Posted 2 years ago
myrandam82
(6 items)
Yet another antique mystery. I really wish I had thought to ask about these before my mom and grandma passed away.
Another mystery machine from my mom's collection. | ||
| Singer Sewing Machines40 of 718 |  |  |
Another mystery machine from my mom's collection. | ||
| Singer Sewing Machines40 of 718 | | |
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Posted 2 years ago
myrandam82
(6 items)
Yet another antique mystery. I really wish I had thought to ask about these before my mom and grandma passed away.
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myrandam82, Most people have been there. :-(
I could kick myself for the number of things about which I either neglected to ask my parents, or for which I neglected to record the answers.
Serial number F2585001 belongs to this group:
*snip*
F- 2581805 2611804 99K 30000 January/June 1912 Clydebank, Scotland
F- 3181695 3186694 99k 5000 July/December 1912 Clydebank, Scotland
*snip*
https://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/serial-numbers/singer-f-series-serial-numbers.html
Thus, it probably rolled off of the assembly line at Kilbowie/Clydebank some time in 1912.
WWI hadn't yet started, so barring factory equipment breakdowns, worker strikes, etc., that seems like a fairly safe bet.
There is actually somebody who wrote an Excel tool to calculate the day a given Singer sewing machine head rolled off of the assembly line:
https://www.victoriansweatshop.com/post/excel-2010-sewing-machine-production-date-calculator-8214151
I suspect it was mostly an intellectual exercise for him, because he concede that this tool is "FUN," and the results aren't bankable information.
You'd either need to create an account there to download that tool -- or you could approximate his results using tools found at timeanddate dot com, e.g.:
https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/?year=1912&country=9
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/uk/
Plus some of their calculators.
Howwever, no matter which tools you use, you'd be making some assumptions, and you know what they say about "assume." };-)
I myself have largely contented myself with sticking to the ranges in the Singer serial number tables.
Anyway, given the year, that's a pretty early model 99.
It looks like it has the small tension disc assembly, so it's probably either a 99K1 or 99K2:
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/99k
https://cyndykitt.com.au/manuals/MAN-99K1.htm
I see that Cyndy Kitt sells copies of a manual that covers most of the early model 99 variants, but this free manual at needlebar covers the handwheel, so it'd probably do the job:
http://needlebar.org/main/sident/99.pdf
The decal set is called Filagree:
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/decals/decal04
The bentwood case looks like this one (scroll down):
Bentwood Case (c. 1935)
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/gallery_cases
About the Kilbowie factory:
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/kilbowie
A Google Satellite view of the area that once hosted the Kilbowie Singer plant (there is still a railway station called "Singer" on the northeast corner):
Singer
Kilbowie Rd, Clydebank G81 2JN, United Kingdom
https://goo.gl/maps/ckxa4RrU85UBHXHs9
August 1934 aerial photographs of Singer's Kilbowie (Clydebank, Scotland) factory:
https://canmore.org.uk/collection/1257700
https://canmore.org.uk/collection/1257701
https://canmore.org.uk/collection/1257702
https://canmore.org.uk/collection/1257703
https://canmore.org.uk/collection/1257704
A circa 1934 documentary made at Singer's Kilbowie (Clydebank, Glasgow, Scotland) factory:
https://movingimage.nls.uk/film/1592
Nice...thats a really early one.