Con-Sew's Rebuilt Singer Machine |
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Posted 3 years ago
abhege69
(1 item)
I recently purchases this machine for the cabinet but have been trying to get some information on this machine. I have a serial number, 13023874, but still cannot find any information. All Con-Sew machines I see are industrial. Any help with information about this machine or how to find out more about it would be appreciated. It's a beautiful machine.
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abhege69, Fascinating. :-)
If that "13023874" serial number is a Singer serial number, that would date it to 1895:
*snip*
12,475,500 13,387,999 1895
*snip*
https://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/serial-numbers/singer-no-prefix-serial-numbers.html
There is no model number information in the Singer no-alpha prefix serial number table, but just at a glance, I can see that it's some flavor of a vibrating shuttle (the tell-tale trapezoidal inspection plate, the circular needle plate, and the dual slide plates):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Singer.Model27.IdentificationGuide.jpg
Because of the low-mounted bobbin winder (not to mention the age), it's probably either a model 27 or a model 28 (the 28 is just a three-quarters sized 27):
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/28
Here's a manual for a Singer model 27:
http://www.sewmuse.co.uk/Singer%20VS%202%20Model%2027%20Manual.pdf
I can't see the face plate or rear access panel, but here is a gallery of them for you to browse:
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/gallery_faceplates
I don't recognize that decal set, so perhaps Con-Sew put their own decals on it:
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/gallery_decals
https://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/decals/domestic-decals.html
The cabinet looks like Singer's Cabinet Table No. 2 (Plain with Five Drawers):
https://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/cabinet_table_no_2-3.html
I don't know which of Singer's factories made that head, but here are some background links for the two biggest:
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/elizabethport
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/kilbowie
The Smithsonian has some information about Consolidated Sewing Machine Corporation, but unfortunately, none of it seems to be online:
https://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/trade-literature/sewing-machines/cf/single-record.cfm?AuthorizedCompany=Consolidated%20Sewing%20Machine%20Corporation
In case I forgot anything, here is my collection of vintage sewing machine links:
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/285089-vintage-sewing-machine-help
However, it's a lot to sift through, so if you have questions, you can just ask them here in a comment.
So, the Con-Sew's is throwing me off. I did look up the serial number for Singer and ca. me up with 1895 but I am confused because I have another machine and it's serial number, I thought dated it to 1910 as a model #27 but clearly it is not because it is a Red Eye. Either I am reading the serial numbers wrong or something else is going on. The Red Eye, which my brother found by the side of the road, has a serial number of G5570779 and does not have the vibrating bobbin. Thank you for all the links. I will copy them and continue to do research and start to learn some history of these machines. I really just wanted a treadle machine to sew on if and when blackouts happen but I certainly have gotten sucked into the history.
abhege69, the Con-Sew threw me off, too. };-)
But it sure does look to me like a Singer 27.
Your brother found a Singer Red Eye 66 sitting by the side of the road? >8-0
Vintage sewing machine enthusiasts everywhere are gnashing their teeth. That is a much beloved model.
You probably did misread the serial number table; it's easy to have your eyes skip a digit. Here are the pertinent lines in the G serial number table:
G- 5521436 5571435 66 50000 July 3 1917
G- 5678261 5728260 66 50000 September 5 1917
https://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/serial-numbers/singer-g-series-serial-numbers.html
The most pertinent line of information is the first one, which 'decodes' as: a block of 50,000 consecutive serial numbers (5521436 through 5571435) was allotted by the central office to one of the factories (in this case, Elizabethport, because that's where G serial number machines were made) on July 3 1917, and all were destined to be stamped into the beds of model 66 machines.
The reason I gave you a second line is to give you an idea of when your machine rolled off of the assembly line. The next block of numbers slated for model 66 machines was allotted September 5 1917, so chances are, your machine was produced by then. To narrow it down further, you could do a little math and figure out approximately what day it was.
However, there are a lot of factors that affect production, such as work week length, worker strikes, factory equipment breakdown or major maintenance, and the biggie: war.
In 1917, WWI was still underway, and Singer, like many companies, was heavily involved in supporting the war effort.
Sewing machine expert Alex Askaroff knows of a verifiable case of a Singer sewing machine that had a serial number allotted in 1939, but didn't get sold brand-new to a customer until 1946 -- because of WWII:
https://sewalot.com/dating_singer_sewing_machine_by_serial_number.htm
Yeah, that no electricity factor makes treadle machines very attractive to many people. You might want to see if you can talk your brother out of that Red Eye 66. Those round bobbins hold more thread than the vibrating shuttle ones do, and a model 66 will fit in that cabinet beautifully. };-)
Enjoy. :-)
I did find Alex Askaroff and did see where he told about the machine not being sold for years after it was produced because of the war.
Oh, my brother gave the machine to me right away! My husband looked at all the rust and said, "No way." He wanted to throw it out but of course, I just set it aside. Then, when we started looking for a treadle machine, the one we looked at was identical. LOL! Then his interest was sparked and he started looking at the one we had. He'd get one part to move then would work on another part. The presser foot lever was loose and that took him the longest but he got it fixed! It still needs some cleaning and I didn't have a table, hence the search for the table that came with the Con-Sews machine, for $50!!! And we are still planning on buying the other Red Eye 66 with table, extra bobbins, feet and a book. My husband sews too so he'll need a working treadle machine too when the power goes out. We make quilts. But I can see how this can easily become addictive, collection machines! Because we have four other machines, two Bernina 835s, a Pfaff and a Viking (newer machine.)
abhege69,
With regard to that 1939/1946 Singer: I don't think it was languishing on a shelf for seven years. I think it was that Singer was that far behind in producing domestic sewing machines for home users, because their production has been almost wholly given over to the war effort.
Askaroff even told a story about some woman going into a store, and telling the clerk what kind of sewing machine she wanted, and the clerk's response was something along the lines of, "Wouldn't we all, Madam?"
So, you and your husband have all those sewing machines, and you both quilt, too?
Y'all are way out in front of me. I'm just an old Internet surfer. };-)
In my collection of links is a forum of quilters/vintage sewing machine enthusiasts that you might want to consider joining:
https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/
There are others, like the victoriansweatshop forum, or the large vintage sewing machine forum on Facebook (the links are in my collection), and the leatherworkers dot net forum (this last isn't in my links yet, but probably should be).
All of these forums have some very knowledgeable users who could help you.
Good luck. :-)
Good information! I will check them out.
Hi again, abhege69. :-)
I'm just following up a bit on the Con-Sew aspect of this machine.
You've probably already found this site which claims a Con-Sew heritage going back to 1898:
https://www.consew.com/About
The folks at leatherworker dot net kicked the history of Con-Sew around a bit (and also kicked each other around a bit):
https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/71217-consew-206-rb5s/
What I get out of it is that Con-Sew has never made any of their machines, which would make almost all of them "badged."
In the case of your Con-Sew machine, it's probably exactly as it's labeled. That is to say, a rebuilt Singer, because insofar as I know, Singer never sold any brand-new sewing machines to another company that then put their own name on them.
Exactly when Con-Sew rebuilt and re-labeled this Singer vibrating shuttle machine is TBD.
I did not find that site but I will check it out! Thank you! How could my searching not turn that up? Great information.
abhege69, You're welcome. :-)
I don't know about you, but in my case, I'm wondering why I haven't yet found any other Con-Sew rebuilt Singers. I must not be holding my mouth right. };-)
I did a bit of math, and from what I can see in the serial number tables, of the ones with Alpha-character prefix serial numbers, there were close to five million produced between 1900 and 1933.
I'm just trying to figure out under what circumstances Singer would have allowed another company to rebuild and put fresh decals on their machines. Decals that describe said machines as rebuilt Singers, no less.
Was it perhaps after most of the pertinent patents expired? Although it isn't explicitly named in the document, this is supposed to be the original patent for the Singer model 27 (probably its ancestor the VS-1), and the anticipated expiration was in 1902:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US326821A/en
Expiration in 1902 seems a bit precipitate, considering that Singer seems to have continued making the model 27 for about another thirty years, not to mention models 28, 127, and 128.
I just don't know. 'Tis a puzzlement...
*ahem*
Close to five million model 27 machines. That's a crucial detail that seems not to have made it into my sentence above. >8-0
Yes, you would expect there would be more like this one out there, that there would be some mention of it. So still unsolved.
abhege69, Yes, definitely still unsolved. :-)
You might want to contact the folks at the leatherworker dot net forum.
However, before you do that, you probably should try to get a clear, unobstructed closeup of that little circular label that's behind the bobbin winder.
As a matter of fact, it might not be a bad idea to add that picture to your post here. You could replace your current fourth picture of the open shuttle compartment with it, because the picture of the shuttle compartment doesn't really tell anybody anything new or unusual about the machine.
It also would allow you to include a copy of the picture if you contact leatherworker, because their contact interface allows you to insert an image from a URL:
https://leatherworker.net/forum/contact/
Okay, that's about the best I can do short of removing the bobbin winding pieces. Do you think I should try to do that?
I just received the belt and just ordered the front bobbin plate. They were out of extra bobbins but there is one in the machine. I am anxious to see if I can get it to work because it moves very smoothly.
abhege69, Well, it's better.
I was actually hoping that the bobbin winder mechanism was on some kind of hinge or pivot so that it could be moved away from the body of the machine a bit.
I'm trying to read all of that information. Right now, all I can see is:
BY CONSOLIDATED S.M. & S CO. N.Y.
CON-SEW PA.
It might be enough for the experienced eyes of the leatherwork folks.
What you could also try is putting a URL for the whole post into the body of the contact message. That way, they could see all of the pictures, and information already gathered (my poorly proof-read ramblings included).
abhege69, On page eight of the manual, it does mention swinging the bobbin winder assembly, so there is some play in it.
The manual? You have a manual?
TaDa! there is is! You had pretty much gotten it all. Good eyes!
abhege69, Oh, beauty!
So:
REBUILT BY CONSOLIDATED S. M. & S. CO. N.Y.
WITH CON-SEW PARTS
Yeah, go ahead and ask the leatherworker folks. :-)
Sent to leatherworer! Now we wait.
I really appreciate all your help with this. But question. Is the manual for Model 27 available online?
abhege69, Sorry for any delays in responses; I'm multi-tasking today.
Use the search function on your device. I linked a manual in the my first comment on this post.
But while I'm at it, here's a copy from the Smithsonian:
https://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/Trade-Literature/Sewing-Machines/NMAHTEX/0673/
Aha! I forgot to download the manual. Done now. There is actually a partial book that came with it but it is only about attachments (specialty feet), of which there is a box with several. And I did discover two extra bobbins. I am going to try and get the belt on today so I can try bobbin winding. I don't think I should try to sew with the bobbin plate missing though. I can do a dry run with no thread and no fabric maybe. I'm getting very excited to try this gorgeous machine out!
abhege69, I suspect you're right about waiting to operate the machine until you have a front slide plate.
I think I saw advice to that effect in an old manual for another vibrating shuttle sewing machine. It said that without the front slide plate in place, the shuttle might jump right out of the compartment.
Here's some advice on replacing a treadle belt from an expert:
https://www.quiltingroomwithmel.com/2017/03/replacing-treadle-sewing-machine-belts.html
It's great that you're so enthused about using this machine. :-)
Hi again, abhege69. :-)
I hope your treadle belt installation went well.
I scared up some more manual links for you:
Here is one for the attachments:
https://www.treadleon.net/sewingmachineshop/atttachmentsmanual/attachments.html
And here are some parts lists:
https://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/Trade-Literature/Sewing-Machines/NMAHTEX/1772/index.htm
https://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/Trade-Literature/Sewing-Machines/NMAHTEX/1770/index.htm
https://www.universalsewing.com/images2/parts_lists/all/7g0jc8ml.pdf
https://www.universalsewing.com/images2/parts_lists/all/lor9pa02.pdf
The prices in the parts lists are mostly a matter of historical interest, but knowing part numbers and names can be very handy.
Thank you! Will leatherworers post online a response or email me directly when/if anyone responsds?
abhege69, You're welcome. :-)
I actually don't know how that leatherworker contact works, but I suspect it would be in the form of an email.
Give it a week, and if you don't hear anything back, then you might have to try another avenue of inquiry.
Got it! Thanks!
That's definitely a Singer 27, probably pre 1900, in a Singer No. 2 treadle cabinet.
So I guess Con-Sew had some sort of contract to refurbish Singer machines under their own qualified labelling.
My Singer 27 dates from 1906 and is in the more ornate Singer No. 3 treadle cabinet.
The art deco, pared-down, less ornate decal design suggests a refurb from the late 1910's.
Hi, jomercer. :-)
I don't think there is much question that the basic machine head is a Singer model 27, although abhege69 could examine the underside for any embossed/engraved indications that Singer did indeed make it.
However, given its age, it's possible that there aren't any such markings. This 1901 Singer model 27 (I looked up the "L692267"serial number) doesn't seem to have any:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-singer-sewing-machine-model-501057346
What's really puzzling at this point: why can we not find any other Con-Sew rebuilt Singers?
It does make sense that Singer and Con-Sew might have had a contractual relationship at some point, because it would explain the information literally applied to the exterior of this machine indicating that it is a rebuilt Singer.
It would be nice to have some details on a contractual relationship between Singer and Con-Sew.
The modern ConSew business does have a contact interface, As well as telephone and direct email contact information:
https://www.consew.com/Contact
I don't hold out a lot of hope that they'll clear up this mystery, but I suppose it's worth a shot.
Hi again, jomercer. :-)
It looks like we came close to cross-commenting, but I was too busy putting together my latest comment to notice. >8-0
Thank you for addressing the style of the decals, as I did wonder about it.
I couldn't find that pattern at either ISMACS or singersewinginfo dot com UK, but that doesn't mean it isn't genuine Singer. There have been other decal sets on vintage Singers that don't appear in those galleries.
From a VSM enthusiast friend: "Consew was probably one of the biggest refurbishers at one point, they also got into making add on like light assemblies and motors and such. In the 40's and 50's you could buy a refurbished 27 for under 30.00 during a promotion according to some paper advertising and such I've found. But for another 10 to 20 you could get a refurbished 66 and have reverse and a drop in bobbin ."
Those decals aren't Singer design per se--they're what Con-Sew put on the machines they refurbished, but not to say that Singer didn't have some oversight/influence/control of what design would be appropriate on a machine associated with their vaunted name.
And I did inquire with Singer but was told that the company was sold and they didn't have any historical information so they couldn't help.
I'll try to see if there are any markings on the underside.
But I certainly feel better that I couldn't figure out what was going on with the machine now that there are so many questions about it. Just seems like one would have showed up before this though.
jomercer,
Getting caught up after being under the weather yesterday.
Very interesting about Con-Sew being a major refurbisher in the 1940s and 1950s.
Are any of those vintage ads linkable to the general public?