Next Meeting June 20

June 20, 2013

6:30 pm

Missouri Star Quilting Company

Hamilton, Missouri

 

Come Join Us

 

Those taking part in the 12x12 Block Fabric Exchange

bring your completed blocks.

 

 

 

 

1916 Singer Part 2

How does one oil or fix an antique sewing machine?

YouTube is rich with how-to videos.

Lizzie Lenard's "How to Clean and Oil a Vintage Sewing Machine Part 1 [ click here ] and Part 2" [ click here ] provides a great place to begin.

The first problem encountered was the pressure foot would not move up or down.
The decorative face plate is held on by one screw.

The face plate was removed.

On the left is the lever known as the pressure bar lifter. Visible in the upper middle is the spring that controls the pressure on the pressure bar. On the right is the needle bar. The pressure foot, needle, pressure foot thumb screw, and needle clamp were removed. The parts were placed in a container so they are out of the way and don't get lost. The old oil and goo were removed using singer sewing machine oil, a cloth, Q-tips, and crochet thread as demonstrated in Lizzie Lenard's YouTube video. Dripping Singer sewing machine oil was the only cleaning to the spring, no rubbing. The cleaning process was time consuming but once the mechanism let lose what a thrill of accomplishment.

1916 Singer Sewing Machine

One of our members recently acquired a beautiful 1916 Singer Sewing Machine and case. The initial owner of this machine lovingly used it then stored it, so the machine is in need of care. I'll take you along on the search to learn about this new antique.

How does one find out the age of a Singer sewing machine?

Singer's website [ click here ] is full of historical information including determining the age of a machine. You begin with the serial number. There is a small plate under the stitch regulator on the front of the machine that has the serial number stamped into it.

The plates with double letters preceding a number may date back as far as 1935. This plate has a single letter preceding the number. Single letter numbers date before 1935. This particular number is G5104207 and on the Singer web site dates to 1916.

ISMACS International Sewing Machine Collector's Society [ click here ] has a plethora of information including dating your antique sewing machines [ Singers included ]. This is the website that helped identify this machine as a model number 115.