I found this Singer 12 handcrank sewing machine from 1874 on Ebay and couldn't resist buying a piece of history.
Do you know what 1874 looked like?
Here's some pictures from that year.
This machine didn't come with a manual, after all, it is 139-years-old! Can you believe that!?
I have a Singer 12K manual that is basically the same machine but a treadle. Download it here.
The machine has a really cool bentwood case.
It has a latch on the left-side that you can put a lock on. I find it interesting that most older machines have locks... you wouldn't want anyone using your machine without permission!
I love the shape of the fiddlebase machines.. they look really cool!
The hand crank is the same idea as a treadle machine where you create the motion for the gears. It is a little harder to sew with compared to a treadle because you only have one hand for working with your fabric. The handle folds down to make room for the lid.
Top view.
Underside. Being able to lift up the machine makes cleaning and oiling a breeze as well as any maintenance.
One thing to be aware of is that these machines take different needles than the universal needles modern machines take. The are much longer and the shank is more narrow and completely round without a flat side. These are extremely rare if you're looking for original needles, but if you want to buy reproductions I found a lady on Etsy who sells them.
It can be tricky inserting the needles in just the right spot because there isn't a needle-stop and sometimes no clear markings of how far to insert the needle. The groove of the needle should be facing towards you - use trial/error to get the needle in just the right spot by sewing test runs. Once you get it in the right spot you can mark where you have it with a black sharpie on the needle bar.
The manual can be a little hard to follow along so I am including how-to's for winding a bobbin, threading the shuttle and threading the top thread and fixing tension.
Engage your bobbin winder against the handwheel and tighten the set screw. With your thread set on the spool pin, bring the thread end around the hook at the front of the machine and over to the inside of the cup of the spooler.
Insert the end of your bobbin into the cup of the spooler with the thread in between - this will anchor the thread when you start winding.
While you crank with your right hand, hold your thread with the left and move it from side to side slowly as the bobbin fills. The manual says to build up the sides of the bobbin more with thread.
Hold the bobbin so the thread is coming from the backside to the bottom.
Insert it into the shuttle with the thread coming from underneath towards the small holes on the left side of the shuttle.
Take the end of the thread over the bobbin to the other side of the shuttle to the 2 long slots. Put it through the one on the bottom first and back through the top one back over towards the holes on the other side.
Put your thread through the first hole closest to the blunt end of the shuttle.
Put the thread through the last hole by the point...
...If you need a tighter tension go through more holes but make sure you always end on the last hole by the point, whether it's exiting from the outside or inside.
Put the thread under the tension clip by threading it down.
Insert the shuttle into the machine.
You should be able to thread your machine just by this picture. Make sure to thread your needle from front to back.
You can clearly see from the loops on the underside of my fabric that the top tension is too loose.
Tighten it be twisting the tension screw (the bar closest to you) clockwise.
You can see the seam coming out of the machine is now perfect!
Labels: sewing, sewing machine, Singer
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