Restoring my Grandmother's Singer Sewing Machine

[Shangas]

Right now, I'm just learning how this machine works, and what all the bits and bobs are for. So far I've figured out how to set the thread-tension and the foot-tension and it's sewing really nicely now. Can't wait for those other bits and pieces to finally show up...

[W-D Forties]

Your machine looks identical to mine! I bought mine from an old lady who used to do alterations and used it for sewing heavy denim. I originally bought it (for £10!) as I needed to repair the handle on a crocodile handbag - which it sewed through, along with two other layers of leather - like butter.

They are brilliant machines, almost completely bomb-proof in construction, and will sew pretty much anything. They even compare well with the very expensive Pfaff machines I used to use to sew the uppers when making shoes.

Do you still have the instruction booklet? mine came with it and it's very useful as they are slightly different to modern machines.

[Shangas]

Hi WD40s.

I don't have the ORIGINAL booklet, no. I had to print out a copy off the internet. But the machine isn't that hard to use.. These things were designed for home-use, so I expect that they were designed with the idea that anyone should be able to use one, without any difficulties.

[LizzieMaine]

If you get heavily into sewing, the best investment you could make is the Singer buttonhole attachment --



Best buttonholer I've ever used, and absolutely indestructible. An outstanding gadget for any of the traditional Singer machines.

[Shangas]

Hi Lizzie, thank you.

I have had words with a lady at the local flea-market. She's the one who sells all kinds of sewing-supplies. She says she has boxes of old Singer attachments at home. I told her to bring some along and I'd buy them from her. We're gonna meet up on Sunday, and hopefully she's brought them along.

[Shangas]

Still waiting for all the various little nicknacks, doohickies, wotsits, thingimmies and doodads to show up to complete the machine. While I do, I continue trawling the local flea-market for Singer bits and pieces to 'accessorise' the machine. Things like original green paper Singer needle-packets...with needles...and original steel Singer bobbins:



...and trying to clean up the metalwork...




I must be weird, but I reckon the bobbin-winder mechanism is the coolest little contraption ever. I keep fiddling around with it and filling up bobbins with thread because I find it that neat.

[59Lark]

Dear lounger; I restore old sewing machines for a living, the k stood for kilbowie clydebank scotland, and I have a original slide plate if you find the new chinese chrome one looks too wierd next to the nickel finish. When you install you need to put on backwards. The plate will go under the pressure foot fit the spring into the grooves on the one end. Then pull it back. I took a 99-13 from the twenties and de electrified it on the weekend, put a spoke wheel on it and then modified the bobbin winder to work with the different flywheel and put a chinese handcrank attachment on it, now it will got to Haitia and work for the rest of it life making clothes. I also took a 29k shoe patcher and re build it and its 110 years old and it also going to Haitia. The old machines are the best for going to the end of the earth and working poor, and I always try to send spare parts as they cant find them there. We have 200 machines in our cellar for parts. 59LARK who studebaker will not run right? think i need to look at the rotor and points.

[Shangas]

Thanks Lark. I've already ordered a plate. It should be arriving sometime this week.

[59Lark]

Shangas; your machine is actually a 1950 the letter in front of the serial no indicates what year the machine was made, yours is an EG 1950 all machines made in 1951 had the anniversary blue badge 1851 1951 a century of sewing. yours does not have that badge, definetly a clydebank machine. A chap that worked at the factory after the war, told me a funny story once, involving 99k handcrank, they made a lot of them to sell in africa.
some employees tried stealing some by putting them on big beams that floated, pushing them across to someone else across the water channel, but so many fell off that one day a barge got stuck and when they went to dredge it, found all these rusty singers and they werent impressed, so says the teller of this tale. 59 LARK yes that was where your machine was made.

[Shangas]

Hi Lark,

Thanks for that information. I was well aware of the commemorative plaque (with the blue border). I wondered why it was that my grandmother's machine didn't have one. So you're sure it was made in 1950? That would then make it 62 years old.

For those who don't know what the blue-bordered plaque is, it looks like this:



It was put on all machines made in 1951, to celebrate 100 years of Singer.