Posted 2 years ago
TeresaDesign
(1 item)
After researching my first treadle I’ve found that it’s a National brand probably early 1900s. It’s missing decals but still readable that it used to say “United States” on front and back of machine. It has a serial number inside bobbin plate 1770695 with a single number 3 on top of serial number. It has a vibrating shuttle bobbin. It’s in an oak cabinet that has some damage to the drawers. It was fitted with a
Paal manufacturing corp. universal motor but runs continuously when you plug it in. I use the treadle and it stitches beautifully!
Someone may soon give you a head's up on your machine
Welcome to CW.
Hi, TeresaDesign. :-)
Beautiful pulls on the cabinet drawers.
Yup, a National vibrating shuttle with the following characteristics:
An angular body
A large screw on the front of the needlebar containing part of the body
A tension assembly on the front of the needlebar containing part of the body
An inspection plate on the shoulder
A screw stitch length mechanism on the pillar
A low-mounted bobbin winder in front of the pillar
Which makes me suspect it's a National Vindex Type 1 (scroll down):
http://needlebar.org/nbwiki/index.php/National_Vibrating_Shuttle_Machines
Unfortunately, there is no central database of National sewing machine serial numbers.
With a seven digit serial number below 2,000,000 stamped into the bed underneath the front slide plate, it's probably older than techno-renaissance man Wayne Schmidt's two National sewing machines, serial numbers 2,167,857, 2,296,351 that he estimated to be circa 1913 and 1914 respectively.
I'd link his website which used to have a lengthy, detailed page of vintage sewing machines, but he took it down in 2022. :-(
The International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society (ISMACS) website's page for vintage Sears sewing machine shows a drawing of a very similar-looking sewing machine described as a Howard-badged National Vindex B, and dates it to the early 1900s (scroll down):
https://ismacs.net/sears/sears.html
About the National Sewing Machine Company:
https://ismacs.net/national/from_eldredge_to_national_to_janome.html
Ya know, I took another look at this, the the body doesn't look all that angular to me.
It might be a National Vindex Type2.
All of features that apply to the Vindex TYpe 1 also apply to the Vindex Type 2, except the body style which is rounded on the Type 2.
Here is a National Vindex Type 2 with a similar decal set badged as "Neva":
https://lamachineacoudre.forumactif.org/t636-presentation-de-ma-neva-national-vindex-type-2
Thank you all so much! I’m learning so much from all of you. I did find a greist metal case with many feet and accessories. A couple of the accessories said patent pending 1908 so I’m wondering if it’s from around that time.
TeresaDesign, You're very welcome. :-)
I don't know if you noticed, but the "Neva" National Vindex Type 2 machine at that french forum seems to have a ridge or 'collar' on the horizontal arm right next to the needlebar-containing part of the body that yours lacks.
It might seem trivial, but it doesn't appear to be a separate piece so the sewing machine head had to have been cast that way.
It's probably a case of the 'evolution' of vintage National vibrating shuttle sewing machines.
The needlebar dot org page of National vibrating shuttle machines appears to have been edited for the last time in 2013 (it's no longer an active website, but rather an archive).
Had any of the needlebar researchers encountered one with that collar back in the day, it's possible that their numbering/naming of the various models might have been different.
As to dating your machine using the age of the Greist attachment patents pending: it's as good of an approach as any.
Greist made attachment for most of the vintage sewing machine companies. Here is some history of Griest/Greist (the spelling of the name changed over the years):
https://www.fiddlebase.com/american-machines/greist-manufacturing-company/
Here are some Greist patents:
https://www.fiddlebase.com/american-machines/greist-manufacturing-company/greist-mfg-company-u-s-patent/
FYI, most of those patent listings at fiddlebase dot com have long complicated link names, and there is a simpler form that you might want to tuck away for future research:
For example, consider one of the Greist patents from 1908, No. 900,067.
Instead of:
https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/5f/20/cf/0180c72252680a/US900067.pdf
You can use:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US900067/
Once you have an actual patent number in hand, you can usually plug it into that simpler format and see the listing.
I tried to find an instructions manual for your machine, but no joy. :-(
ISMACS has a manual for a National vibrating shuttle made for Montgomery Wards with the badge name Damascus:
https://ismacs.net/national/manuals/montgomery-ward-damascas-vibrating-shuttle-sewing-machine-manual.pdf
Among other differences from your machine, that model has the tension assembly protruding from the faceplate, so I don't know how applicable those instructions would be to yours.
Here is my collection of VSM links if you want to poke around for more information:
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/285089-help-for-vintage-sewing-machines
However, it's a lot to sift through, so if you have questions, you can just ask them here in a comment on your post.
If I don't know the answers, I'll either go back out into the wilds of the Internet to try and find some, or refer you to one of the forums where there are some serious VSM enthusiasts with hands-on experience.
I myself am not actually a vintage sewing machine expert; I'm just an old Internet surfer who's developed a slight (*cough*) obsession with VSMs. };-)