Sewing machines

[tartanferret]

i have a 1914 or 1917, cant remember without checking online, hand cranked singer in a coffin case that only cost me £20 it not only works perfect and simple to use but in my eyes its a thing of beauty aswell

Sounds just like mine, they were definitely built to last
A fiver from the car boot sale

I wouldn't mind one with a reverse action and zig-zag stitching though.

 

[TurboGirl]

Ohhh, is that a flying shuttle one? I thought they were worth a bit nowdays! Lovely machines, a real beaut of engineering

 

[andyc54]

Sounds just like mine, they were definitely built to last
View attachment 15000View attachment 15001 A fiver from the car boot sale

I wouldn't mind one with a reverse action and zig-zag stitching though.

i think mines older as its the square coffin lid but might be totally wrong but the machine itself looks the same.

thats a lovely looking machine i love the round topped ones and amazing bargain for £5 i thought i did well at £20.

have you checked the serial number online as it will give model and age of manufacture ?

 

[Laurentius]

Sounds just like mine, they were definitely built to last
View attachment 15000View attachment 15001 A fiver from the car boot sale

I wouldn't mind one with a reverse action and zig-zag stitching though.

That is the one I have, also a fiver from Birmingham's flea Market decades ago. It's all I can cope with. They are good for sewing difficult stuff like canvas webbing or cordura, because you can just go one stitch at a time without risking a break to the needle. Trouble is where can you get spares? I had part of the shuttle break recently, and have not been able to find a replacement shuttle.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Trouble is where can you get spares? I had part of the shuttle break recently, and have not been able to find a replacement shuttle.

Ebay. Do a search for something like 'Singer Sewing Machine Oscillating Bullet Shuttle',if one doesn't come up, save the search & check (x) the email box and wait for an email. Keep looking elsewhere in the meantime. One will turn up eventually there's quite a few of them about.

 

[tartanferret]

have you checked the serial number online as it will give model and age of manufacture ?

Year of manufacture 1920,

And to think the original purchaser could well have took it home in a model T,

I wouldn't have fancied carrying it home that's for sure, it weighs a fair bit.

 

[big_swede]

Lucky Lee did a lot of research on the really heavy duty leather machines, he's the guy to ask about them- I find the webbing is easy to sew on a domestic, I do our vehicle ones as well as smaller scale for outdoor goods. Can't best an industrial for multilayers though, my dad has an old industrial which he recovers car seats with, I *think* its a singer K something... if you have an industrial 2nd hand machine supplier in your area, tis worth looking in from time to time and chatting with the staff so you get known and they might find you a gem that isn't from a factory batch- industrial/ factory closure, recievership auctions can be fine hunting grounds too

Most singer classes have a K in them... And I can safely say that I know a bit on industrial sewing machines too. I have had three in my workshop, now only two (sold my leather machine as I didn't use it enough and it was appearently wort a lot more than what I bought it for...).

There are two problems sewing heavy material in a domestic machine. 1) Wear. A domestic machine is not made for doing heavy stuff for a longer time. They are designed to do curtains, dresses and such. Even if you can manage to sew a couple of projects you will have to service the machine more often and it will wear down the machine faster. Plastic gears are not made for that abuse. 2) Thread, the material decides the thread, and the thread decides the needle. There are no big needles for domestics, and you can't get the thick thread needed for heavy material in the small domestic needles. In my leather machine I could sew veg tan leather with corded linen thread in a size 250 needle. With a domestic the biggest needle I've seen has been size 150. And industrial needle systems have much more types of needles, you can choose how the needle should cut the material (with leather needles that is).

 

[andyc54]

Year of manufacture 1920,

And to think the original purchaser could well have took it home in a model T,
View attachment 15013
I wouldn't have fancied carrying it home that's for sure, it weighs a fair bit.

yeah i was shocked when i went to collect it just picked it up and nearly put my back out lol