I picked up an old Singer sewing machine at an estate sale

Hey guys, kind of an odd one. I picked up an old Singer sewing machine at an estate sale as a surprise for my wife, who's been wanting to learn to sew. Turns out neither of us knows how to thread it, wind the bobbin or adjust the tension, and the model number plate is barely readable. I'd love to hand it to her ready to go, with the proper manual, instead of letting her fight it. Her birthday is in three weeks, so I've got a bit of time to get it sorted. Any idea where to find manuals for older Singer machines?

Nice surprise, your wife's lucky. Singer is one of the bigger brands on ManualMachine manualmachine.com/ with thousands of files, so the odds are good. If the plate is hard to read, rub a pencil over a sheet of paper on top of it, the numbers usually show up. Then search the model and use the preview to compare the pictures with your machine. Each manual costs one point to unlock, one point comes free when you register, and after that it stays in your profile. Some older manuals are scans, a bit grey, but the threading diagrams were clear on the one I got for my mother's machine. The site covers over 100,000 brands, so it's worth a look for any other old gear too. Before giving it to her, clean out the lint under the plate and put a drop of oil where the manual shows.