Post by @jack_daniel@mastodon.social
I know my way around most hand crank and treadle Singer sewing machines, even OK with the older vibrating shuttle machines (never dealt with the ancient oscillating shuttles).
Then I face my Singer 29k industrial, and WTFery abounds. What an amazing, and initially baffling, machine.
Clutter for scale.
56 likes
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@jack_daniel the other person I follow around here who has been working with (and restoring, if memory serves) one of these old machines at @ai6yr
@ai6yr @ajn142 @darkuncle @jack_daniel @TheJen Jack, I'm probably the Old Singer Guy people are referring to. That's a completely bitchin' 29K! There are a few with a hand crank still around, but it's rare to see one still installed on the treadle base. I've dreamed HARD about owning one of these...eventually I'll come across a barn find and restore it.
I can't think of any machine from any era that's as cool as a 29. IFKYK
@W6KME @ai6yr @ajn142 @darkuncle @TheJen The end flywheel had a hand crank knob at one point. This one is a two speed- two different size pulleys on top and bottom for the belt to run fast or slow. I was going to strip and restore this, but like most old Singers, once I cleaned and oiled it, it just worked.
@jack_daniel
Nice! I just finished a total rebuild of 2 128's. They had both rusted into bricks. One from 1948 and the other 1926 vintages. Pics attached and both back in full mechanical working order and brand new paint jobs. Still getting the electrical sorted. :)
@W6KME @ai6yr @ajn142 @darkuncle
@TheJen @jack_daniel @W6KME @ai6yr @ajn142 @darkuncle
I just saved this beauty from trash pile! It is in full working order, and based on the serial number made in 1937.
@piiabartos @TheJen @jack_daniel @W6KME @ai6yr @ajn142 @darkuncle
And still in such great condition!
Who throws such a beauty in the trash???!!
@v_d_richards @piiabartos @TheJen @jack_daniel @W6KME @ajn142 @darkuncle So many. People cleaning out their parents/grandparents place, no one wants to buy them (people don't have space, not sewing). So they end up dumped.
@ai6yr @piiabartos @TheJen @jack_daniel @W6KME @ajn142 @darkuncle
And here am i, searching for such a baby that does not cost me my liverπ
Those who sell them online have insabe prices sometimes.
@v_d_richards @piiabartos @TheJen @jack_daniel @W6KME @ajn142 @darkuncle I didn't snagged these two (local Craigslist ad) because it was beyond my time and distance criteria, but these show up from time to time here. This one yesterday or perhaps it was the day before?
@piiabartos @TheJen @jack_daniel @W6KME @ai6yr @ajn142 @darkuncle hehe, same!
Just got a 99K from an auction for Β£5.. shuttle was frozen. minor strip down of the mechanism underneath, worked the bearings a bit and oiling and she's back in working order π
have fun with that industrial beast!
@ajn142
@darkuncle @jack_daniel @ai6yr
OHHH! She's a beauty! Yep, industrial sewing machines are a whole other animal. Have fun! π
@jack_daniel My grandmother had a treadle-operated sewing machine. My father retrofitted a small motor to itβ¦
@SteveBellovin@infosec.exchange @jack_daniel@mastodon.social My mother had one of those machines; my father used it to sew fishing bags and canvas satchels. I learned how to use it and would make small items, like altering jeans to keep up with the latest trends. I never really took to modern machines.
@xenotar @SteveBellovin This is my most modern machine, from 1936; my others are a 1933 # 66 domestic treadle, 1923 # 99 portable hand crank, and an 1880s vibrating shuttle unit that works, but is just decor these days. She, on the other hand, has modern Juki and Berninas, including a long arm. She is far better than I, I mostly do crude utilitarian work.
@jack_daniel@mastodon.social @SteveBellovin@infosec.exchange My parents got married in 1949, and I believe the Singer was a model from a later year. Unfortunately, when they passed away in 1977, my sister kept the machine but soon sold it. It was a very sturdy machine. My mother had an electric one but rarely used it, preferring the treadle machine.
Clutter for scale.
π€£
Why does it use kind of, well, a spike for the bottom part? And so much room on the bottom too. I'm guessing this is for a special purpose?
@nazokiyoubinbou @jack_daniel b/c I looked it up yeah, thatβs all about being able to maneuver the work around that bottom bit in ways that a standard machine canβt, so that e.g. you can stitch the sole onto the bottom of a pair of boots. Some of the diagrams show a wooden bench made to fit around that arm, so that it behaves like a normal sewing machine.
@ajn142 @jack_daniel Ah, I see! I couldn't think of what it would be used for, but I was thinking like loose fabrics or whatever. Something like a shoe would absolutely need a design like this.
@ajn142 @nazokiyoubinbou Yup, I'll probably make a table to add when doing more normal sewing on heavy stuff- but my hand crank Singer can handle most of that work, except for leather.
@nazokiyoubinbou It is designed for leather and other heavy fabrics, this model and similar were specifically for cobblers, the narrow bed allows sewing inside a shoe or boot, also handy for sleeves and pants legs.
@blogdiva The machine sews leather well, but straight lines are hard with the tiny base- I'll probably build a table I can slide onto it for bigger projects.
@blogdiva @jack_daniel My Mum had one of them in about 1972! They're very solid and massive for a little kid to marvel over.
@jack_daniel If anyone wants to see how it works (it's really cool!), this is a good video covering the same model save for being a tabletop instead of a treadle machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV_kzgR60v8