My Singer 201k Collection

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Angst

Full Member
Apr 15, 2010
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yes yes yes it's very sad i know and getting out of control but i....just....cant...help....myself.....

finally got round to giving them all a clean up....feel free to give me as much stick as possible...it may help me curb my desires....then again, it may not....:p









 

Harvestman

Bushcrafter through and through
May 11, 2007
8,656
26
55
Pontypool, Wales, Uk
Wow, different formations too! You should try a little stop-motion animation.

Lovely machines. I'd better not let my wife see these. or you will be missing one or two.
 

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,209
362
73
SE Wales
Looking great there, Sonni! Of course you know there's no way back now, don't you? I hope property is cheap over your way matey, you'd better start looking for somewhere bigger right now!!!

They are without doubt a twentieth century mechanical engineering icon, aren't they? :)
 

Tjurved

Nomad
Mar 13, 2009
439
3
Sweden
I have a Singer 201K also. It looks like the one in the back at the right in your first picture but without motor my is foot powered.
 

bilmo-p5

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 5, 2010
8,168
9
west yorkshire
Where's the treadle...?
emoticon-00102-bigsmile.gif
 

TurboGirl

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 8, 2011
2,326
1
Leicestershire
www.king4wd.co.uk
I'm guessing the brown one is 1950s? Never seen one of them before! Super stuff :) You got it baaad though lovey, best thing you can do is share the 201k love by distributing them around all your fellow hand-crank-fanciers..... no?!

They are lovely. Do you get a considerable thickness through them? I'm hoping my 66k treadle will be the heavy duty canvas and leather eater for the household, the Jones medium cs was a beast but I don't have as understanding a mate as you must so it has to go back to its custodian :D

Edit- one size suits all on the treadles for singers usually so if you can get a nice treadle base, regardless of what head is fitted on it, you could use that with whichever machine head you fancied.... just a thought :)
 
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Angst

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Apr 15, 2010
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hi....yup tk they all have original cases, bobbins, green attachment boxes, oils, greases, feet, mats etc etc....and original motors and lights apart from the oldest one (with the ornate front plate)....one is hand-crank, the other four are electric and i've also spare cranks, wheels, bobbin cases, tension assemblies etc should i wish to modify or repair.

just a note....i'm not simply buying them for the sake of it....each one is different and also theyll all be used for different things thus negating the need to re-thread, change bobbin, adjust tension and so on....i dont have a lot of time or patience to keep messing around with things so once each machine is where i want it to be it will stay that way, suited for its specific task. though granted i'll pick up a few more no doubt, but there is method behind the madness.

as a helpful guide, prices paid were as follows...(not including postage or petrol to collect)...£195 (very near mint condition), £55, £32, £55, £55 and i've just tonight bought another for £49....which goes to show that with a bit of care and countless hours researching, asking questions and trawling through ebay that one of these amazing machines can be bought for around £50....but i will point at that if you were to just go on ebay and bid 50 quid on the first you come across you may well be disappointed so be patient. all of these are in what i'd consider pretty good shape and they work great but i put a lot of time into getting the ones i wanted....haggling, offering, collecting and so on.

there are a couple of things here and there that i'll have corrected or fix myself as my knowlege of them grows....one is definitely going in for a service although it works fine, it could just do with an experts t.l.c. to get it to its best. i'll get myself to a point where i can fully service them to a professional level no doubt but that will come with time and experience.....something i'm happy to give these delightful creations.

no room for a treadle bilmo lol!

regards,

s

ps....its all macs fault!
 
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Tjurved

Nomad
Mar 13, 2009
439
3
Sweden
Here in northern Sweden these machines are very underrater and undervalued. I bought my for 100 swedish kronor. I rarely see anyone for more then 400 swedish kronor.
 

Angst

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Apr 15, 2010
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hi....yup turbo....i read that the puke colour...i mean brown(ish) colour was singers attempt to get ''fashionable''.....yup its mid 50's and the youngest of the five....the earliest one there is 1947.

not tried pushing any of them too much yet but tonight i made a few possibles pouches with about 4mm of combined leather thickness going through no problem....had to give the wheel a little helping half-turn at times to get it moving but once moving it goes through with ease and then rockets off usually leaving me cursing like the newbie i am lol.

i've noticed that each of the machines copes differently with leathers despite the fact they all have original parts mostly....maybe because the motors are at different levels of age/wear or maybe because they need servicing....its all a learning curve but one thing for sure is that considering these are only 'domestic' machines they really are beasts...angela is totally in love with hers and the modern electronic thing shes got has sat upstairs gathering dust ever since she started using her 201....

s
 

GGTBod

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 28, 2014
3,209
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1
I reckon you are wise to focus that addictive personality of yours toward non destructive pastimes, whatever you do stay away from the dark side of life
 

TurboGirl

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 8, 2011
2,326
1
Leicestershire
www.king4wd.co.uk
You've got good sharp leather needles, I'm presuming, and strong thread? Tis amazing how much difference the right stuff makes, its like trying to offroad on slicks using standard 100+ guage in comparison :D
 

Demonwolf444

Tenderfoot
May 18, 2013
82
0
Ripon, North Yorkshire
You have an audience here of people who are predisposed to appreciate a potent cocktail of passion, quality and obsession. They look fantastic, I wish i had the skill to efficiently use one; unfortunately i have two big old heavy electrics, they are probably brilliant but i feed in one end some cut patterns and nice materials and out the other side comes a chewed up tangled ball of junk on the two occasions i had cause to use them. Must be close to mastering it.

James.
 

Angst

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Apr 15, 2010
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it seems my singers and associated thread are evoking emotions in others too, not just myself....addictive personality....obsession....do i know you two personally? lol.....dark side...been there, done that, singer 201's are the light! haha....

well, its pleasing....and i hope other people buy them all up, home them, cherish them and preserve them for future years to come, before the remaining decent ones end up discarded...i guess it goes without saying that i've always been into 'old stuff', tradition and all that....and i've had a lot of collections and interests throughout my life and i guess this is the latest yes....which is great as it fits in with the thing i now do for a living....

however....i wont be truly happy until i have this many...:p:

http://brightonbits.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/sewing-machine-shop.html

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/uv?hl...&sa=X&ei=8K60U7FUzNU814yAyAk&ved=0CKEBEKIqMAo

yes turbo, i'm all needle & threaded up...i'm using singer needles and gutermann thread at the moment after visiting the singer shop in woking last week...they seem to be doing the job....though i'm going to get some schmetz sharps on macs advice too...

demon...i think this is an interest that may well take many years to master....i'm finding it tricky to say the least...its going to be a while before i even bother trying 'larger' projects...i think in times gone by many people grew up with these machines....something us young'uns dont....i remember when i was a kid often seeing sewing machines in peoples houses, but rarely now....stick at it mate!...there are too many traditions disappearing...
s
 
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