also like to add that the vast majority of potted motor machines that cross my bench (over 95% of them) require some remedial work to the motor and new wires from the motor to the terminal on the back of the machine.   Rather than spend a ton of time typing stuff out, I am going to refer you to some articles (with photos) on my blog that will provide more information about this:

Refurbishing the 15-91

Inspecting electrical wires on a Classic  Vintage Sewing Machine

Singer 15-91
Review, specs and free manual.

Yes, you can use a generic 1/4 inch, low shank foot, or you can use a seam guide with your standard foot.  It easier to use the screw on or a magentic seam guide if you have a marked needle plate for your machine. As an option to the marked needle plate, you can use an adhesive marked guide.

I bet the motor stops, but the machine keeps going, right???  This is not a defect with the controller.

I just bought a 15-91. I was following the manual (photocopied version of the original) and i'm stumped on the bobbin winding. Per the instructions, i grasped the balance wheel with my left hand and held it still while i grasped the big silver stop motion screw with my right to loosen it. I tried turning the stop-motion screw both ways, and when i went lefty-loosey, it just caused the needle housing and feed dogs to pump as if sewing. it wouldn't turn more than a quarter-inch righty-tighty.

what did i do wrong?

Lindsey 

This is a tough one. Sometimes if the hand wheel is not put back on correctly, there's not enough room for you to turn the stop motion screw so that it disengages the needle. 
What you need to do is remove the little screw that is in the silver stop motion screw and then remove the stop motion screw as well.  You will see a washer that has three small raised knobs on it.  Remove the washer, rotate it and replace.  Then replace the large stop motion screw and the small screw inside.  Then try to disengage the needle again.  If this doesn't work, you may need to repeat the steps and rotate the washer again.  It is a hit-or-miss type of deal where you have to get everything in the right place in order for it to work correctly. 
Try it and let me know if you have any questions. It's not a tough adjustment, but often times it's overlooked by the shop repair people.

ok, i took the screw driver, loosened the small set screw in the stop-motion screw so it would clear the 3 small nipples on the piece of metal between the stop motion-screw and balance wheel. i removed it and the piece w/ 3 nipples and set it aside. 

got the bobbin set up, and everything threaded correctly. then when i pressed the presser-foot - the business end of the machine w/ the needle still pumped!

What now?

what does "right" look like for bobbin winding?

is the small set screw supposed to catch on or clear the 3 nipples?

if i have it so it catches on the nipples, the machine sews.

if i unscrew it enough that it clears the nipples, everything still spins and the machine sews.

I've tried rotating the tang (there are only 2 positions) with no luck.

Sorry this is so hard to explain.  When the stop motion screw is tight the needle bar is engaged and the little screw is supposed to be inbetween the "nipples" and as far right as possible without resting on a nipple.  This is so that when you loosen the large screw, there's enough room for you to turn it to the left so that the needle bar can be disengaged for bobbin winding. 
So the correct position for bobbin winding is for the large screw to be loose and for the little screw to be just to the right of a "nipple" without resting on one. 
The correct position for sewing is for the large screw to be tight and the little screw to be just left of a "nipple" without resting on one. 
When you are doing this, you should be able to loosen and tighten the large screw with in the space between two nipples.  You should not have to go over a nipple when trying to engage or disengage your needle bar.  Does this make sense?

Hi Everyone,

I had to share that I just bought this machine (1948) at a thrift shop and I am having it serviced.  It came with the button hole attachment.  I went on Ebay and bought some other attachments for it.  I can't wait to try it out. Are there any tutorials on how to use the other attachments with this machine?

Do you have the manual? There are some instructions in the manual as to how to use each one. You can download a free copy here: http://blog.sew-classic.com/2008/10/05/singer-1591-sewing-machine-review.aspx

Thanks for that website for the manual!
As for needles any singer needle will do?

Actually, I do not buy the Singer needles. I've always used Schmetz needles and use the needle size that works best with what I'm sewing. I mostly use Schmetz Microtex Sharp needle in a size 80/12. The thicker the fabric, the bigger the needle.
If you want to read more on needles, this is a great site: http://www.schmetzneedles.com/needleprimer.html