Singer sewing machines, history

Greg Menke · Jan 18, 2011

I recently started sewing, curtains, pillows & kicknacks for the daughter, clothing repairs where suitable, etc which got me interested in sewing machines more deeply, I've always been fascinated by them. We have a generic 80's machine which is starting to suck now that I'm using it more seriously, I'm going to switch over to a Singer 400 series or Slant-o-matic at some point.

I was wondering if anyone knew about what Singer was like as a manufacturing operation- IIRC earlier this year a series of pics from NCR shops showed up, maybe someone has a file on Singer from back in the day. Considering how many little sewing machine co's they bought up, they must've been a nightmare to compete with.

Presumably they've sent everything to China these days, but maybe I'm being cynical and they still make some things...

Thanks,

Greg

magicmaker · Jan 18, 2011

Greg;
You might want to see these:

Sewing Machines in the Shop
Riser's Tippmann Boss Leather Sewing Machine

Enjoy.
Jim

Greg Menke · Jan 18, 2011

That tippman machine is nice. I've tried sewing nylon strapping w/ our machine and its just not up to it- and it won't feed upholstery thread well at all out of the bobbin. A few layers of denim is about it.

Our machine is a Kenmore "Ultrastitch 12", much like the machine at the bottom of your first link, though I wouldn't call it nice & solid. It runs OK but the the needle tends to go wild when running fast and strikes the needle plate. OTOH it does have the full set of buttonhole accessories, but I've not used them. It will do a few varieties of zigzag and a couple primitive embroidery stitches. I made a "Christmas" blanket and for kicks put in some quiting with the "fancy" stitches, pretty fun actually. They use a lot of thread and takes a long time to feed the work since it puts in so many stitches per inch.

I'd love to compare a new machine with some of the spiffy 50's and 60's machines, see how the modern controls affect the work, contrast power and speed, etc.

Greg

AeroE · Jan 18, 2011

I have my mom's early 1950's Singer machine. She sewed a pile of clothes, curtains, costumes, and repairs on that machine. I used it to repair the heavy upholstery in my '67 Volvo when I got out of the service in '79.

When I brought it home, I found the original sales receipt from 1953 or thereabouts; it sold for about $155!

I have a wife and one daughter that sew, at least occasionally, and we're pretty much swimming in sewing machines.

magicmaker · Jan 18, 2011

Greg;
My old Kenmore is all metal construction not a plastic machine. These older machines are solid.
Jim

mm58 · Jan 18, 2011

This was my mom's that I inherited, and I think she got it from her mother as well, so it probably dates back somewhere in the first few decades of the 20th century. Neat little machine.

Mike

magicmaker · Jan 18, 2011

Mike;
Those little feather weights are great machines. They still sell for around$ 350!
Jim

surplusjohn · Jan 18, 2011

we had a family business where we did industrial sewing, had about 40 sewers. Anyways sewing is a great technology and a great way of making things. I got pretty good at it. We had everything from light to mostly compound machines and 10 Puritans. The Puritans could sew through light plywood and sheet metal all day long. The thread ran through a bath of wax emulsion to lubricate and cool it.

Bill's Machine Shop · Jan 18, 2011

Greg, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "file". I'm assuming maybe something about Singer on the internet? There's probably a lot of stuff out there. I remember some time ago i was looking at a Singer machine that had an extra large bobbin. I believe it was also missing the bobbin clamp (not sure of the nomenclature). I was hoping I could get a blueprint and make my own and found through the USA customer service that all the rights to the old vintage Singer machines had been sold to a company in Japan. Don't know which company nor do I know if the information I received from the CS person was accurate. I love my old Singer kickfoot. Unfortunately, it went through a flood in '97. I got it back up and running, but it doesn't run quite a smoothly as it once did. I plan to fine tune it sometime in the near future. The clutch disk on the transmitter vibrates too much at high speed. WWQ

Mike C. · Jan 18, 2011

I picked up a commercial Singer machine for the museum to sew envelopes for aircraft work. This was a big gray one on a worktable. The motor was huge (probably 1hp or more) and had a clutch, so the motor ran constantly and at constant speed. The machine had a pressure lube system and a drip window, just like the headstock of the Pacemaker.

For about a year, it sat unused because none of us could get it to work right (no clue what we were doing with it). I finally got a friend who was a seamstress to come over and piddle with it. She spent about an hour looking it over, then adjusted the bobbin tension and suddenly it started working right. The speed it fed cloth was downright scary!

Geoffm · Jan 19, 2011

We have a Singer 132-k6 flatbed heavy sewer that we had in my grandfather's carpet business (established 1938 and then which my father later took over then sold in 1977). It has sewn miles of canvas and leather, including several custom made school bags when we were kids. My grandfather was a wizard at canvas and leather. I don't use it much, but I modified a shade sail the other day on it.
It is one of these:

Google Image Result for http://www.hobkirk.co.uk/images/pictures/industrial-second-hand/singer-132k6.jpg

My father swears it will sew through 3 ply plywood and I can believe it. When we cleaned out granddads place 12 years ago, I found the original crate it came in - he never believed in throwing anything out!

Also have a 42-4 treadle machine with a roller foot for leather (one of these)
http://parts.singerco.com/IPinstManuals/42_CLASS.pdf
I also found a walking foot version when we cleaned out grandads house which is on the shelf in case I need it.

BTW
The parts manual for this and many other sewing machines is at http://www.hendersonsewing.com/manual.asp.
I have the original manual at home that came with the machine - 70 years ago...
Also have a look at
http://parts.singerco.com/IPinstManuals/132B26.pdf and http://parts.singerco.com/IPinstManuals/
Good solid sewing machines.

Greg Menke · Jan 19, 2011

@mm - nothing derogatory intended about the Kenmore- ours is cast also, and its marvelously complex inside. It could be that the fancy internals that provide 12 different stitches also makes our machine "flighty" and not as rigid at the needle. When I was a kid, my mother had an early 60's Singer which was a brute in comparison, IIRC it would do zigzag but that was about it.

Regards,

Greg

reggie_obe · Jan 19, 2011

Considering how much of the garment industry has moved offshore (most of it), used industrial machines can often be picked up for a song, including work table and motor. Had a family friend that worked for Simmons (mattress co.) in their machine shop, Singer and the like were considered to be garbage machines. If you want a machine that does "fancy" stuff without the electronics, look for a Viking, it uses plug in cams.

Tom A · Jan 19, 2011

Here's a machine we use in our sail-making shop :

It's a Singer 211G - A "walking foot" machine . This means it has 2 sets of alternating-lift pressure feet , with one that travels synchronously with the feed dog .
It has a VERY powerful feeding action . We use it for sewing heavy web , etc. , and can sew a material stack about 3/8" thick pretty easily .

This type is a good candidate , if you want to sew canvas or webbing - anything heavy . It came with a table and a 1/2 hp motor .

There are literally tons of industrial sewing machines out there , that can be had relatively cheap .
I bought this one for $300 a couple years ago , as it didn't look too bad .
But I still had to rebuild it , with new bearings , and a couple other parts . New paint , too .
I just bought another walking foot last year for $50 , but I'm still working on that one ;~)

They're not all that hard to work on , once you understand how the timing works , and have a manual to explain the other adjustments .

Tom

PS - You can get copies of the shop manuals for most Singer industrial stuff on line . Sometimes the scans are pretty bad , though .

USMCPOP · Jan 19, 2011

A little digging indicates that Singer had about 70% of the world market for sewing machines prior to WW2. The Elizabeth, NJ factory had about 3,500 workers. One in Kilbowie , Scotland had about 12,000 at one point. They had a big cabinet factory in South Bend, IN and other plants around the world.

Asquith · Jan 19, 2011

My mother’s treadle-powered Singer was my earliest contact with precision engineering. I remember being fascinated by it, but haven’t studied a sewing machine since I was a child. I recall a dovetailed cover plate with a recess for a fingernail to slide it back, exposing some sort of beautifully polished shuttle for thread. I still remember the perfect sliding fit. I also recall a small spool for winding thread onto some sort of spindle, activated by pushing it to engage a friction wheel, while a cam-operated arm moved the thread to and fro to lay it on neatly. I’d like to get my hands on an old one and study it.

I suppose they were very expensive when new, but ours was far from new. We forget that it was an essential piece of household equipment in less prosperous times, when making and mending clothes was the order of the day.

There’s a nice photo of Singer’s Glasgow factory here:-

Site Record for Clydebank, Kilbowie Street, Singer Sewing Machine Factory Terminus Station Graham Street Details
Apparently they made over 36 million sewing machines in Glasgow.

In the distance in the photo can be seen John Brown’s Clydebank shipyard.

jim rozen · Jan 19, 2011

One can still purchase the bobbins for the shuttle-type machines.

The featherweight machines, highly prized by some quilters. Very
popular on account of the portability.

old-biker-uk · Jan 19, 2011

Here's my 29K, made in Kilbowie in 1944 (only 3 years younger than me and in far better shape)

An excellent site for info on old machines including a dating page for Singers here.
Mark

SouthBendModel34 · Jan 19, 2011

Ex-Singer Hendey Now in NJ Museum of Agriculture

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/hendy-need-home-northern-n-j-114568/

There's a Hendey conehead lathe which was originally ordered by Singer Sewing Machine in Elizabeth NJ now on display at the New Jersey Museum of Agriculture on the Cook College campus of Rutgers University.

Above is a pointer to the thread in which Reggie_Obie of this forum organized the rescue of this lathe. There's a nice picture.

Hendeyman, also of this forum, provided the information that identified Singer as the first owner of this lathe.

As I recall, the lathe is not heavily worn, implying that it was not used in mass production of sewing machines.

The former Singer buildings in Elizabeth, NJ still stand. One of them is a block-long brick structure which must contain literally millions of bricks. This is now split up into multiple occupancies.

John Ruth

gbent · Jan 19, 2011

MM58, your machine appears to be one of the "Featherweight" machines Jim mentioned. The prices have came down from their highs of about 5 years ago, but they are still prized. Like all vintage machines, condition and accessories determine value. Some Featherweights came with a sort of flimsy folding table as an accessory that is more valuable than the machine.

Singer sewing machines, history

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