LeicaLad 

I love this thread. Sorry nothing new to add, but I hope it is fed often.

Thanks!

Bicyclz

You have some fine sewing machines your side of the pond too.
In UK we are just not familiar with most of them: (

But that just adds to the interest on this particular thread.
Well done BF for allowing the (slight) diversion from cool bikes: )

Another advantage is that wives/partners seem not to object to excess sewing machines in the way they do with 'too many bikes'; ) Especially in the bedroom....
Never mind the garage.

All good fun hey??

rootboy 

I agree. An off-topic thread is really fun sometimes. Though it risks the consternation of some members. I'd like to see a few more of these threads. After all, those of us who love vintage bikes also have other interests, some of which are shared among us.
I like all things mechanical. Particularly older, or vintage mechanical things. Sewing machines among them.

Bicyclz

I agree absolutely, Rootboy.
BF to its credit is a broad church.
Long may it continue.

I also have an interest in typewriters.... But I don't want to cause further consternation for anyone; )

rootboy 

I like old typewriters too. But sadly, got rid of my old Corona when we moved, years ago.
Typewriters are a bit of an anachronism now. What with computers. But some of them were very cool machines.

Do you collect them ?

Bicyclz

Rootboy. I used to collect/accumulate typewriters, but not any more. Golfballs were my last. There is a current revival in interest in them though.

My father, when he came home from a German POW camp after the war, brought with him a very complicated German typewriter (IE Loot) amongst other quite deadly items... & kept it in a cupboard at home. I discovered it one day when he was at work & dismantled it partially/mostly. Never to be rebuilt.... I was not 'flavour of the month' for a good while afterwards; )
So I turned to bicycles.
And later, sewing machines: )

I'm getting too old to ride much these days but the SMs satisfy a certain need.

realsteel

Bicyclz

What a delightful mixture: )
Dolly Mixtures??

I think you may have the perfect solution for making this thread eternal on this site.

I do prefer the Hobbs to the Singer here.
Nice one, Sir!

I do like the Singer though.
Me equi-distant really...
I can love the both, can't I?

Is this the coolest thread on BF, or what??

dweenk

You are making me wish that I had never sold my grandmother's pedal Singer in the oak cabinet. It worked perfectly, but I was never going to use it. I only hope the new owner appreciates it.

Bicyclz

Doesn't seeing/remembering old sewing machines evoke the same feelings as you remember old bicycles??
Or, vice versa?

They do for me.

Bicyclz

Realsteel, I think you have the right idea: )
5 European Singer Slants here: L/R 404G, 411G, 401G, 2x 431G. Must be rare-ish in US/Canada.

Three Royal Enfield Revelations here, from the same period..... Quite rare on their own, these.
All retro, classic items I say.

Sixty Fiver

The G series machines are quite sought after machines, they take an already great machine and make them just that much better.

I have a 411G I have been using as a daily driver, the 431G is the holy grail for a lot of folks.

Sixty Fiver

Our little sewing adventure here continues and we have opened up a little shop to run alongside the bicycle shop... it has kept us very busy this winter.

Focusing on vintage machines primarily, and this one is a model you don't get to see in the United States very often as they were only sold in the U.K. and Canada.

You actually don't see them here very often either.

It is a Singer 222k which is the free arm version of the 221 "Featherweight"... while there were well over 2 million 221 models made over nearly 35 years, the 222 only saw small production numbers since it was so expensive to produce, and was only made for 8 years.

Sixty Fiver

I knocked a few machines off my grail list of late, one of them is the 1938 Bernina 117 (Swiss made) which came here after WW2 and was owned by a seamstress.

It had been electrified but was originally a treadle machines so I mounted the old girl in an Italian parlour cabinet I had.

It is almost the same as their industrial version of the time... the bar on the front is a presser lift control.

Sixty Fiver

Another grail machine is a Pfaff 130 (German)... this machine is simply off the hook for speed and power and is still one of the most powerful domestic machines ever made.

It is as smooth as butter on glass too.

Sixty Fiver

One more before I get back to the shop... had to drive some miles to go and pick up this 1920 Singer Industrial treadle. It is a 31k20 which was a tailor's machine and is ideal for sewing heavier materials like canvas but is not a leather rated machine.

This was how it looked when it arrived and I have been restoring the cabinet... it lives out in the bike shop since it takes up a fair bit of space.

Bicyclz

The 431s are the cherry on top of the cream, on top of the cake, for me too: )

One of mine is immaculate, the other needing some help, but sews fine.

Some previous owner broke the RH throat plate fixing 'screw'. Looks like a cross-head screw, but it isn't.
They are sophisticated, push-fit (Not push fit actually, they fixed by grub screws I didn't see originally: ) snap fasteners....


So they get broken by the unknowing...

Looking for a fix currently: )
Other than that it only has some paint lifting in certain places.
Purely cosmetic, but I'd like to fix that too. I paid Ł25 for it, as spares, so I'm very happy with it anyway.

I do, though, have a neat bicycle fix for the Slants delicate, poorly designed spool pin problem.

On my website here:
Slant spool-pin fix ? Bicyclz.com
Simple chain-ring bolts do the job; ) Plus I used a bicycle pump inner tube to provide the necessary spacers....

How cool is that??
Shows the potential crossover between bikes & sewing machines very aptly?

Gary Fountain

Like my bikes, I like 70's and 80's Sewing Machines. Here's our latest purchase, a Pfaff 1222E. This machine was made in West Germany around 1976/7 and is as strong as an ox and typically well engineered. It features a "walking top foot", which Pfaff copyrighted, that aids in controlling creep between fabrics that are to be sewn together. Another very nice feature is an 'electronic' pedal that offers great control over sewing speed. It is quiet to use but also delivers a subtle but strong machine noise and a very even stitch of which you have a choice of about 60 that can be dialled in. Its a real workhorse and capable of many more years of satisfying use.

Bicyclz

Looks neat for late 70s.
One of the last made in Germany?
Must be.

Gary Fountain

Yes, it must have been a model leading up to the end of production in Germany. So over engineered but so appreciated today. Gone are the sweeping curves of the past and enter the squared lines and boxiness of the 70's and 80's.

Heavy!!! When it finally 'gives up the ghost' is usefulness will continue - it will make a great boat anchor.

corrado33

I love this thread so much.

While that singer isn't rated for leather, I'm sure it'd sew it just fine for hours on end. Even domestic machines can be coaxed to sew leather (as I'm sure you know.) The treadle may make it a bit hard, but gorgeous machine nonetheless (as well as the other ones above.)

Bicyclz

I agree 110%.
Don't know anything about your machine (yet) but I like the efficient look of it.

retrofit

My contribution to the thread…from what I can discern from the Singer Sewing Machine Serial Number Database and other sources, this a 1948 Singer 66-16 with a Dust Bottom-Lift Assist-Knee Bar cabinet and a no.56 stool. (Complete Flickr Album)

This was my mother’s machine, purchased for her by my father a couple of years following his return from WWII. The machine has seen a great deal of use, though none since the mid 60’s when she "upgraded" to a Singer model 337 in a portable case (also in my possession).

The machine needs a thorough cleaning and the electrical cords need repair. Some of the photos show missing parts, most of which I found in her sewing kit; I do need to get a thread spool pin for the top, though.







The cabinet is structurally sound though, as can be seen in the photos, the original walnut finish is worn and stained. The frame of the stool is also in need of refinishing and the seat itself is in need of repair. On the plus side, underneath the gold cloth and foam pad I found that the original Singer seat cover was still in relatively good condition.






I also found at the bottom of her sewing kit some attachments and a damaged instruction manual.

Bicyclz

Looks like an excellent project!
Nice cabinet which will respond very well to a 'clean up'; ) The accompanying stool is particularly nice to have.

I don't have any experience with 66s, but have an eye for their little sister 99s (9 currently... Say no more: ) which are so similar, just a little smaller.

Do show us how your project proceeds, please: )

retrofit

Thanks! Definitely a long term project. I plan to document the process and will post along the way.