No, I didn’t drop my grandmother’s sewing machine down the staircase, resulting in a carnage of wood, metal, rubber and broken tiles. What I did manage to do, was to get my hands on the first group of several attachments which I’m chasing after for my restoration project involving my grandmother’s 1950 Singer 99k sewing machine.
I already have the buttonholer, and now, I managed to get some more extra bits and pieces for it.
A poke around the flea-market today dredged up the following treasures from the sludge of the drudge:
Yes, some of it is hidden by the sticker in the middle (which was original to the booklet), but it reads in its entirety:
“INSTRUCTIONS
for using and adjusting
Singer BRK electric motors
with knee-control for
family sewing-machines
The Singer Manufacturing Co”
The bit in italics is the part that’s covered by the warning-sticker.
Along with the cutesy little booklet, which is the one which my Singer would’ve come with when it was brand-new, I bought this:
It’s a box of Singer sewing-machine attachments…or some of them. I haven’t managed to find ALL the pieces I need yet, but good things come to those who wait. Inside the box, we have:
I know what about 3/4 of the objects inside that box are. Others, not so sure. For example, we have inside the box, a…
Seam Guide
The seam-guide, held in-place by it’s accompanying nut (which simply screws into the appropriate hole in the machine-base), is used to guide two pieces of fabric under the presser-foot during sewing and to make sure that the size of the seam is consistent throughout the piece. This is an older seam-guide and sewing-machine, so it doesn’t come with measurement-markings. If you wanted that, you’d need to use your measuring-tape as well.
Hemmer Foot
The hemmer-foot is used to create a hem along the edge of raw fabric (to prevent fraying). You feed the fabric through the machine and through the hemmer. As the fabric passes through, the curved bit at the top flips the fabric over to create a neat, even fold which is then stitched into a nice, crisp hem.
Adjustable Hemmer
This is an adjustable hemmer. It’s much like the one above…it does the same thing, it makes hems. But this one has a slide and gauge on it that allows you to make hems of different widths, according to your taste. Anywhere from a full inch, all the way down to 1/16 inch.
Binder Foot
The binder or binding foot does…just what it says it does. It binds. It’s handy for stuff like attaching lace, ribbons and other decorative things to the edges of clothing.
Screwdriver
Isn’t this cute!? It’s a teensy-weensy-widdle-bitty screwdriver! And, it’s a Singer-brand screwdriver, too! It’s probably got a head of 2mm or something. Exactly WHAT one would use this for on a sewing machine…I’ve no idea…but it sure is cute. None of the screws on the Singer are this tiny, but I suppose I’ll hold onto it for the sake of completeness. And I can let the mice borrow it when they need it.
Finally, there are two mystery-feet inside the box. I haven’t figured out what they do or what they are.
They hold SIMANCO part-numbers 86177, and 85954. I’ve tried looking them up, but I can’t find any lists of serial-numbers that correspond.
If anyone knows, tell me!
In the meantime, my quest to complete the Singer continues.
In an unrelated note, I found an antique handcrank sewing-machine at the flea-market today. I had no intention of buying it, for a number of reasons (completenes, quality, manufacture, the list goes on), but I reckoned it looked kinda cool. So I took a couple of photos of it:
It came with it’s original coffin-style case and was dated to ca. 1900, made in Germany. Other than that…the seller had no idea.
Hand-crank machines such as this one were very common. Big companies like Singer were still making them, well into the 1940s and 50s when electronic machines had already taken over. I suppose they had an advantage during the War, when electrical supply was unreliable at best…
I’m still on the hunt for a Singer oil-can and more and more feet and fiddly bits. Here’s a group-shot of everything I’ve found so far:
The red box contains the buttonholer. The green box contains the feet and attachments. The manual balancing on top is how to install and/or remove the machine-motor that’s hidden around the back of the machine. The machine itself is a 1950 Singer 99k knee-lever machine.
I believe your very small screwdriver is used in disassembling and reassembling the bobbin case. A tiny screw holds the gib in place, and it must be removed so that the gib swings out of the way enabling the bobbin case to be removed. This is the tiniest screw I have ever seen and definitely one I wouldn’t want to drop.
I have a Singer Model #221 made in 1940, not the same model as yours, but it probably has similar internal workings.
Sandy Sparks
Hurst, Texas
I believe your very small screwdriver is used in disassembling and reassembling the bobbin case. A tiny screw holds the gib in place, and it must be removed so that the gib swings out of the way enabling the bobbin case to be removed. This is the tiniest screw I have ever seen and definitely one I wouldn’t want to drop.
I have a Singer Model #221 made in 1940, not the same model as yours, but it probably has similar internal workings.
Sandy Sparks
Hurst, Texas
Don’t know if you are still looking but your Simanco Foot 85954 is a Gathering Foot – take a look here http://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/simanco/85954/
Anne Parker
Portsmouth, England
Don’t know if you are still looking but your Simanco Foot 85954 is a Gathering Foot – take a look here http://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/simanco/85954/
Anne Parker
Portsmouth, England
I have a 1930’s knee control Singer that was a wedding present to my mother in 1935 from my father. I was taught to sew on this machine and it went to college with me in the 60’s. It isn’t working at the moment it was last used in the 1970’s. Last time I plugged it in to see if it would run it went beserk as I placed my thigh against the lever! I was unable to stop it until I removed the plug. I have not dared to repeat the exercise but maybe I will make the effort one day to get it repaired. There is a little man in a town near me who repairs machines and I have seen an old singer in his work shop.
Christine: When you press the knee-lever, it moves a switch inside the machine, which turns it on. Pressing the lever harder moves the switch more, which gives more power to the motor. Releasing the lever should snap the switch back to the “OFF” position.
I think the problem is that your switch is probably jammed in the “ON” position (either that, or it’s disconnected from the coupling that connects it to the lever; unlikely, in my opinion). I could tell you how to try and fix it, but if you don’t want to damage anything, best to take it to the sewing-machine technician and have it professionally looked at.
I have a 1930’s knee control Singer that was a wedding present to my mother in 1935 from my father. I was taught to sew on this machine and it went to college with me in the 60’s. It isn’t working at the moment it was last used in the 1970’s. Last time I plugged it in to see if it would run it went beserk as I placed my thigh against the lever! I was unable to stop it until I removed the plug. I have not dared to repeat the exercise but maybe I will make the effort one day to get it repaired. There is a little man in a town near me who repairs machines and I have seen an old singer in his work shop.
Christine: When you press the knee-lever, it moves a switch inside the machine, which turns it on. Pressing the lever harder moves the switch more, which gives more power to the motor. Releasing the lever should snap the switch back to the “OFF” position.
I think the problem is that your switch is probably jammed in the “ON” position (either that, or it’s disconnected from the coupling that connects it to the lever; unlikely, in my opinion). I could tell you how to try and fix it, but if you don’t want to damage anything, best to take it to the sewing-machine technician and have it professionally looked at.