School me on a singer 31-15 sewing machine

[Deleted]

I'm looking at a singer 31-15 to buy at a auction.


How much should I pay? Will it sew upholstery with ease ? How about parts and consumables (like needles), are they easy the find?  

[emsmom]

I had one for years. It was a good machine. Mine had no reverse stitch but that still worked out. That machine is good for upholstery work.

[Deleted]

The Singer 31-15 was one of the most popular (and plentiful) machines that Singer made. It was designed to sew a lock stitch in “clothing, cloaks, suits, skirts, shirts, etc.” (Quote from the 1916 Singer 31-15 User Manual) at a maximum speed of 2200 stitches per minute. The original needles for it were a 16x87 when used on a power table, and 16x73 when used on a foot-powered stand (treadle) in sizes ranging from 14 to 23. Boot makers latched onto them to sew the small colored thread rows in their boot tops using silk thread.

Singer (and others) offered a wide range of feeds for the 31-15 (the feed includes presser foot, needle plate, and feed dog) to cover a host of different tasks that could be done with the same machine, mainly in the clothing industry. Many of those parts are still available today. Needles of the type 16x87 are widely available these days, and some have said that other needles work including 16x2, 16x231, 16x257, or DBx1. I doubt that you’ll find many 16x2 needles anymore, but I listed it anyway. I use 16x87 size 18 needles in my 31-15s to sew with Tex92 Polyester thread. That’s about the largest thread that my machines want to put up with, but plenty large enough for most home upholstery. It’s the wrong machine if you’re wanting to get into the upholstery business. I have a 31-15 treadle (roller foot) and a 31-15 hand crank (regular foot). I’m using a steering wheel knob for my hand crank (suicide knob, Brodie knob).

For vinyl upholstery, I would recommend using a roller foot with matching needle plate and feed dog. Some vinyl doesn’t feed well with the normal drop-feed foot because it can be kind of “sticky”. Roller feet are still available new, especially on that big auction site.

Price for a 31-15 is totally up to you. I depends on how bad you want it....but they’re fun machines to have.

CD in Oklahoma

[Deleted]

Aug 27, 2015 21:24:06 GMT @fixitguy said:

I'm looking at a singer 31-15 to buy at a auction.

Well, did you snag yourself a Singer 31-15?

CD in Oklahoma

[Deleted]

[Deleted]

Here's the machine, It goes to auction tonight

[mollymckee]

Let us know what it brings, even if you don't get it.

[Deleted]

No luck, the machine sold for $305. I bid it to $275.  As luck would have it, my MIL has two. My wife remembered that the one upstairs didn't sew right or something. I'll find out the skinny on that one this weekend.

[Deleted]

Sept 1, 2015 0:38:35 GMT @fixitguy said:

(31-15)....the one upstairs didn't sew right or something. I'll find out the skinny on that one this weekend.

How did you come out on your sewing machine?

CD in Oklahoma