I can sewing again, yay, yay! I bought a second hand SINGER sewing machine two weeks ago. Last weekend, I went to purchase additional accessories such as additional bobbins, zipper foot and all-purpose oil.
Here are some tips for those who are looking into buying a second hand sewing machine:
1. Communication with the seller is important. Ask questions. Questions that I asked - Is there a manual? How long has the seller used the machine? Does the machine come with accessories? etc.
3. Check with the service centre (Singer service centre: 2610 1611) whether they can fix and have spare parts of a particular model. Singer / Supreme Sewing Machine Co at Shop C, G/F, No. 385, Portland Street, Mongkok, Kowloon is one of Singer branches in Hong Kong (tel: 2771 3571). They sells accessories and also accept sewing machines for servicing.
4. Request to test the sewing machine. I would be wary if any seller would not allow this process. Check the light bulb, listen and pay attention to the sound of the machine when you sew. You can kind of guess from the sound if there is something wrong with the machine - intuition, I guess. Ask for any demonstration if there is any need. Do not be shy.
Once all the questions are answered and the sewing machine has been tested, you are now ready to make the decision; to buy or not to buy it.
Now, I can't wait to start altering some of the vintage tops I bought.