Using WD-40 On Sewing Machines

There's a lot of controversy about using WD-40 on sewing machines.  Let's talk...

I use WD-40 on sewing machines, almost every day at work.  However, I don't use it as a lubricant, I use it as a solvent.  WD-40 breaks down the old, gummy oil very well.  If you're not equipped to remove the WD-40, it will continue to break down the oil.  At work, we use an air compressor and flannel rags to remove the WD-40 and the gunk it dissolves.  If you don't have an air compressor, you can use a can of air -- but it has to be a full can with some good pressure.

Don't use WD-40 on certain longarm quilting machines and industrial sewing machines.  Some of these have porous bearings that will hold onto the WD-40.

The procedure goes like this...
   1)  Blow out all the lint with an air compressor.
   2)  Generously spray the gummed-up area with WD-40.
   3)  Work the mechanisms until they are moving freely.
   4)  Blow out the WD-40 and gunk with an air compressor.  This takes a while.  You continue to blow until there are no more wet spots.  Turn the hand wheel to get all sides of the sprayed parts.
   5)  Wipe up the mess with flannel rags.
   6)  Go back and blow some more with the air compressor.
   7)  Apply new oil.  Only use clear "sewing machine oil," not 3-in-1 oil (or sewing machine grease except for very specific spots).

Some people will say that "someone" told them to NEVER use WD-40 on a sewing machine.  But I have to ask, who is "someone?"  And was "someone" talking about using it as a lubricant?  This "someone" LOVES to use WD-40 on sewing machines!  It works very well to remove the gummy stuff.

I've also seen where "someone" used WD-40, and it made matters worse.  I think they probably didn't use enough WD-40, and didn't get the gunk dissolved completely.  So, the gunk was still there. 
I've only had 5 years (almost) of experience, but have never had a problem with WD-40 making things worse.

Some may say to just keep oiling the machine, and it will eventually break loose.  Nonsense!  The old, gummy oil is still there!  The old gummy oil needs to be removed, and WD-40 is the tool for the job.

OK, there's my very own, personal, private, take on the WD-40 controversy.  But then, I tend to figure things out and think for myself.   I know I'm not the only sewing machine mechanic who uses it! 

Row By Row Experience Pattern Now Available

My 2014 Row By Row Experience pattern, Snowflake Collection,  is now available to purchase for just $3.50!  You can buy it at Craftsy or Etsy.  Here's a full picture, and a few of the individual snowflakes.  Print the third page on card stock for your foundation papers.

Sergers

I've added a new page about sergers!  It's on its own tab at the top of the page.

This is my Bernina 800 DL serger, "Ben" (short for "Benevolence," because he was practically given to me).   In this picture, we're (Ben and I) getting ready to work on some T-Joe pectus brace, back covers.

How Did I Become A Sewing Machine Mechanic?

I am often asked, how I became a sewing machine mechanic.  I got lucky!  I've worked at a quilt shop that sells and repairs sewing machines for over 10 years.  When the assistant tech retired, The Boss asked me if I’d like to learn.  I had worked on cars a little and enjoyed it.  And I have a high mechanical IQ.  So I was pretty excited about the offer!  I’ve been training as a sewing machine mechanic for over 4 1/2 years, and I still learn something new every day, and The Boss still has to help me with the hard stuff.  There's a lot to learn!

The best way to learn, is to become an apprentice to someone who has been doing it for a long time.  The Boss started learning when he was 16, and he’ll be 54 soon.   He didn’t really have anyone to teach him, and he’ll tell you that he “learned from the school of hard knocks.”  So he's a  patient man, and  doesn’t get upset with me when I make mistakes.  Making mistakes is one of the best ways to learn.... as long as you don’t do any permanent damage. :-)

If you can't train under a pro, here are some ideas...

1)  I’ve seen some good books on Amazon about sewing machine maintenance.  They can teach you the basics.  

2)  The older mechanical machines are a good place to start.  You can get them from the thrift store for $10 to $25.  Take them through the "What To Check..." list that's at the top of my blog, and see if you can get them sewing.

3)  If you become a sewing machine dealer, you can attend their conventions.  I’ve been to “Bernina University” once.  But you don’t really learn much from power point presentations.  

4)  There’s a website, where you can get help with working on vintage sewing machines...  http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/  Just above the quilting board, there’s a section “For Vintage and Antique Machine Enthusiasts.”  There are some nice people there, who are great about answering your questions.

5)  There are so many variables in sewing machines, that you need to be the kind of person who can figure things out.  We very rarely use the service manuals.  We know the basics, and figure out the rest.  There's so much that isn't in the manual!

 6)  You NEVER want to start un-screwing things that you don’t know what they do.  We just had a woman try to adjust the timing on her Bernina, and really scrambled her machine.  She unscrewed things that we are taught to NEVER unscrew, even as sewing machine mechanics.  It would cost her about $400 to send it to Bernina and have them unscramble it.  We’ve had a few older mechanical machines that have been scrambled beyond repair, as well.

Being a sewing machine mechanic is fun and rewarding... most of the time.  Other times, I’m really glad The Boss is there to help me.  I can't imagine trying to figure out all of these machines by myself, without The Boss to take care of the harder ones.

Singer Featherweight 221 Facebook Group

Have a little facebook group for Featherweight 221 Sewing Machine with Gaileee at

Singer Featherweight 221 Facebook Group

Been getting quite a few new people on the group.  Just click on over and request to join!

Here's a nice link for y'all to save and use!

How to oil your sewing machine - and the Featherweight is shown in the example.  Nice!

http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-to-oil-your-sewing-machine-using.html#more

Mr. Issac Singer's History - Singer Sewing Machines

=================================

Mr. Singer's History

=================================
From: (Gordon D. Jones)
Subject: Old sewing machines

Most collectors of antique sewing machines say a machine must be 100 yrs
old to be classed as an antique.  Sewing machines have been manufactured in
quantity since the 1850's.  During the last half of the 19th century, there
were around 200 companies manufacturing sewing machines in the US.  Of
those, less then 20 survived after the turn of the century.  Of the
surviving companies, none of the machines are manufactured in this country
today, not even Singers.  White sewing machines have been manufactured in
Japan since 1974 and New Home was sold to the Janome company of Japan in
1960.

If one is looking for a treadle machine to decorate your home (I have about
a dozen treadles), it will most likely be a Singer.  Why?  It is estimated
that Singer manufactured 21 million machines by the year 1900, and they
continued to make treadle machines through 1930.  You will certainly run
across other names as well.  The Smithsonian book " The Sewing Machine
It's Invention and Development" (unfortunatly out of print now), lists
about 4000 sewing machines names that were manufactured by less than 20
companies.  Names such as, Jones ( I have two of these - surprise!),
Duchess, Essex, Pet, Princess, Queen, McDonald,  etc.  These machines were
sold by every department store and Mom & Pop store in the country, hence
the large number of different names.  There was a McDonald dept. store in
the town I grew up in Nebraska, do you suppose??  National, Standard, A. G.
Mason, Davis, New Home, White, and Free made most of these machines for
others.  Singer never put any name but Singer on a machine he manufactured,
with one exception.  In 1905, Singer bought out the Wheeler and Wilson
company and continued to use the Wheeler and Wilson name on some models for
a short time.

Singer is the most successful sewing machine company in the US because of
the founder, Isaac Merrit Singer.  He was a marketing genius, a former
Shakespearean actor that new how to sell.  He was also successful in the
capability to mass produce parts for sewing machines that were
interchangable.  This, he borrowed from the firearms industry.  Before
1850, parts were hand made not interchangable.  The man who is recognized
as having contributed most to the mechanical development of the sewing
machine is Allen Benjamin Wilson.  He invented and received a patent for
the rotary-hook stitch forming mechanism in 1850.  He developed the four
motion feed (motion of the feed dogs), and received a patent in 1854.  All
modern sewing machines use a rotary hook and four motion feed.  A. B.
Wilson formed the Wheeler and Wilson company(Wheeler had the capital),
which was second only to Singer in numbers manufactured from 1850 until
1880.  Wilson was in poor health and had to quite the business, otherwise
the company would most likely have been number one.  I have  a  Wheeler and
Wilson #8, made about 1880. It's a delightful machine.
-------------------
From: Dawn Scotting 
Subject: More bits and pieces
From Gordy:
Singer never put any name but Singer on a machine he manufactured, with
one exception.  In 1905, Singer bought out the Wheeler and Wilson
company and continued to use the Wheeler and Wilson name on some models
for a short time.

The man who is recognized as having contributed most to the mechanical
development of the sewing machine is Allen Benjamin Wilson. He invented
and received a patent for the rotary-hook stitch forming mechanism in
1850. He developed the four motion feed (motion of the feed dogs), and
received a patent in 1854. All modern sewing machines use a rotary hook
and four motion feed. A. B. Wilson formed the Wheeler and Wilson
company (Wheeler had the capital), which was second only to Singer in
numbers manufactured from 1850 until 1880. Wilson was in poor health
and had to quite the business, otherwise the company would most likely
have been number one. I have a Wheeler and Wilson #8, made about
1880. It's a delightful machine.
----------------------------
Subject: RESPONSES AND TIDBITS
From: Terry (

The following information was gleaned from a March 3, 1986 article in Time
Magazine:

Singer (quote) plans to spin off its sewing operations to a separate firm
owned by Singer shareholders thus ending a 135-year old tradition.....The
market started to unravel in the mid-1970s when sales began declining from a
peak of 3 million units a year...Singer correctly read the writing on the
wall. Its sewing business had become an albatross.
Mahatma Gandhi called the Singer sewing machine "one of the few useful
things ever invented." Admiral Richard Byrd carted six Singers with him to
the Antarctic. During the late 19th century, Russia's Czar Alexander III
ordered workers to use the machines to make 250,000 tents for the Imperial
Army.
"Isaac Merritt Singer [said]: "I don't care a damn for the invention. The
dimes are what I'm after." He eventually pocketed about $13 million, some
of which supported the 24 children that Singer fathered by two wives and at
least three mistresses. (unquote)
----------------------------
Subject: singer history
Date: Sat, 13 Jan 96 02:04:00 PDT

SUE M.

I hope someone can help me with an historical Singer question. I've been
reading the Sincere history (I finally made myself a copy, so I wouldn't have
to keep borrowing it from the library) and I can't quite get the timeline
right. After the war, Singer went back to making the same old machines, which
I presume is where the 301 fits in (another straight stitch machine with the
slant needle variation).The author then says that Singer finally came out
with a marketable zigzag called the Slant-o-matic (which I assume is the 401
with a copyright date of 1958 in my manual). Later in the book, he says that
when Singer came out with the Touch & Sew series around 1960, they gradually
picked up some of the ground lost to the foreign companies. My question is:
was the 401 only really marketed for a couple of years, to be replaced by the
Touch and Sew (which went on forever)? It also seems strange that so many
301's survived since they were being sold when zigzags were the rage. Just
wondering - I would dearly love to find a complete history of the Singer
company - too bad the author moved to White after the war. Sue M.

I know the 401 wasn't the 1st zig-zag...the 319 came before that one.
Our listowner has one of those...they use a funny needle and smaller
cams. There was one other one before the 319...it may have been a 273?
I probably have that number wrong, but I know there was one more zig-zag
before the 319. The 401a was produced between 1960 and 1963 according
to singer, when I called them to try and date mine. They can't give an
exact date on it, though they can give an exact date for a model 99 made
at the same time....oh well. I don't know if the 401 came before the
401a, or what the differences were. I'll have to stop by
my local sewing machine guru's shop next week and see if he can help us out
with these deep questions. His dad was a singer man in the old days.
He still has some of his dad's sales books, which give information and
descriptions on the machines of the era. I wish I could get him to part
with one of them. Maybe he will copy one for me.

----------------------------
From: Kristina Santilla
Subject: History

Hi all!
I finally found an article that tells why the FW and its big
sisters were given the pink slip by Singer. The Dec. 20, 1958 issue of
Business Week has an article entitled *More push overseas for Singer
sewing*. Apparently the "Old Guard" at Singer believed they knew just
what consumers wanted in a sewing machine and were whammied by Necchi and
Pfaff importing zig-zag machines. Then they were double whammied by the
Japanese with low priced machines. When Singer finally figured out what
hit them, Singer was only selling 1/3 of the household machines on the
market, compared to 2/3 prewar. "Still... Singer continued to rest
chiefly on its old reliables-heavy, black(with gold lettering),
straight-stitch models dating from pre-war days."
Singer's answer was to finally install a new president along with
less conservative executives whose marketing stategies included heavy
advertising, pushing models with prices under $69 instead of over $300,
and for the first time selling through 70 department stores and dime
stores. I remember reading that much earlier Singer had sold through
Wannamaker's but that was different in that all Singer salespeople there
were factory trained and it actually operated more like a Singer outlet.
Foreign markets became more important to Singer as foreign
sales climbed to 60% of total income. Singer decided to produce locally
whenever possible. Previously the St. Johns, Canadian plant had exported
as much as 80% of its production to Latin America and the Clydebank,
Scotland plant was supplying both Great Britain and the U.S. About this
time they opened plants in Brazil, Mexico and Australia to supply local
areas. This article also mentions that the plant at Clydebank had 13,000
employees, and I read somwhere that that factory was so important to
Glascow that a Singer sewing machine was put on the city's coat of arms.
I guess we should be glad that the Singer people didn't catch on
sooner to the change in the consumer wants, or it would be even harder to
find a Featherweight.
----------------------------

Subject: more Singer bio plus a little history

Well, you all got me interested in this Mr Singer and I have always been
interested in history so I went to our little local library to see what I
could find. di nada! Not even in the encyclopedias. humph! So I was
talking to the librarians about this before I left, oh, because they were
showing me how to use our MCAT computer that we just got so we can search all
the libraries in the state of Maine. (I did find The Invention of the Sewing
Machine by Cooper which should be coming to me by InterLibraryLoan.) So I
went home feeling grumpy because of living where there isn't any anything and
the librarian called me about an hour later and said she just remembered that
when she read *Life at the Dakota* by Stephen Birmingham, Random House, 1979
that it had a chapter with a lot about Singer! This is because Edward Clark,
the man who built the Dakota (an absolutely fabulously unique apartment
building in NYC which still stands today and yes where John Lennon lived) was
the lawyer who was Singer's partner. So I got to read that and it was
interesting and later I was talking to my Mom, (who is 82) about this because
she grew up in NYC. Recently Mom went back to college at 78 and got her
Master's in History and she said *well of course, I wrote a paper about Isaac
Singer for my History of Technology course!* Yes she still had it!!!! I was
astounded, to put it mildly. It's a very good paper and has an excellent
bibliography, if anyone is interested in it I will xerox and send it via
snailmail - I mean the Bib. She also had a list of her course readings and
some it it is very interesting. The invention of all this technology did not
necessarily free women up. In fact one book is called *More work for mother*
The point being that many many families (not just the upper classes) farmed
out a lot of their house work - ie went to laundresses, seamstresses, bakers,
etc. With the loss of servants and the increase of new machinery Mothers
started doing all the things that had been delegated to others before - so,
although the work was easier, there was more of it! An interesting point.
Enough for today, which is better than the good old days! Henrietta in Blue
Hill, Maine (Httacl@aol.com)
----------------------------
From:
Subject: Re: more Singer bio plus a little history

Hi Henrietta. Hi all.
Yes, I did read that Edward Clark was Singer's Partner. I think he was a
lawyer and a crafty one. He did get one up on Singer, which I understand
was a hard thing to do. I did not know that he built the Dakota, but I'm
very familiar with the building. I go next door to the Dallas BBQ as often
as I can. Great food there. Singer was a wild man. If I recall correctly
he had about 5 "wives," and sometimes he had wives 2 at a time, and 20 kids.
His genious was not in inventing, although he was OK at "improving" things,
but at marketing. The sewing machine was originally aimed at tailors, but
Singer invented the idea of marketing to housewives. My dad called me
yesterday with some old newspapers he had bought and was reading to me from
them. He said there were alot of ads for sewing machines from various
companies, and the Singers were advertised at $75 to $100, not a cheap sum
by any means, especially for 1860. One of the marketing techniques
mentioned that there was a shortage of household help so that the sewing
machine was really necessary so that the homemaker can get the clothes sewn.
I can't wait to get my hands on the papers so I can read the ads myself.
Henrietta, I would be most interested to read your mom's paper.
----------------------------
From: (Brenda Dean)
Subject: Mr. Singer and other things

**************************************************************************
Actor, inventor, super - salesman, lover and sewing machine guru.

Issac Merritt Singer was born in New York in 1811. His ambition was to be an
actor , but his parents were poor German immigrants with a large family and
no money to spare. Singer began his working life as an apprentice to a tool
and machine maker. He left this job to join a travelling theatre group,
which gave him the opportunity to try his hand at acting but failed to make
him rich. The group eventually went broke and a penniless Singer turned to
inventing as a means of earning a living. Whilst working with a tool
manufacturer in Virginia he came across a sewing machine in need of repair.
He studied the machine and considered it clumsy and unreliable. He knew he
could build a better machine himself and after only eleven days Singer
produced his first prototype.

Singer took out his first sewing machine patent in 1851. The Singer
Perpendicular Action Sewing Machine was offered for sale all over America.
Singer was a showman at heart and enjoyed demonstrating his machines at
fairs and circuses all around the country. Within two years he was selling
more machines than any other single manufacturer. This did not impress Elias
Howe who had taken out the first sewing machine patent in 1846. Singer was
using a mechanism similar to the one used by Howe and Howe demanded payment
from Singer for infringement of his patent. A long legal battle followed and
the press of the day reported on Singer's theatrical performances in court,
but in the end Singer admitted defeat paying Howe $15,000 in settlement of
Royalties.

Over the next twenty years the number of SM manufactures grew from seven to
more than thirty and the sales of sewing machines from 5000 in 1854 to more
than half a million in 1874. (Singer selling more than 50% of these.) His
success wasn't simply due to a better product but because he offered only
one or two models at any one time and adopted a new approach to selling. He
used pretty girls to demonstrate his machines in luxuriously appointed
showrooms. He introduced payment by installment, gave after sales service
and encouraged his customers to take advantage of generous trade in
allowances. (It's interesting to note that Singer destroyed many good sewing
machines used as trade ins to reduce the number of second- hand machines on
the market.)

Singer did leave some time for other persutes! By 1867 he had fathered 18
children by a variety of wives and mistresses and his conservative business
partner, Edward Clark, became concerened at the effect this immoral
lifestyle could have on the business. Clark presented Singer and his family
lived first of all in Paris, France then in Devon, England where Singer died
in 1875 at the age of 63. At the time of his death he had married five times
and fathered 22 children!

After his death the family continued to mingle in the best social circles.
Singer's son Paris had an affair with the famous dancer Isadora Duncan which
resulted in the birth of their son Patrick whilst Singer's widow, Isabella
is reputed to have been Barthold's model for the statue of Liberty.

The Singer company went from strength to strength and by 1891 ten million
Singer sewing machines had been made.......
----------------------------
From: Graham Forsdyke (100661.3256@CompuServe.COM)
Subject: Singer Contribution Pt 1

By popular demand
Singer's sex life Part one
LIKING, as I do, a neat turn of phrase, I enjoyed tremendously the short
profile of Isaac Merritt Singer given by the Torbay Civic Society in its
leaflet available at Singer's house "Oldway Mansion".
The leaflet spoke of his fleeing to France whilst being sued for
alimoney with seven co-respondents being named, but said that, once there,
his "philoprogenitive predilections" once more came to the fore and he gave
six children to yet another woman. This prompted me to dig deeper into the
marital and extra-marital activities of the 19th-century bluebeard.
Isaac Merritt Singer lived over half his life in a hand-to-mouth sort of
existence, frequently poor, and when wealth was thrust upon him he was
able to spend the next 25 years making up for lost time.
He was born in Schaghticoke, New York. In early manhood he moved to
Waterloo, New York, where he got work as a wood turner.
He was married in 1830 to Catherine Haley and their first child was
born four years later.
Even then it seems he was much given to consorting with other women, being
quite popular with the fair sex on account of his natural ability as an actor
and imitator.
In 1837 a second child was born to them in New York City where they were
living, and this year was the last he spent with his first wife before going
on the road as a strolling player.
Wife number two was an 18-year-old Baltimore girl Mary Anne Sponsler.
Singer saw her one night from the stage of the theatre in Baltimore where
he was acting and sought her out. It wasn't long before they were living in
New York as man and wife, having quite conveniently quarreled with his legal
wife at the same time.

He told his new companion when she insisted that he must marry her that he
would do so as soon as he was able to get a divorce. Miss Sponsler had to
share a great deal of poverty with Singer in a relationship which lasted 28
years. She took lessons to fit herself for the stage and the two, under the
name of Mr and Mrs Merritt, played temperance pieces in churches all over
the country.
They followed this life for 14 years. They were wretchedly poor and everything
they had in the world was in the one-horse wagon with which they wandered from
town to town.
Whilst they were in Chicago Singer invented a reaping machine and later an
engine for carving wood type. This was the start of the Singers' fortune. In
1850 he had completed the inventions that made up the Singer sewing machine.
He returned again to New York, but this time he set up a stylish
accommodation at No. 14 Fifth Avenue. The first, and only true, Mrs Singer
seems then to have been forgotten and banished to an apartment in Brooklyn.
Number two was everywhere regarded as the inventor's wife, her visiting cards
and invitations to parties that she gave bore the name of Mrs I M Singer. She
ordered goods at stores as Mrs Singer and Singer paid all the bills. She and
Isaac visited her parents at Baltimore as man and wife and so registered
wherever they stopped in hotels.
She bore him 10 children, which added to the two from Catherine Haley, brought
his score at this date to a round dozen.
----------------------------
From: Graham Forsdyke (100661.3256@CompuServe.COM)
Subject: singer part 2

Singer's love life part two

In 1860, 24 years after he had left his first companion, he legally
divorced Catherine Haley Singer.
If Mary Sponsler thought that this was the beginning of their real
romance she was very wrong. Seven months after the divorce Miss Sponsler,
riding in her own carriage, saw him with Mary McGonigal. Se stood up in
her carriage and screamed abuse at her common-law husband.
When Singer came home he beat Mary Sponsler and eventually she had him
arrested, but they later married.
At the suggestion of the company, Singer then left for Europe, and in the year
that he was away it was revealed that he had been living with two other women
in New York City who both thought themselves his only companion.
That same Mary McGonigal had born him five children. He and she lived together
as Mr and Mrs Matthews. Miss Mary E Water, who lived with him under the name of
Mrs Merritt, had added another child to the list.
Singer's absence also allowed his solicitors to deal unhindered with Mary Anne
Sponsler who sued for divorce and was awarded $8,000 alimony, then the largest
amount ever obtained. Singer's lawyers managed to parley this down to a smaller
figure, but threw in one of Singer's large and valuable houses as part of the
deal.
Within a month she had secretly married one John E Foster, not telling any of
her family of the ceremony for fear that it would jeopardise the divorce
settlement from Singer.
But she hurt herself badly in a fall from a chair and believing herself to be
dying told one of her daughters of the marriage. As this daughter's husband was
an officer of the Singer company and knew which side his cloth plate was oiled,
Isaac Merritt soon learned of the secret wedding and caused his divorced wife
to relinquish all claims upon him and to vacate the house. She went to live
with Foster.
The fifth regular lady then appeared in his wife. She was a French woman who he
had met during his year abroad. On June 13 1865, seven weeks after wife number
two had renounced her claims upon him, he was married to Isobel Eugenie Boyce
under the name of Isobel E Sommerville, and with her went to Paris to live.
Whilst he was there a great house was built in the New York suburb of Yonkers,
and when it was finished the pair returned there to live, inviting hundreds to
the house-warming party.
But few turned up. Even Singer's great wealth and fabulous parties couldn't
undo the reputation that he had built and most of the invited guests thought
it best to stay away.
----------------------------
From: G Forsdyke (100661.3256@CompuServe.COM)
Subject: history

1) First marketed domestic sewing machines were available in the mid 1850s from
a host of companies, mostly in the new- England area of America and in the
Midlands of England.
2) Singer first marketed in the mid 1850s but initially he aimed at industrial
users.
3) Singer did not invent a machine in toto but like most other pioneers added a
particular detail improvement. Most important patents were the Wheeler and
Wilson four motion feed, Howe's eye-pointed needle and horizontal shuttle (now
thought to be bogus) and Bachelder's feeding device and vertical needle (bought
by Singer), Morey and Johnson's presser foot (bought by Singer) and Singer's
own heart-shaped cam to move the needle bar.
4) Cost of family-type treadle machine would have been around $100 in 1860,
reducing to around $10 in 1890.
5) Big names in 1850-60s were Grover and Baker, Singer, Wheeler and Wilson,
Howe, Weed, Royal, Bradbury, Jones etc.
6) Only USA England and Germany played any real part in early manufacturing
7) No reliable figures for total machines sold but by 1860 Singer had made
25,000; by 1870, 127,000.
8) First American sewing machine patent was in 1842 granted to John Greenough
using a two-pointed needle with a central eye. First practical patent was to
Englishman Thomas Saint 1790 but in the ISMACS archive is a 1638 patent but it
seems more theory than a practical propsition.
----------------------------
From: brenda@ismacs.com.au (Brenda Dean)
Subject: Mr. Singer and other things

**************************************************************************
Actor, inventor, super - salesman, lover and sewing machine guru.

Issac Merritt Singer was born in New York in 1811. His ambition was to be an
actor , but his parents were poor German immigrants with a large family and
no money to spare. Singer began his working life as an apprentice to a tool
and machine maker. He left this job to join a traveling theatre group,
which gave him the opportunity to try his hand at acting but failed to make
him rich. The group eventually went broke and a penniless Singer turned to
inventing as a means of earning a living. Whilst working with a tool
manufacturer in Virginia he came across a sewing machine in need of repair.
He studied the machine and considered it clumsy and unreliable. He knew he
could build a better machine himself and after only eleven days Singer
produced his first prototype.

Singer took out his first sewing machine patent in 1851. The Singer
Perpendicular Action Sewing Machine was offered for sale all over America.
Singer was a showman at heart and enjoyed demonstrating his machines at
fairs and circuses all around the country. Within two years he was selling
more machines than any other single manufacturer. This did not impress Elias
Howe who had taken out the first sewing machine patent in 1846. Singer was
using a mechanism similar to the one used by Howe and Howe demanded payment
from Singer for infringement of his patent. A long legal battle followed and
the press of the day reported on Singer's theatrical performances in court,
but in the end Singer admitted defeat paying Howe $15,000 in settlement of
Royalties.

Over the next twenty years the number of SM manufactures grew from seven to
more than thirty and the sales of sewing machines from 5000 in 1854 to more
than half a million in 1874. (Singer selling more than 50% of these.) His
success wasn't simply due to a better product but because he offered only
one or two models at any one time and adopted a new approach to selling. He
used pretty girls to demonstrate his machines in luxuriously appointed
showrooms. He introduced payment by installment, gave after sales service
and encouraged his customers to take advantage of generous trade in
allowances. (It's interesting to note that Singer destroyed many good sewing
machines used as trade ins to reduce the number of second- hand machines on
the market.)

Singer did leave some time for other persutes! By 1867 he had fathered 18
children by a variety of wives and mistresses and his conservative business
partner, Edward Clark, became concerned at the effect this immoral
lifestyle could have on the business. Clark presented Singer and his family
lived first of all in Paris, France then in Devon, England where Singer died
in 1875 at the age of 63. At the time of his death he had married five times
and fathered 22 children!

After his death the family continued to mingle in the best social circles.
Singer's son Paris had an affair with the famous dancer Isadora Duncan which
resulted in the birth of their son Patrick whilst Singer's widow, Isabella
is reputed to have been Barthold's model for the statue of Liberty.

The Singer company went from strength to strength and by 1891 ten million
Singer sewing machines had been made.......

**************************************************************************
From: Clay & Shelly Leihy (clay-l@k2nesoft.com)
Subject: Singer in NYT, motor cleaning, etc.

Hi all! Thought I'd post another couple of NY Times articles. Thanks to
all who replied with follow-up info to the last one. I was going to post
the July 1951 article about Singer's exhibit on 2000 years of sewing,
but at about half the length of the entire column, it's a lot of typing!
(Though if enough people insist, I could add it to our website.) Anyway,
here goes:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The New York Times, September 17, 1951 (page 32)

"SINGER PLANS EXHIBIT
100th Anniversary of Patent to Be Marked This Week
ELIZABETH, N. J., Sept. 16--
The 100th anniversary of the patenting of the first Singer sewing
machine will be observed by the Singer Manufacturing Company at its
recreation building here for two weeks, beginning tomorrow. The
observance, a company spokesman said, will include exhibition of new and
old sewing machines, demonstrations of a variety of unusual uses for
sewing machines and exhibits of activities here.
The programs will be given nightly, Monday through Friday, from 7 to 9
o'clock, with the 9400 employees of the local Singer plant and their
families attending on specified evenings. Sept. 22 has been set aside
for the Singer Veteran Employees [sic] Association, composed of retired
and active workers on the company payroll for forty years or more.
Cooperating in the celebration is the Diehl Manufacturing Company in
Finderne, N. J., a Singer subsidiary, whose employees [sic] are among the
total of 20,000 to whom the company is expected to play host."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The New York Times, February 24, 1955 (page 42)

"Advertising and Marketing News"

The Singer Sewing Machine Company has a new junior-size machine and a
new marketing plan. It is introducing a precision-designed miniature
sewing machine for children, to be offered both as a toy and as a primer
for the neophyte.

 Further, the company, which for seventy years has been retailing its
products through company-owned sewing centers exclusively, will sell
through toy shops and department stores, through Joseph J. Bartnett,
Inc., sales representative. The new policy will apply only to the
miniature machine, called the Sewhandy, according to Charles F. Bruder,
Singer vice president.

 F. A. O. Schwarz, toy retailer, will be the first to handle the
machine, and a special window display is planned during the American Toy
Fair next month.

 Mr. Bruder expects national distribution to be completed by June 1, and
a national trade and consumer advertising program is in the planning
stage, through Young & Rubicam, Inc. The theme will be 'Mother, daughter
and dolly appeal.' The machine will retail for $12.95, with the case
extra."
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some other sites with Singer History |
The History of the sewing machine Howe and Singer | A bit of info
on Issac Singer | Antique Sewing Machine C. Law
Singer History |

What To Check Before Taking Your Machine To The Shop

I've added a new page!  "What To Check Before Taking Your Machine To The Shop," is on its own tab at the top of the page.  On this page, there are some common troubleshooting things anyone can do for themselves. 

Row By Row Experience

The Store where I work is participating in the Row By Row Experience.  Click here to find out more.  The theme is "Sew A Season."  Since I live in Utah, we would naturally choose Winter.  

Here's our row, designed by me.  It's called "Snowflake Collection," and is done with English paper piecing, hand applique, and hand embroidery.  You can click on the picture to see a larger image.

There are shops in 34 states, plus Canada, that are participating.  You can find a list of participating shops on the link above.  

When you go into a participating shop, ask for their row pattern, and they will give you the pattern for FREE.  If you make a quilt using at least 8 of the Free Row By Row Patterns, you may win a prize.  Sounds like fun for traveling quilters!  I hope to collect some patterns, myself.  The dates for this are July 1 through September 2, 2014.

The only way to get these FREE patterns is if you go to the shop in person.  That's the rule, and we want to keep the rules.  However, after October 31, it may be available for purchase. 

Updated prices and items for the Singer Featherweight 221 Sewing Machine -

Celebrating over 16 years on the "Net"
Updated April 2014
 

(We do business the old fashioned way, you email us or write us what you want, send that check, then we send you the items.  You'll need to call 580 765-6125, and talk to Deloris to get prices on combined items, or items where it is indicated, shipping not included.  Thank you!)

New Singer Featherweight 221 Facebook Group

Special 2
Updated Nancy Johnson-Srebro Featherweight Book - 2001 Edition for $24.00 - includes postage (U.S. only)

Special 7
Buttonholer for Featherweight,  Featherweight Dustcover for $17.00 - includes postage (U.S. only) NEW Reduced Price!

**NEW** Alpha Sew Patchwork Foot with GUIDE, $16.00, Includes Shipping/Handling, U.S. Only.

Other goodies:

• Tuckers for $8.50 (Shipping not included).***Small shipping costs for misc. items***.

Additional items:

• Original Seam Guide - $6.00 (Includes Shipping) 

Unusual Accessories:  Call for item details and prices of these unusual Singer Sewing Machine Accessories.

How do I order these items? Mail a check or money order, and specify the item desired, along with your return address, and send (and make the check out to):

Deloris Pickens
538 Virginia Avenue
Ponca City, Ok 74601

Any Additional Questions Please Either Email Deloris at deepickens@gmail.com, or call her at 580-765-6125.

What Every New Singer Featherweight 221/222 Owner Should Know

What Every New Featherweight Owner Needs to Know about their Featherweight!

Deloris Pickens's Good Things To Know About Your Singer Featherweight Notes...
Oiling:
Oiling Your 221 machine needs to be oiled for every 8 hours of use. Use only sewing machine oil and oil all the places that it shows you to oil in your manual You need to lube your motor about once a year and probably the gears about twice a year. Never use oil in your motor.

Cleaning:
Clean out you bobbin case area after every sewing project. Be sure when you put your needle plate back on that the bobbin case base tip is inserted between the two little bars on the bottom of your needle plate. Your machine will not sew if that is not done correctly.

Belts:
Sometimes you need to adjust your belt espically if the machine is running hard. To do this loosen the screw that mounts the motor and move the motor up or down a little bit so that the belt is not to tight.

Threading:
Follow instructions in your manual for threading your machine. I like to use Gutterman thread for my sewing. The machines were built to use No 50 cotton thread and they really sew best with all cotton thread.

Smell in Case:
To get most of the smell out of your case, first clean the bottom plate on your machine and take the old felt off and replace it with clean felt if necessary. Set the box outside in the hot sun for several days and it should smell better.

Bobbins:
The original bobbins work the best in the machine but be wary of the carded bobbins. Buy your bobbins from a dealer that sells them in bulk as these are made in Japan and are better bobbins than the carded ones.

Foot Pedals:
There are two different foot pedals for the 221 machine. The early ones are all metal and were in production for about 5 years. The later pedals are made of bakelite and are good pedals. The speed of your machine depends on your pedal. If your machine only wants to go fast you can take the pedal apart and adjust the screw on the back of the pedal. You can also rewire a pedal when the wiring goes bad. Dealers have new lead cords for sale and they work fine.

Featherweight Attachments:
The original 6 attachments that came with your machine are ruffler,narrow hemmer, wide hemmer, gathering foot, binder and edge stitcher. Also included was a screw driver for the machine and a screw driver to adjust the tension.

Trouble Free Sewing:
The main way to keep out of trouble with your 221 machine is to never, never, never sew unless you have material under your needle. If you do that you will get thread around the bobbin case area and is is the pits to get out. If you can not get the thread out easy spray the area with WD-40 every 15 mins for about 2 hours and it will usually dissolve the thread.

General Rules:
Don't drop your featherweight, don't store in in a damp basement or a hot attic, keep it clean and it should give you years of use. Read your manual and do what it says to do and you will save yourself lots of trouble. Deepickens@gmail.com

 
-----------------------------------
Jesse Clarke
Las Vegas, NV 
Permission Granted to use this article(s) on Gaileee's FW Web Site 1998

Subject: Re:  4 NEWBIE MISTAKES & DECAL / BED PROTECTION

Hi Feathers:

Since most of us didn't come into the world with a silver FW in our mouths,
and have been newbies at some point in our collectors lives,  the 4 things
that seem to plague new FW owners, at least in my experience, are:

FW BOBBIN THREADING
I can't tell you how many FW owners in classes I've taken do not know how to
put the bobbin into the  bobbin case properly.  Since many FWs come to new
owners without the instruction book, (not that many read them if there is one)
they don't realize that the FW bobbin goes into the case just the opposite of
most of the modern day machines.  Holding the bobbin in your right hand, tail
end of thread in your left hand, the thread comes up, over the top,  pulling
to the left, COUNTERCLOCKWISE.  Read this part again!

When I got my first FW, I couldn't understand why the thread kept breaking!
All 3 of my FWs hiss & spit if I put the bobbin in wrong.

WHINEY BOBBIN WINDER
I've also seen new FW owners wind the bobbin, remove the bobbin, leaving the
little wheel in contact with the handwheel.  As they commence sewing, there's
soon a horrible whining sound coming from the darling little FW.  English
translation: FLIP THE BOBBIN WHEEL UP, DUMMY!

NEEDLE REPLACEMENT
This is where my 3 really get their panties/ BVDs in a wad!  Put that needle
in backwards and they all 3 will throw themselves on the floor, pitch a fit,
hold their breath, and won't sew.  End of story!  The flat side of the needle
must be to the LEFT.

UPPER THREADING
The quirky thing with threading the machine is putting the thread into the eye
of the needle:  It goes from RIGHT to LEFT.  This is opposite from my more
modern (non Singer machine)

TLC
Please! Give these wonderful machines a drink of OIL  (38 oil points, outside,
inside the head, and underneath) & a dose of LUBRICANT to the motor...DO NOT
oil the motor!  Some of these machines have sat untouched for up to 50+ years.
A little TLC is only humane.  How well would you work if put in a basement or
attic for years without food or bath?  

MANUALS
If you need instruction manuals, for goodness sake--ASK!  Someone of us on
this list will point you in the right direction for obtaining one or a photo
copy.  Deloris Pickens (EMAIL: deepickens@gmail.com) provides Nice Reproduction 
Featherweight Manuals $7 (US only) shipping/handling included. 

After we have owned our FWs for a while, they become as familiar to us as our
kids or pets--we know all the idiosycracies, etc.  We forget what was a
puzzlement when we were the newbies.  There are more experienced FWF out there
who are able to add to my list.  These are my recollections as a newbie and
observations of other FW owners.
-------------
DECAL/BED PROTECTION:
Since most of you sew with the machines in your collection, at least the ones
that aren't museum pieces--is there anything special you do to keep the bed
and/or decals from being scratched or worn?

Jess in what was once Las Vegas,NV, but is now just a 'burb of CA!
==================================
From: 
Subject: Re: NEWBIE TIPS, STICKER REMOVAL, JOHNSON WAX URL

NEWBIE Q & A
It never fails:  when you post an answer, the question is asked the following
day!  

STICKER REMOVAL
Cooking oil, Crisco, even sewing machine oil!  Yep--that's the cheapest, non-
caustic way to remove glued on stickers.  Dab it on with a Q-Tip or your
finger (handy little gadget) let it sit for a spell,  it comes off like magic;
won't damage the paint on your machine, either.  
There's a commercial product GOO GONE that's supposed to take out all sorts of
stuff--but the oil works just as well--I've tried both.

JOHNSON WAX URL--WHY?
For Beau J. Gales:  There was a thread a while back about polishes/ waxes used
on SM-one of the FWFs referred to a product by Johnson called Klean N Shine.
She'd used this  on her machine and was pleased with the results.  She lost
the URL for Johnson:  http://www.scjohnsonwax.com/1product.html;  Ironically,
on the website product page, no mention is made of Klean N Shine.  I wound up
calling the ph. # 1-800-558-5252 to find out if it was still on the market.
Yes, it can be found at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target and at Ace or Tru-Value
Hardware stores.  I've not been able to find it at the local grocery stores as
I once could.

Common Causes of Singer Featherweight Machine Trouble

Deloris Pickens Thoughts on Common Causes of
Singer Featherweight Machine Trouble

Causes of Upper Thread Breaking

• Machine improperly threaded (see instruction book).
• Tensions too tight.
• Needle bent or having blunt point.
• Thread too coarse for size of needle (see instruction book).
• Needle too fine for size of thread and material to be sewn.
• Burr on needle hole in throat plate (caused from sewing over pins or breaking needle).
• Burr on needle hole in throat plate (caused by breaking needle when pulling material from machine).
• Needle incorrectly set.
• Needle too long for machine, or not all the way up in the clamp.
• Take-up spring bent or broken (see adjuster for repair).
• Tension disks worn so that thread works in groove.

Causes of Lower Thread Breaking

• Improper threading of bobbin case (see instruction book).
• Tension too tight.
• Thread wound unevenly on bobbin or bobbin wound too full.
• Spring on bobbin case worn to sharp edge.
• Burr on underside of throat plate (sometimes caused by sewing over pins or breaking needle).

To Avoid Breaking Needles

• Do not sew heavy seams with a needle to fine.
• Use proper size needle for thread and material to be sewn.
• See that the presser foot or attachments are securely fastened to the bar and that the needle does not strike the edge of the hole or slot in the presser foot or attachment.
• Do not pull the material to one side when taking it from the machine. The needle may become bent and strike the back of the needle hole.
• Do not bend the needle when pulling out the needle before cutting thread.
• Do not leave pins in the material after basting and sew over them with the machine.

Skipping Stitches

• Needle not correctly or accurately set into the needle bar, blunt, or bent.
• Needle too small for the thread used.

Stitches Looping

• Looped stitches are usually caused by improper tension. If the loop is on the upper side, it may be corrected by tightening the under tension. If the loop is on the under side, it may usually be corrected by tightening the upper tension.

For Average Sewing Keep Your Tension Set on 4.

Before trying to adjust a tension problem:

1. Be sure the machine is properly threaded.
2. That the bobbin is inserted correctly
3. That the needle is inserted correctly
4. That the needle is good and the brand of thread is of good quality.

Other reasons fore tension problems are any kind of chemical contamination caused by fusible interfacing or things that have glue involved in the sewing process. If you feel that you need to adjust the tension after checking all these things then only adjust the top tension. To increase tension on the top side of your stitching lower the top tension a little at a time until the tension balances. To increase the tension on the bottom side of the stitching increases the top tension until the stitch balances.

Always insert the needle with the flat side to the left.

Be sure the bobbin turns counterclockwise when you pull on the thread with the bobbin inserted in the bobbin case.

If you have skipping or broken threads, try a new needle inserted properly.

Use Schmetz needles for best results. Universal point needles for average fabrics. Ballpoint needles for stretch fabrics. Sharp point needles for dense fabrics. You can also use Quilting needles. Topstitch needles and Leather needles. Remember you cannot change your needle too often. A good rule of thumb is to change needles every other project. When in doubt change it! The size of the needles is important. Use a 70/10 for delicate fabrics. Use a 80/12 or a 90/14 for average fabrics. For heavy fabrics use a 100/16 or 110/18.

It is very important to use good threads such as Gutermann, Mettler or Signature. This is especially true for skipping and broken thread problems.

Date Your Featherweight

Dating & Rating your FeatherweightDid you know?That you can call the Singer company and get the birthdate of yourmachine. You must have the serial number, of course. The Singer # is1-800-4-SINGER

Singer Dating, US: 1-800-4Singer

Singer Dating, US: 1-800-877-7762

Singer Industrials Dating/Info., US: 1-800-342-6808

Dating your Singer machine

AA....1924

AB....1926

AC....1928

AD....1930-34

AE....1935-36

AF....1938

AG....1941

AH....1947-48

AI....1948 [yes that is i]

AJ....1950

AK....1951

AL....1953-55

AM....1954-56

NA....1951-52

JB.....1945

JC....1948

W.....1954

ED....1941

EE....1947

EF.....1949

EG....1950

EH....1951

EJ.....1953

ES.....1962

EV.....1964

White fw 1968 - 70

According to Nancy Johnson-Sbrebro and her book which is a reprint of the
original instruction book for Featherweights the following dates apply as
to the production date of your machine:
AD 1934

 AE    1936
 AF    1938
 AG    1941
 AH    1948
 AJ    1950
 AK    1952
 AL    1955
 AM    1956
 AN or higher - unknown
 AI    Skipped

SINGER DATES
 N....1900               L....1901           K....1902
 B....1904               H....1906           D....1908
 G--0,999,999....1909    G--2,500,000....1910
 G--4,400,000....1913    G--6,500,000....1916
 G--8,500,000....1919    G--9,999,999....1921
 G--0,998,000....1924
 F....1924               Y....1925

Model    Years made  Comments
-----------------------------
15
15-13
15-90
24
24-50                treadle, small
24-80
27                   treadle
28-4                 hand-cranked, 3/4 size, vibrating shuttle
31kls                industrial
44kl3    1925        treadle
66                   treadle, drop-in bobbin
66-1                 treadle
66-4
66-6
66-16
99k                  3/4 size, hand-cranked or electric portable
99-13                knee-press
99k-28               portable
101
127                  treadle
128                  portable
128-13
132k6                industrial
185j     1960-62     green portable
191                  industrial
201
221      1933-56     featherweight
221-1       "
221b     1968-70     white  "
221j                 tan    ", beige
221k     1941-64     black  ", off white
221k1       "
221k5       "
221k7       "        white  "
221?        "        blue, green ?
222k     1941-64     free-arm
241-12               industrial
290
301      1953-59     slant needle; straight needle
301a        "        tan
301a        "        beige
319
327p                 plastic machine
328k
331k4                industrial
338                  turquoise
404
500a
591                  industrial, computer unit
Capri                new, white
Spartan
Toys - model 20 ?
   Sewhandy ?

In 1905 some Singer's were manufactured under the name of 

Wheeler & Wilson

Queries: are these Singer machines?
Model #2 treadle born 6/26/1893
Toys - Shoe Patch 1912 ?
   Little Giant ?
34, 36, 38 ? (are these model #'s)
Godzilla ?
----------------------------

Date: 23 Feb 96 11:30:57 EST
From: Graham Forsdyke (100661.3256@compuserve.com)
Subject: Contributions/Factory designations

There's been some confusion over Singer factory designation codes, some,
understandably, believing that E was for England.
The following list is for all Singer "factories". I am using the word factory to
describe a location where machines were either built or assembled.
A Anderson South Carolina
AP Lagos Nigera

B       Bonnieres France
BE      Casablanca Morocco
BG      Bancock Thailand
C       Campinas Brazil
CH      Santiago Chili
Cy      Ratmalana Ceylon
E       Elizabeth NJ USA
F       Taytay Phillipines
G       Karlsruhe Germany
GH      Tema Ghana
H       Karachi Pakistan
HC      Chittigong East Pakistan
J       St Jaohns Canada
K       Clydebank Scotland
L       Bogota Colombia
LM      Kinshasha Congo
M       Monza Italy
ML      Petaling Malaysia
N       Taichung Taiwan
P       Penrith NSW Australia
PR      Lima Peru
Q       Johannesburg S Africa
R       Querataro Mexico
T       Delhi India
TN      Tunis Tunisia
U       Utsunomiga Japan
V       Buenos Aires Argentinia
VN      Saigon South Vietnam
Y       Maltepe Turkey
Z       Alcenon France

There were also "factories" in Wurselen in Germany and Alencon in France but I
can find no record of designations for them.
Just before the Russian Revolution 1917 Singer built a vast plant in Russia but
after the dust settled it was taken over by the Bolsheviks. Whether it was given
a designating letter I do not know. The orginal showroom still stands in Moscow.
It is now a bookstore.

----------------------------
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 1996 18:39:56 -0500
From: Jim Wagner (jwagner@mindspring.com)
Subject: Different FW models
Hi Fellow Fanatics,
I was going to reply to Sheila via E-Mail but I thought this may be
of more general interest.

There were four different models of the featherweight the 221-1,
221K4, 221K5,and 221K7.

It sounds like you have a model 221K4. That is the only model of FW
that Singer made with the switch on the light housing, all the others have
the switch on the bed of the machine.

Another check you can make to determine which model you have is to
check the model number of the motor (see the plate mounted on the motor).
Each of the four models of the featherweights were originally furnished with
a different motor.

Model 221-1   Model Series 3  Motor
Model 221K4   Model CAK7  Motor
Model 221K5   Model CAJ6-8  Motor
Model 221K7   Model CAK8-8  Motor

Another distinguishing feature of the 221K4 is it is the only
featherwieght model that has R.F. suppression with grounded wiring. All
that means is that it shouldn't interfere with radio or T.V. signals and
there should be a three prong plug to insert into the wall outlet.
Sorry I don't have any definitave information about which colors
each of the models were painted.

Jim in Thomaston GA
----------------------------
Date: 26 Feb 96 12:05:31 EST
From: Graham Forsdyke (100661.3256@compuserve.com)
Subject: CONTRIBUTIONS/To Lisa: Re factory designations.

The factory designation, if it was not made in the USA, followed the model
number. Thus the 222K is clearly made in Scotland.

The serial number is more confusing.

I have in front of me as I write a Singer explanation of serial numbers. For
American machines it gives two examples.
The first is S8247053. The explanation tells us that:

the S was the particular assembly line on which the machine was put together

the 8 indicates 1981

the 247 indicates the day of the year (Sept 4)

the 053 indicates that it was the 53rd machine built that day.

The second example is A1061C027

the A indicates Anderson, South Carolina

the 1 indicates 1981

the 061 indicates the day of the year (march 2)

the C indicates the assembly line

the 027 indicates the 27th machine that day.

There are other examples for the plants in Scotland and in Germany.

It's probably the above system that the 0800 number uses to so-accurately date
machines and why they are sometimes multiples of ten years wrong as the 1 in the
second example could be 1951, 61, 71, 81 or 91. Presumably models seldom lasted
more than a decade in unchanged form so this wouldn't be too much of a problem.

Confused? So am I.
----------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 1996 20:36:20 -0500
From: Santilla@aol.com
Subject: Singer serial numbers

Graham: After looking at the serial numbers of over 300 Featherweights that
are on the database, I can guarantee you that there are no encrypted build dates in the
serial numbers. The American serial numbers start at AD545389 (1933)and
methodically increase to AM696632 (1957). A good example to disprove your
explanation would be AK996181 and AL000663 (both of which I own, by the way,
and I can tell you they are identical, not built years apart). These two
machines both have build dates of 8/11/52 (along with 10 other machines on
the survey). You can see that Singer obviously used a standard progression in
assigning numbers. Maybe the explanation you were given by Singer predates
1933 or is for machines made later than the 1960's. Since your example is for
1981, I will guess the latter. Also, I haven't heard of Singer giving out
what appear to be bad build dates on their machines. They do frequently,
however, insist that certain machines are different model numbers than what
they obviously are. The data we get from Singer in New Jersey is more
frequently incorrect for the British machines than with the American. And
there are many serial numbers, mostly the more recent FW's, that Singer is
unable to give any estimate of build date on.
----------------------------
Date: 06 Mar 96 08:59:40 EST
From: Graham Forsdyke (100661.3256@compuserve.com)
Subject: Contribution/To all
I"m just a little bit excited about this. Have just found burried deep in my
archive the definitite answer to thos white/mint-green FWs.
The source is a book published by Singer in 1980 for its reps and dealers and is
a photographic record "to provide an easy means of identification of sewing
machines sold in the UK from 1870 to 1862"

Each model is photographed and with a caption giving dates of manufacture and
other details.

From it we learn;
221K Black or PALE TOURQUOISE. Black machines produced in Britain from 1949
to 1955 when entire 221K production went over to the pale tourquoise. This ended in
1964, 222K Black only. Made from 1955 to 64.

So there we have it. No white or mint green. Obviously in '55 the Black 221K was
discontinued and the plant used for 222Ks with only Pale T 221Ks surviving the
model change.
From other information in the book I should be able to pin down the date of all K machines
if Singer USA do not have the UK information.
----------------------------
Date: 07 Mar 96 19:10:03 EST
From: Graham Forsdyke (100661.3256@compuserve.com)
Subject: Contribution
re DOB of 221K
" I have a pale turquoise FW (to me, it will always be mint
green) with a SN of F (then a verrry faint "A") 131629. Would
appreciate you letting me know its DOB. Singer was no help at
all. "
Just how faint is that letter A in the SN, Nancy? According to the records I'm
using which were rescued from Kilbowie when the factory closed, the Singer Co
went from EZ to FB without using FA at all. EZ was used from May '68 to April
'70 and FB from April '69 to June '71.
As far as I can tell the SNs on British machines did not allow a to-the-day DOB
until the 500 series started in 1973.
From what I read on Fanatics the Singer Co in the USA is dating many machines to
the day (allbeit with a few errors). I have written to them from ISMACS
requesting this dating information and, if it comes (they're a funny lot at
Singer nowadays) it will be interesting to see if there is any info on the K
models.

The Kilbowie two-letter SN system was started in October 1935 with EA 1. When
they reached EA 999,999 they went onto EB 1.
I,O,U and W were not used with the E prefix. and from '74 the new SN system was
 introduced which was , in effect, a product coding rather than just a number.
Previous to '35 they used a single letter but not in alphabetical order -- or
anything like it.
Sorry I could not be of more help
----------------------------
Date: 27 Mar 96 14:29:03 EST
From: Graham Forsdyke (100661.3256@compuserve.com)
Subject: Contribution

To Suzy/Becky re Singer dates.
Like Suzy I am rather suspicious about the Singer 800 number dates and also
about the 25,000 daily production -- that's over 7 million a year.

I have a lot of Singer records from the Scotish factory and much of it is
contradictory.

According to Singer UK it is not possible to date machines to the day until after 1970
when a code was used within the serial number.

It could well be that batches of numbers were allocated to various factories on
a given day (and this is the birthday we get) and used until exhausted when a
new batch would be allocated.

I have asked Singer USA to explain its system of dating machines but so far it has failed
to respond to my letters.

The situation with Becky's two machines is even odder. Singer tell her that her
66 was made in 1926 when my information says that the model was discontinued in
1920.

As for her second machine, the No 2, the situation gets into farce. The Singer No 2 was
a giant industrial machine with a one-and-a-half-inch-wide flat belt, a machine that no lady
and very few men could lift off the ground with ease.

Both the records held by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC and my own believe
 that 1873 is the date for the machine from the SN you give. I'm
going to guess that the base of the machine is shaped like the back of a fiddle
and, if so, it's a Singer New Family, not a No 2.
---------------------------
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 1996 13:24:37 -0500
From: WAS1RAS2@aol.com
Subject: Identification/dating of machines

Here's the latest from Singer Consumer Affairs on 3 of my machines - any and
all comments are welcome, as I am totally confused at this point !
SN#01401132-treadle in stand w/ iron base (Singer in iron on cross-piece),
straight-edged base, Egytian decals in gold - winged Sphinx, fans, snake,
etc.
Singer says this is a Model 2-Vibrating Shuttle, part of the series
998550-10235499, mfg'd. Mar. 3, 1891
SN#8660107-originally a treadle, but converted by Sewing Machine Exchange
in B'ham, Ala - has Universal motor on it, base is fiddle-shaped and is in a
portable carrying case - machine fits into base of case, the top comprising
the sides and top w/handle. Singer says this is also a Model 2-Vibrating
Shuttle, part of the series 8647000-8746999, mfg'd. Apr.27, 1889
SN#AB113401 - side load bobbin, floral decals, knee lever, in newer model
stand. Singer says this is a 66-6, mfg'd July 8, 1926 -one of the models made
between 1902-1933, the 66-19, they say, was mfg'd between 1902-1960.

Does this agree with or contradict the information other FWF members have?

Does anyone have any extra parts,accessories for these machines? Any guesses
as to their value? I am wondering if they are worth insuring.

----------------------------

Date: Fri, 12 Apr 1996 21:35:47 -0400

From: Millie MacKenzie (milmac@SNET.Net)

Subject: measurements


I just measured the lengths on 4 popular Singer machines and here they are.
Note, I do not have a case for the 301. Also, bed length on FW and 301 was
taken with the extension in the DOWN position. I hope this helps. Millie

Lengths:

            FW      66      99      301
-------------------------------------------
body            10      15      12      14
-------------------------------------------
bed             15      18      16      16
-------------------------------------------
case            13      20      17      ?

----------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 1997 10:38:58 -0500 (EST)
From: Kristina Santilla 
Subject: Survey Update

I sent this message Jan. 9, and I truly apologize if this ends up being a
duplicate, but I haven't seen it appear yet after 6 days...

Time for another Featherweight Survey update! If you would like to add
your machine(s) to the database please e-mail me at
santilla@umd5.umd.edu and I will send you a survey form, or you can fill
one out at http://quilt.com/FWFanatics/FWFSurvey.html

521 people have responded to the survey with information on 982
Featherweights, which is an average of almost 2 per person. The survey
has been ongoing since October 15, 1995, which is an average of more
than 2 surveys submitted per day. This is the breakdown:
426 people have 1 machine.
71 people have 2 machines.
25 people have 3 machines.
14 people have 4 machines.
2 people have 5 machines.
5 people have 6 machines.
4 people have 7 machines.
4 people have 8 machines.
1 person has 9 machines.
1 person has 10 machines.
1 person has 13 machines.
1 person has 14 machines.
1 person has 20 machines.
1 person has 24 machines.
1 person (dealer) has 60 machines.


The following is the number of people who responded by state, and the
number of machines by state: AK-5 persons with 14 machines, AL-10/22,
AR-2/2, AZ-14/19, CA-72/118, CO-5/6, CT-6/6, DE-1/1, FL-19/37, GA-10/12,
IA-12/19, ID-4/4, IL-18/24, IN-13/16, KS-7/7, KY-2/3, LA-4/4, MA-9/11,
MD-13/40, ME-4/5, MI-25/28, MN-7/11, MO-8/9, MS-1/3, MT-2/10, NC-7/11,
NE-6/8, NH-4/6, NJ-18/23, NM-5/15, NV-1/1, NY-22/33, OH-24/32, OK-4/78,
OR-23/27, PA-20/36, SC-2/3, SD-1/1, TN-5/9, TX-24/32, UT-3/4, VA-31/54,
VT-1/1, WA-32/43, WI-11/11, WY-4/6,  Australia-8/9, Alberta, Canada-
3/10, British Columbia, Canada-7/10, Nova Scotia, Canada-2/6, Ontario,
Canada-18/30, New Zealand-3/4, Taiwan-1/1, United Kingdom-1/1. Missing
from the United States are: Hawaii, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and West
Virginia.

The following is the breakdown of machines based on serial# prefix:

Black American: Total=800
AD-45, AE-58, AF-96, AG-66, AH-109, AJ-131, AK-96, AL-122, AM-77. 
These range from 10/3/33 to 9/27/57.

Black British: Total=108
EE-9, EF-15, EG-10, EH-18, EJ-7, EK-4, EL-6, EM-10, EN-3, EP-3, ER-3,
ES-20. These range from 12/24/47 to 8/19/61. This includes 29
freearm model 222's.

Tan: Total=10
ES-5 British all with 8/19/61 "birthdate"
JE-5 Canadian, "birthdate" unknown

White: Total=64
EV-40 EW-2, EY-4, FA-18 beginning with 8/1/63, but the
earliest on the list that Singer agrees is a model 221 is 3/3/64. The
last machine that Singer is able to give a date on is EW070170 with a
"birthdate" of  8/6/68.

PRICES:

The average price paid for a black 221 since 1990 has been $231. 86
were purchased for under $100, and the most expensive was $600.

The average price paid for a 221 with a centennial medallion was $295.

The average price paid for a 222 Freearm since 1990 has been $504. The
lowest price paid was $68 and the highest was $1500.

The average price paid for a white machine was $228, with 8 purchased
for under $100 and the most expensive was $400.

The average price paid for a tan machine was $289.

Below are the known ranges of all the "birthdates". If you know any
serial numbers that can help make this more accurate please let me know.
I am also keeping records of serial numbers for other model numbers.
The ones with * are the first or last in the range according to Singer's
datapages. Since machines didn't leave the plant in the order of their
serial numbers (in fact, not even close!) pinpointing when changes were
made to the FW involves much guesstimating, so don't be too upset if
your machine doesn't agree with the estimates below.

Serial number * Qty on survey * Known serial numbers * Comments

AMERICAN :
AD
10/3/33  - 8   AD541582 - AD551490 Original price around $84.
9/10/34  - 7   AD722963 - AD730704 One of these has a Chicago
           World's Fair medallion (the fair ended 10/31/34)..
11/27/34 - 9   AD781921 - AD791611
3/18/35  - 5   AD880807 - AD886344
6/24/35  - 11  AD937987 - AD946230
9/23/35  - 10  AD996956*- AD999999* 3044 machines in this allotment.
AE
9/23/35  - 5   AE000001*- AE006956                                    
12/30/35 - 7   AE054399 - AE064320
3/25/36  - 5   AE077668 - AE083652
7/13/36  - 4   AE207784 - AE222356 One of these has a Texas Centennial
           Exposition medallion.
9/10/36  - 2   AE240396 - AE258254 Singer says these are model 15.
11/5/36  - 8   AE296761 - AE307347
3/15/37  - 6   AE410690 - AE418355
6/11/37  - 11  AE538252 - AE555917 Beginning of numbered tension knob.
12/8/37  - 4   AE775090 - AE784170
5/24/38  - 6   AE977277 - AE989049
AF
10/10/38 - 9   AF070706*- AF090705* 20000 this allotment. One of these
           has a Golden Gate Expo medallion.
2/15/39  - 12  AF161806*- AF181805* 20000 this allotment. One of these
           has a satin finish.
7/11/39  - 7   AF244754 - AF259587
12/5/39  - 8   AF372202 - AF391406 One of these has a matte finish.
4/10/40  - 6   AF480501 - AF487401
5/15/40  - 5   AF490039 - AF496659
5/15/40  - 2   AF541842 - AF544631 Singer says these are model 201.
6/19/40  - 2   AF551518 - AF556564 Singer says these are model 66-14.
8/15/40  - 16  AF571881*- AF596880* 25000 in this allotment. Stitch
           length indicator changed to new style during this run.
           These sold new for around $105. Three of these have a
           matte finish.
1/7/41   - 11  AF740751*- AF760750* 20000 in this allotment.
4/1/41   - 9   AF864720 - AF883842
5/14/41  - 4   AF932929 - AF940317 Singer says these are model 15.
7/1/41   - 0   AF998751 - AF999999*
AG
7/1/41   - 8   AG000001*- AG015496

The U.S. was involved in WWII 12/7/41 to 9/2/45 Singer did produce some home,
but mostly industrial models during this period. Involvement with a federal
munitions contract kept machine production minimized. Singer dealers
couldn't get FW's, so had waiting lists.

9/19/45  - 10  AG527051 - AG538056 To illustrate how long it took to get
     a FW after the war, one FW ordered 12/46 received one  
           from this allotment 8/47.
2/18/46  - 8   AG607254 - AG621352
6/4/46   - 3   AG689391*- AG709390* 20000 this allotment.
9/16/46  - 8   AG804867 - AG821221
11/22/46 - 17  AG869669 - AG888171
2/19/47  - 8   AG971467 - AG988311
AH
4/22/47  - 11  AH050371*- AH070370* 20000 this allotment.
6/26/47  - 7   AH111971*- AH131970* 20000 this allotment.
8/19/47  - 20  AH193771*- AH223770* 30000 this allotment. Faceplate
           changed to striated around this time.
10/28/47 - 7   AH318696 - AH345306
1/22/48  - 13  AH417066 - AH443159 One of these sold new for $145.
4/20/48  - 11  AH550998 - AH578163 Motor changed from part #3-110 to
           #3-120 during this range. One of these was purchased new
           for $125.
6/18/48  - 18  AH641832 - AH670007
10/1/48  - 11  AH800504 - AH827702
12/9/48  - 10  AH973921 - AH999999* 26079 this allotment. One of these
           was purchased new for $148.
AJ
12/9/48  - 2   AJ000001*- AJ013920* 13920 this allotment.
3/15/49  - 17  AJ103721*- AJ143720* 40000 this allotment. One of these
           was purchased new for $145.
11/18/49 - 17  AJ189901 - AJ222043
1/23/50  - 13  AJ350326 - AJ387117 One has Anniversary medallion.
3/31/50  - 18  AJ558317 - AJ598653 One of these was purchased new for
           $140. Case changed from lift out style to shelf on left
           around this run. Four have Anniversary medallion.
6/1/50   - 22  AJ619230 - AJ651478 Six have Anniversary medallion.
8/22/50  - 23  AJ784363 - AJ819043 One of these was purchased new for
           $125. 15 have Anniversary medallion.
10/26/50 - 19  AJ890180 - AJ935335 15 have Anniversary medallion.
AK
1/29/51  - 18  AK071321*- AK121320* 50000 this allotment. 15 Anniv.
           One of these was originally sold in Brazil. One was
           purchased new for $150.
5/10/51  - 19  AK390162 - AK433825 16 Anniversary.
10/31/51 - 26  AK576793 - AK626506 21 Anniversary.
2/20/52  - 22  AK747259 - AK794948 5 Anniversary.
           medallion, the rest have the black band medallion.
8/11/52  - 10  AK984876*- AK999999* 15124 this allotment. One of these
           was purchased new for $154.
AL
8/11/52  - 15  AL000001*- AL034875* 34875 this allotment. Around this
           run seam allowance gauge was added.
12/12/52 - 24  AL158501*- AL208500* 50000 this allotment.
5/4/53   - 21  AL389869 - AL437088  Riveted model number (221-)began to
           be added below medallion.
10/14/53 - 21  AL525925 - AL574437 Gold leaf changed from ornate to
           plainer style during this run.
4/22/54  - 15  AL690074 - AL737129
1/17/55  - 26  AL900891*- AL950890* 50000 this allotment. One of these
           was purchased new for $169.
AM
6/10/55  - 21  AM137761*- AM187760* 50000 this allotment.
2/27/56  - 21  AM363264 - AM407667
1/29/57  - 29  AM654512 - AM701824
9/27/57  - 4   AM778657 - AM802495


BRITISH
EE
12/24/47 - 1   EE355176   This was purchased new for $140. Singer says
           this is a model 15K.
9/16/48  - 6   EE804417 - EE811303
12/10/48 - 2   EE854764 - EE855230
EF
5/25/49  - 4   EF154453 - EF164154
8/17/49  - 6   EF280789 - EF284937
11/7/49  - 3   EF560957 - EF568289 One has Anniversary medallion.
4/24/50  - 1   EF710384   Has Anniversary medallion.
7/19/50  - 1   EF910065
EG
12/18/50 - 3   EG305050 - EG311235 Two have Anniversary medallion.
2/15/51  - 3   EG345697 - EG349933
7/17/51  - 2   EG705892 - EG709994 Medallion changed to black band style
           during this run.
10/17/51 - 2   EG957781*- EG967780* 10000 this allotment.
EH
12/18/51 - 3   EH001027*- EH011026* 10000 this allotment.
2/29/52  - 2   EH134457 - EH137508
7/22/52  - 3   EH371407 - EH372357
10/8/52  - 4   EH628966 - EH633412
3/4/53   - 6   EH892062 - EH899410 Gold leaf changed from ornate to
           plainer style during this run.
EJ
9/4/53   - 1   EJ215767   Riveted model number began to be added below
           medallion.
11/18/53 - 1   EJ268111   Freearm. Seam allowance gauge added.
3/31/54  - 2   EJ622009 - EJ626073 Freearm.
10/18/54 - 3   EJ910263 - EJ917545 Freearm. One of these was purchased
           new for $200.
EK
2/14/55  - 0   EK203130*- EK213138* 10000 this allotment.
3/14/55  - 2   EK319939*- EK329938* 10000 this allotment. Freearm. Seam
           allowance gauge added.
8/16/55  - 1   EK636711   Freearm.
12/20/55 - 1   EK989974
EL
3/2/56   - 6   EL177459 - EL182834 Freearm.
9/17/56  - 1   EL681869   Freearm
EM
2/26/57  - 2   EM236028 - EM238545 Freearm.
8/2/57   - 1   EM601123   Freearm.
11/15/57 - 7   EM957428 - EM961079 Freearm.
EN
3/17/58  - 1   EN138845   Freearm.
5/1/58   - 1   EN327004
10/27/58 - 1   EN827450
EP
2/25/59  - 1   EP095977
3/3/59   - 0   EP131001*- EP133500* 2500 this allotment. Freearm.
5/18/59  - 1   EP256021*- EP257520* 1500 this allotment.
9/22/59  - 1   EP541572*- EP544071* 2500 this allotment. Freearm.
           Medallion changed to brass with red "S" around this time.
12/18/59 - 0   EP758473*- EP760972* 2500 this allotment. Freearm.
ER
3/15/60  - 1   ER022034*- ER024533* 2500 this allotment. Freearm.
5/30/60  - 1   ER317143   Freearm.
6/16/60  - 1   ER318063   Freearm. Singer says this is a 185K/99K/192K.
ES
10/19/60 - 1   ES165344*- ES167843* 2500 this allotment. Freearm.
11/3/60  - 3   ES170544*- ES175543* 5000 this allotment.
1/10/61  - 5   ES239244*- ES249243* 10000 this allotment. Freearm.
1/31/61  - 0   ES352344*- ES357343* 10000 this allotment. Freearm.
3/30/61  - 0   ES522944*- ES527943* 5000 this allotment. Freearm.
5/2/61   - 1   ES627518   Singer says this is a 328K.
5/15/61  - 4   ES648144*- ES658143* 10000 this allotment.
8/19/61  - 6   ES873744*- ES883743* 10000 this allotment. 5 tan, one
           black. 3 tan are 221-J, 2 tan are 221-K.
ET
11/2/61  - 0   ET061345*- ET071344* 10000 this allotment.
EV
8/1/63   - 1   EV319021   White. Singer says this is a 15K.
3/3/64   - 3   EV776991*- EV826990* White. 50000 this allotment.
4/13/64  - 2   EV892928 - EV895069 White. Singer says these are a 133K
           and a 195K.
4/21/64  - 3   EV906211 - EV907883 White. Singer says these are 331K's.
5/5/64   - 3   EV909763 - EV913058 White. Singer says these are 185K's.
5/7/64   - 2   EV916502 - EV918383 White. Singer says these are 246K's.
5/13/64  - 13  EV919198*- EV969197* White. 50000 this allotment. Singer
           says these are 328K's.
6/11/64  - 9   EV972815 - EV988985 White. Singer says these are 285K's.
6/22/64  - 1   EV990482 - EV994718 White. Singer says this is a 196K.
7/3/64   - 1   EV999684   White. Singer says this is a 300K.
EW
8/6/68   - 2   EW063588 - EW070170 White.
EY
unknown  - 4   EY844634 - EY992524 White.
FA
unknown  - 18  FA103014 - FA235830 White.

CANADIAN:
JE
unknown  - 5   JE152250 - JE160854 Tan.

There are 68 American and 61 British "birthdates" above. Assuming each
one averages 20,000 there were over 2,500,000 Featherweights made.
Adding just these above ranges up "proves" that there were 1,947,069
made.

OTHER:
* Accessories:  19% of the respondents have the oil can, 61% have most
 or all feet and 56% have the manual. 16% have none of the above.
* There are 50 different manual revisions reported.
* There are 109 machines on the database with the anniversary medallion.
 That's more than 10%. Only 6 of these are British.

Hope this settles everyone's survey cravings for a while.
After much procrastination, I've decided to get a homepage so I can keep
this table above updated and available, along with parts lists and some
other information. I'll let you all know when it is finally up and running.

Happy Featherweighting,
Krisi Santilla in Gaithersburg, Md.