Posted 4 years ago
StitchWich…
(2 items)
My mother recently found this lovely through a Facebook market close to her. We've already determined by her serial number that she was made December 18th, 1906 but would love to know if anyone has seen another one like her. I am very new to antique machines but would love to learn more about the decorative motifs as well as how to care for her if anyone has tips.
She's in remarkably good condition considering she's been packed away in a storage unit for the last few years. She still has her original cabinet and all her mechanisms still work. All she really needs in order to run again is a new belt. I plan to clean her up and hopefully put her back to work sewing some vintage patterns.
We don't know all of her history but the woman my mother bought her from said she belonged to her grandmother. The grandmother was born in 1926 so we're guessing she either bought it secondhand or inherited it from a relative.
Hi, StitchWichery. :-)
You did indeed correctly identify the block of serial numbers into which "H965694" falls:
*snip*
H- 958751 978750 66 20000 December 18 1906
*snip*
http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/serial-numbers/singer-h-series-serial-numbers.html
Your machine is a model 66 (and in looking at your third and fourth pictures, I see that it has a back-clamping presser foot, so that would make it a model 66-1).
About the model 66:
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/66
Your decal set is called "Lotus":
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/decals/decal09
Your faceplate is "66K Simanco 32506":
https://d33wubrfki0l68.cloudfront.net/90b3f65163e6330fba54559ee4b95b0d66298ec1/490a1/images/gallery/gf66k-02-240x360.jpg
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/gallery_faceplates
Your cabinet is Cabinet Table No. 2:
http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/cabinet_table_no_2-3.html
Although the International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society (ISMACS) doesn't seem to have any information about where the "H" serial number machines were manufactured, it seems quite likely that yours was made at the Kilbowie factory in Scotland (because of the decal set and the style of the face plate).
About the Kilbowie factory:
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/kilbowie
Here is a circa 1934 documentary made at Singer's Kilbowie factory, and starting at around the 16:32 mark, you see workers applying the decal sets:
https://movingimage.nls.uk/film/1592
Now that we've covered the relatively easy facts, you said that you wanted some guidance in caring for your machine.
Fortunately, replacement belts for treadle sewing machines are readily available.
This outfit has them, along with a lot of other parts for vintage sewing machines:
https://www.vintagesingerparts.com/products/treadle-sewing-machine-leather-belt-3-16-x-72-grade-a
You'll probably want some advice in fitting the belt, and Mel is an expert:
https://www.quiltingroomwithmel.com/2017/03/replacing-treadle-sewing-machine-belts.html
As to cleaning and otherwise generally restoring your machine, here is some expert advice:
https://www.treadleon.net/sewingmachineshop/cleaningmachines/cleaningmachines.html
And here is some advice specific to the model 66:
http://mysewingmachineobsession.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-service-and-clean-singer-66-or.html
Here are some manuals:
An operating manual for the model 66-1:
https://archive.org/details/Singer661Manual/mode/2up
A service manual for the model 66:
https://archive.org/details/singer-66-service-manual-en/mode/2up
A price list of parts for the model 66-1 and 66-3 (obviously, those prices aren't modern, but this publication can be useful for for identifying the name and part numbers of various parts):
https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-578236/mode/2up
In case I overlooked anything, here is a post in which I've gathered links for vintage sewing machine information and advice from experts (I'm not actually one of them; I'm merely a vintage Internet surfer):
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/285089-vintage-sewing-machine-help
Thank you so much, keramikos. That's extremely helpful! It will be a bit before I can bring the machine to my home and get started (what with the pandemic and all) but I'm very excited to get started fixing her up a bit.
I would like to see a better photo of the cabinet and the other side of the machine. The cabinet is important as that is what people tend to see if the machine is not being displayed.
I'll get better pictures when I have a chance. For now it's at my mom's home and she lives in another state. I'll see if I can have her take a better picture soon though.
StitchWichery, You're very welcome. :-)
As it turns out, sewing machine expert Alex Askaroff is of the opinion that the H serial numbers were made at the Elizabethport, NJ factory:
https://sewalot.com/dating_singer_sewing_machine_by_serial_number.htm
The author of this PDF concurs:
http://naehmaschinenwerk.de/singer_serialnumber/images/singer_h.pdf
It's apparently true that some Lotus decal sets were used in the U.S. early on:
https://sewalot.com/singer%2066.htm
About the Elizabethport Singer Factory:
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/elizabethport
What is something like this one worth?
I have one in poor shape , missing the Treadle, etc.
Hi, Hathomas.
Valuation isn't done here at Collectors Weekly Show & Tell (it's against the rules).
For an appraisal, click the Appraisal link at the top of the page (caveat: it's not free).
Alternately, read this advice at the International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society website by expert D.A. Brumleve:
http://ismacs.net/sewing_machine_articles/how_much_is_my_sewing_machine_worth.html
I'm just linking your two posts about the same VSM to each other in their respective comments sections:
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/312282-update-on-1906-singer-sewing-machine--h