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These cording feet fit and function, adjustable zipper feet like these fit perfectly, and a modern walking foot (singer and Janome) fits if you take off the thread cutter from the presser foot rod but the tension got a bit fiddly. That’s on my 1910 127, and on my 1946 66.
I have an ALB, also in the cabinet, also missing the power cord that goes from the cabinet to the wall. I purchased this cable and trimmed the plastic around the edges of the female connector until it fit. Not an ideal solution but it worked.
18 gauge. Same stuff you'd buy to rewire a lamp. You can buy one of these and cut off the other end, or you can get some fancy vintage lamp wire and attach your own plug.
I picked up a 1910 27 with the same decals the other day. No treadle table though, it had been converted to electric. Removed some rust with Barkeeper's friend and a toothbrush, oiled everything and it ran perfectly. Once you get the bobbin shuttle and plate cover sorted out, there probably won't be much to repair. These machines are incredible. And believe it or not, there's a shuttle and bobbin set available on Amazon.
That will take a little work, not a lot. What I would do would be to purchase a "universal" Home Sewing machine plug set. Then rewire the motor lead with a new wire that has a normal electrical appliance plug. Universal plugs sets are available through all sorts of places like the Amazon or VintageSingerSewingParts, or a lot of places online. You will need a pedal as well - and some sites offer the same set up with a pedal (costs more). Even if you had those parts in hand... a certified electrician or sewing machine repair person should be consulted (it's America, I have to say that). The Universal kit would also offer you the possibility of adding a light later.
The oldest singers, 1880s and earlier, have two numbers without a prefix. See here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32677/32677-h/32677-h.htm and scroll down to page 112. The singer serial number database starts with numbers issued in 1871 but the list at the link goes back to 1850. If that is what you are dealing with see the description there on which number to use.
Bigger is better than smaller. If you're only replacing two brushes you can get by just rubbing them down on some sandpaper until the dimensions are perfect. That's what I did. Took less than 5 minutes. In fact I ordered a bag of similarly sized brushes off of amazon for much cheaper than the vintage singer online stores. They had wires coming off of them which were easy to pull or cut off clean.
This is what I ordered for my 15-91 motors (same motor as 201-2) ces 5 mm x 6 mm x 14 mm carbon... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08949FVLK?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
That particular one is no longer available but search for others with same dimensions and it will be fine.
Some of the early 66s and most of the 27s were cast without the side motor mount/hand attachment boss under the pillar. When they were motorized in the early days of electrification, someone would drill holes in the cast iron and mount an electric motor. Whoever motorized this one happened to do it in a way that ended not being the standard.
I think what you want is a foot pedal with a motor and light plug like many cabinets have. For example from amazon, I can't vouch for this one, just to show what I'm talking about. Then you plug your motor into the half of that outlet labelled "motor".
I bought a 201k from the UK a few months back, and purchased this step-up/step-down transformer to run it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HS4JLXS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Good Luck!
Thank you for the referral to the Featherweight shop. All ways a good source for parts though I think they are quite expensive. $80 for their reproduction case yikes.
Bob Fowler recommended this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0824Q2W38/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_JKSNKMDMKWN39KQZW0G2
Does anyone else have experience with this one?
This is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/Pail-Restoration-Hypoallergenic-Antique-Delicate-Safely/dp/B00BCKH4SS/ref=bmx_dp_9jpfa5yo_sccl_3_4/135-2393677-5394565?pd_rd_w=rzhqP&pf_rd_p=47a2c41d-3401-4b6c-b4f8-fd4cee0f0cd3&pf_rd_r=P340SKB1DRRR6GKD4119&pd_rd... Amazing stuff. I clean a lot of vintage clothing for resale, I also wear vintage and I am a big fan of sewing vintage fabrics. This really works. I know cleaning vintage is risky, but I have actually whitened cotton lace and even clothing with weak bleach and water. Just a thought if you want it super white.
There is a soak that lots of vintage clothing dealers and collectors swear by called retroclean. It's pretty gentle and generally gets good results. Available on Amazon or other retailers online.
Retro Clean Cleaning Solution https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006UD22K2/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_TTCXCBEZPRNS1Z7YAS8A?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I made a spool stand out of a coat hanger and a block of wood:
I have the stand sitting near the back of the machine, and the coat hanger hook is high enough to feed the tread up over the machine to the first thread guide.
The only home sewing motor brand worth buying is Alphasew. You can find Alphasew motors at several online retailers. They have several power levels to it, but I found the 150W to be best. You'll also want to shop around for a proper V belt like this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GXZ518T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Rubber belts can work, lug belts absolutely not.
Thank you! This is the center fabric is here.
I was thinking to use them as some kind of accent to a quilt. I haven't decided what to do with them since they are pretty small! Even with 100 of them, it doesn't add up to much coverage.
I like Swedish sewing paper or Pellon Easy pattern. You can trace on it, you can sew it and it holds up a LOT better than regular paper.
A lot of antique sewing machine enthusiasts I know swear by Triflow.
A free arm allows you to more easily do shirt cuffs and pant hems etc. https://offerup.com/item/detail/786258763/?pid=googleadwords_intutm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NE-Electronics_New_Mobile2&utm_term=89714349506-pla-297710415101-&utm_content=412107970723&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvIT5BRCqARIs... this one looks like the same machine.
You can use something like a fan speed controller to control the power to the motor. Additionally, depending on what pedal you have, it might be a simple switch pedal that just goes 0 or 100. You can fairly easily splice a modern electronic pedal onto the cord and it comes with a built in speed control.
We moved my American made Singer to England and we used a transformer. We just had two or three we moved around from room to room. I don't know what voltage you need to convert but you probably have other electrical items. Ours was like thishttps://www.amazon.com/Cantonape-Voltage-Transformer-Converter-Universal/dp/B0829WHWTD/ref=sr\_1\_4?dchild=1&keywords=120%2Bto%2B200%2Bvolt%2Btransformer&qid=1634333849&sr=8-4&th=1
You should be able to find replacement belts fairly easy. This is a Singer 185, which is just a fancier looking Singer 99, but still uses all the typical Singer 99/66 standards/bobbins/whatever.
I'm a huge fan of this belt on Amazon and this guy's store seems to have a variety of sizes. The one I linked SHOULD fit your model just fine, but you can double check the length with a piece of string. Generic stretch belts will work too but imo they don't work as well.
I have one of these and it works well, however I don't have any original Singer-made hand cranks to compare it to. If you're fine with the decals not matching and the handle and finger using plastic instead of wood, go for it.
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As far as the different kinds of repro hand cranks, I'm pretty sure they all come out of the same, single factory in China and it's just different resellers putting them up. Just grab the cheapest Amazon Prime one you can find and have at it.
Here’s my $0.02 worth. The left hand side opens and I would start there. Open it up. I use master blaster to clean and lubricate. It comes in a spray in the automotive depart at $general. I spray it into a tiny container like a bottle cap & use the brushes below. Clean every moving part you can find. The top of the machine may come off and clean everything there. And in the bobbin area. One thing, be very careful around any springs or belts. I use the micro tip brushes below to do all of this. If you need to photograph each step so you can reverse it and put it back together again. Now, if it’s locked up then there s a chance this might free it up in a few days. Master blaster is used to free up locked bolts and to lubricate. Sorry this is so long. Because it’s a mechanical and not electronic machine you can try it yourself. I’ve been known to have to remove and replace a screw in the wrong hole. That’s a good machine. Not like the junk they sell today.
If you have a vac with a hose I've heard of people using detail brush attachments to clean their sewing machines. I haven't tried it myself but might be worth a try if they fit a vac you have
It came inside a generic electronic sewing pedal like this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002L2Z73A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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I disassembled the pedal for it, since I wanted to use the knee lever. I don't know enough about PCBs and/or robotics so I didn't know where to find a similar board without buying the whole pedal.
Domestic table top sewing machines aren't well suited to the task you describe. You could struggle through a few examples perhaps, but ultimately the machine will break. Older machines may hold up longer under that kind of stress, but they're not designed for it.
If you're interested in leather work, try one of these or a similar clone to start with:https://smile.amazon.com/FamYun-Cobbler-Repair-Machine-Mending/dp/B07T8GNPRW/ They're slow, and will need some tuning up to work in your particular situation.
If you work with light leather and heavy cloth, you may want to consider a Sail Right machine or a similar clone.
My spouse ordered it online. I'm not certain which retailer they used. I did find this model for sale on Amazon. It is made by a company called Manhattan Comfort. They have several similar TV stands. I like this one because I can hide all the cables behind the upright portion.
Thanks for the advice. That is a nice guide for making a base.
Surprisingly I found a bobbin case on Amazon that actually lists this Kenmore model number in the lower description. I think I'll go with that one, and try a generic pedal.
The handwheel rotation is very smooth, and the needle and feed action look good. I haven't checked the hook timing, but that's easy to fix, as is the servicing (I work on big industrial machines for a living, I just don't know vintage home machines too well). Thanks! Hopefully I get it running at some point, it's a pretty machine.
If it is a BA15D, I can recommend the daylight version of this bulb. It’s a bright, white light that I think is so much better for sewing than the old yellow light of an incandescent. I have one in a 10 year old Janome serger and a late 30s Singer 301A. The bulb fit perfectly and I haven’t had any issues since installing it 6 months ago and hundreds of hours sewing.
The only tiny issue was that the vintage Singer has a glass lens below the lightbulb that I assume helps focus the incandescent light. With there being multiple bulbs on one LED fixture, the light was distorted by the lens. However, at least on the 301a, it’s as easy as unscrewing a metal tan that holds the lens and removing it. Seems to work with no issues.
The “bulb” portion of the LED one is slimmer than the incandescent, and about the same length.
The questions say it fits in a few vintage machines, so I would check them out and see if your machine was asked about.