Singer 319K

Hi all,

I have just acquired a beautiful Singer 319K and would love to hear from any other owners.

I understand it uses different needles and bobbins to other Singers.

Any tips and hints will be gratefully received.

Thank you

Anne - in Adelaide, South Australia

Reply to
anisahsmith
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The 319 is a wonderful, strong, very cool machine and you are right, it requires special bobbins and needles. It was called the "Swing Needle" Singer, and was one of the first zig zag models Singer made. Hopefully you got a manual with your machine.

One of the main differences between this machine and others are it's cleated belt drive, the belt is made of a densely woven fiber type material. Do NOT get oil on this belt. But the cleats themselves can be gently cleaned with alcohol, just don't get any on the belt itself.

Also...sewing in reverse without fabric (but with thread) will result in the tightest thread wad under the needle plate you can imagine so try to avoid this at all costs :)

Another cool thing about the 319 is it can be put in a treadle!

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have a 319 and a 306, the 306 doesn't have the built in stitches andso no 'keyboard' on top, but otherwise is the same machine. They are in my sewing machine Webshots album:

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are some of the neatest vintage machines going -- I'm happy foryour new acquisition!!

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

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Reply to
IMS

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I agree that the 319K uses special bobbins but I have just been working on a 319K and it uses exactly the same needles as my Janome ie., universal type needles. I have compared the 206/13 needles and the universal needles and they are identical. Peter Lee

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Reply to
Peter Lee

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If your Singer 319 takes regular needles than it has been retimed.

A 319 that has been reset for a 15X1 will sew with a 206X13 equally well in most cases. The reason that people change them to use a 15X1 is that it is longer below the eye, and the tip can hit the bobbin and BC. When they try to counteract this, they raise the needle bar which throws it out of time with the hook, then advance the hook to compensate for this, which throws the hook out of time with the take up lever, which causes tension problems. Then, they usually run the upper tension extra heavy to compensate for this. The result of all of this is that the 206X13 cannot hurt your machine by hitting something as the 15X1 can, so if it is sewing well and the tension seems good, then by all means leve it alone.

-Irene

Reply to
IMS

Sorry I hit send a little too soon.

The distance from the top of the needle to the eye is the same as a standard needle, but the length from the eye to the tip on the 206x13 needles is shorter.

The 206 needles are harder to find, though, is the main reason people retime the machine to accept 15x1.

-Irene

Reply to
IMS

I hate to contadict this info, BUT, you don't need to retime a 319k to use

15x1 needles.

The only mod needed is to open up the bobbin case. the slot in the top if the case needs to be open up right down to the back edge of the case.

If you want to see pics of the process, go here....

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is consierably easier to do than retiming your machine.-------------------------------------Andrew

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Reply to
Lark2004

mailinh had written this in response to

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:Hey folks, by very very lucky chance, I got given a Singer 319K (with a tonne ofaccessories) after I saw it at a garage sale for $100. However, when Ilater returned to enquire the vendor said that it had JUST started to havea problem with the bottom tension (something to do with the bobbin). Asshe was leaving overseas the next day and I had a little one-year oldtugging my leg, neither had time to try to fix it... so she donated it tome. Anyway, the last thing she used the machine for was to repair awetsuite, so very heavy duty fabric, and she suspects something minormight have happened. Grateful for tips.

By the way, I've since learned from a brief surf on the net that the 319K is highly sought after by collectors and it features in several science/industry museums in Aust and overseas, including the Powerhouse in Sydney.

Cheers, ML

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote:

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Reply to
mailinh

I suggest you look at the manual and try it with regular thread and fabric. May well her problem was what she was sewing more then the machine

Reply to
Ron Anderson

Do you believe everything you read on the Internet...?

Reply to
battisa

------------------------------------- Deniece..

Hi I have just been given a 319k as well I am toatlly lost...I dont really know where to begin can anyone help is there a manual online I can Download??? Thankyou

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Reply to
Deniece

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Reply to
BEI Design

Hi,

My mum owns a Singer 319K sewing machine which was purchased on 19th Jan, 1956. I just love it! My mum cherishes it so much. Unfortunately I am unable to find a timing belt for the model so could not use the beauty since few years. Can anyone please help me to find a timing belt for this machine?

Thanks in advance.

Rifadha Jawher Sri Lanka

Reply to
rifa805

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Reply to
hubops

It is long obsolete no longer available

Reply to
Ron Anderson

Hi Ron. Thanks for your reply . It might keep others from trying to revive this vintage model if a timing belt can't be found .. ?

Just curious - were there many machines built with timing belts ?

I've had a few Elnas ; 1 Necchi ; 1 Pfaff ; 2 White ; a couple other oddballs .. none with timing belts .. I'm talking home machines <not industrial > mid/late 1950s - early 70s

Regards & All The Best ; glad that you're still checking-in here. John T.

Reply to
hubops

old post but it bears commenting, even though it is commented elsewhere in this post. 206x13 needles are NOT the same length as 15x1. they are the same length from shank to thread hole, but they are shorter from needle hole to point. As a result, if you try to do any stitch besides a straight stitch on a 319 with 15x1 needles, you are going to hit the bobbin case. If you want to run 15x1 needles in a 319, you need to either buy a replacement bobbin case with the required clearances or you need to grind a way the OEM bobbin case in the half moon shape and the cross piece over the top of the case. Then you can run 15x1 needles without worry of crashing the needle. Stock timing works fine with 15x1. The 319 is actually a PFAFF design and that uses 15x1 needles. Singer licensed the patent for the Pfaff 130 to make the 206/306, hich was restyled to make the 319/320. One of the conditions is the Singer had to be different in function and appearance from the 130. Hence, different sized needles (which was Ok by Singer as it meant you would buy your "special" needles from them).

Reply to
Cheemo

For others running across this, the OEM cleated cloth belt has long been discontinued. There is, however, a modern replacement and it is a rubber cleated belt, like a timing belt on an automotive engine. You can find them at sewing machine shops, online stores and even places like ebay. So if you fabric belt has broken, you can get your 319 back in service fro somewhere around 50-100 bucks.Well worth it for such a versatile machine which is, in design at least, basically a Pfaff 130. The Pfaff 130 is a highly prized machine, the 319 is a dark horse but you can get the goodness of the Pfaff (IE: many $$$) at used Singer prices.

Reply to
Cheemo

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