Trevor Baret

The model number is not the W The model number is 110W-..... Go here - http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/model-list/classes-100-199.html Scroll down till you see 111W and you will see a variety of model numbers - see the attached screenshoy

To find the age of your machine, find its serial number, and look it up here - http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/serial-numbers/singer-sewing-machine-serial-number-database.html To get some basics about what they were originally designed to do, look up the model numbers here - http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/model-list/classes-100-199.html Hope that helpw.

I have started on four table tops. The photos below show what I have so far. I went to the local hardware store. In Australia, this is Bunnings - In USA it would most likely be Home Hardware to get what you want. The beautiful decorative timber table top is precut to size and was one of numerous colours. 3/4" thick and precut to 2' by 4' (Metric 600x1200x20) (It also comes in other sizes) This size is almost exactly the same size as most of my industrial machine tables. I glued and screwed it to 3/4" marine ply for the sake of extra strength and rigidity for the first two. The ply was also precut - about 1/2" longer and wider than the decorative timber. Cut to size first, before attaching. You can see that I have routed the ply on two of the four table tops - I will do the same with the others when they are glued and screwed. Next, I will lay the old table on some butcher paper to mark the size and shape of the hole for the machine. Check that and cut and rout the new table tops - making sure I leave supports for the machines. I will do some minor filling with putty, then sand, stain and coat with polyurethane. All of my machines are Singers (look at the signature file below), and I have great original Singer industrial legs including heavy duty bases for those with motors and a couple of sets of excellent industrial treadle bases in perfect working order. I will select the bases for each machine, attach them to the table tops and mount my machines. looking forward to documenting the entire process. I hope this gives you some inspiration.

I thought I would mention this machine going off on ebay today - less than seven hours from the time I write - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1946-1-500-Singer-132k6-Sewing-Machine-Leather-Came-Off-WW2-Aircraft-Carrier-/123417296542?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10 It appears to be in good condition, with various parts as well. Everything is there and they say it is in good working order. You could get it for close to $400.00 They say is came off a WW2 Aircraft Carrier - so a bit of history with the machine. If I were in USA, I would buy it just because of the history and the pretty reasonable condition - and the fact that it is a good leather machine. But I am in Australia, where these machines are not common and their prices are high. For me, the current price of this machine is about $560Au. Here, there would be a vigorous bidding war to get this one for anything under three times that price... I don't know what these usually go for in USA, but here, that machine is currently dirt cheap. Then add the story attached to it, and it is a great buy. I hope someone here decides to give this machine a new good home. It deserves to be loved and used. Declaration of interest... I have no interest in the sale of this machine. I do not know the seller, and will receive no royalties when it is sold. I came across it by chance, and thought what a great background.

Thank you all for the responses about finding the topic. Go to topic Listings is the simplest for the Pinned Topic - if you know it is pinned. It looks like the Google search is more effective than the search on the site. Thanks especially to Wizcrafts for all of the excellent information in the series of posts under the pinned topic that you link above. Incredibly informative for those new to leather sewing machines.

Thanks billybopp, How do I find such a sticky. Searching the title came up with no matches. I have actually read most of that series of posts by Wizcrafts before, but then not been able to find it again. My question also applies to other subjects I want to find - I often get the answer "No Matches" even when I know the exact title of the post...

I have searched that phrase. How do we find that sticky?

Wizcrafts beat me to the same suggestion... Check the tension of the belt. Too loose and it slips. After a long time of use, the belt becomes polished with wear, and starts slipping. You could try some violin bow rosin (from any musical instrument shop) on the belt to make it "sticky". Hold a piece of rosin against the working surface of the belt and run the machine for 10 seconds or so. If gentle pressure with the rosin stops the belt from moving, then the tension is probably too low. Use a feather light touch (not a pun on the very popular singer domestic machine name) with the rosin so that it rubs gently on the belt. The pressure can be slowly increased as the belt gets "stickier" and the friction softens the rosin.

Uwe - that is just a beauty to behold... I have no doubt that it was an engineering challenge - but "simplicity" so often is. I am a big fan of good design, and this is a great example. Thank you for your effort and the great result that you have achieved. I am in Australia, so postage would probably cost more that the article itself... But if you were closer, I would be tempted to buy your flatbed attachment, simply because it is such great design (even though I don't have the Cowboy to attach it to... yet...)

Hey - I would buy the Singer, just because it looks great and would go well with my other singer industrials... I don't know anything about sewing fur, so I really can't give you any knowledgeable information about those machines - just my passion for the old Singer machines - both domestic and industrial (see my list below my signature). But looking at the ismacs site - http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/model-list/classes-1-99.html ... it looks like the one you are looking at is the right machine. Just check whether it is single thread or double thread - just so you know what you are getting. 46K26 is capable of double thread - as pictured here - Your photos look like there are two tensioners ready for two threads. Check with the Cowboy suppliers here - they can tell you if they have parts which will fit such a machine. I have my doubts but they might. The standard leather straight stitch machines from Cowboy usually have interchangeable parts with old Singer machines, so they might have some equivalents for the 46. What a great looking machine - now I want one... (even though I don't have any plans to sew fur) Good luck Trevor

I just weighed mine - 34 Kg. Stood on the scales to weigh myself, then picked up the base and checked the increase. So this is not exact, but pretty close. (Very good quality electronic scales, not cheap spring base things.) You might be able to squeeze it through if they are not too strict on exact weight. Do the couriers actually weigh the product? You can see by the pattern on the sides that this base is early 20th century - before 1920. Hope this info helps.

Hey Ron, I am tempted to say keep the Durkopp and send me the Singer. But that might be affected by my self-interest... Like Constabulary, I am a bit of a nut for Singer machines (which is obvious in the list I show below), and I am looking for a 111 to include in my collection. But the cartage from Seattle to Sydney would be more than the cost of finding and buying one in Australia. From what I know (without ever using either of these machines yet) I can only second those comments above.

Fantastic, Brian. Thanks for all of the detail and the .stl file. Will keep watching for further updates...

Jon, I am coming into this a bit late. Glad things are improving for you - no surprise as the people in this group are amazingly helpful and have incredible and broad knowledge. I will add my two cents worth (and that may be all it is worth). I look at the photo and think along the lines of - "If I had just bought that machine off ebay (or elsewhere), the first thing I would do, even before testing it out, would be to clean it up completely. Having a patina in the surface suits the cosmetic preferences of some (me included in certain circumstances) but having it on the mechanical working parts will have a negative effect on function. After all, we buy these machines to use them so their function needs to come first. So get all the working parts shining so close to new as possible. Oil all moving parts - just a little, don't flood the machine. Then test it out." That's exactly what we do with any of the machines we have bought. Take grateful advantage of offers of pdf manuals - there are plenty available for most machines. And continue to do what you did here - ask questions. Trevor

Hey Rocky and Mizzy Darren is in Goulburn NSW - between Canberra and Sydney. Find Darren here https://www.facebook.com/darren.brosowski. He is fantastic with vintage machines in general and Singers in particular. In Aus, you are unlikely to find anyone more knowledgeable. Steve is on the Qld coast - Bundaberg I believe... I think Steve and Darren partner in their Cowboy business. Don't know who is in Queanbeyan, and I wouldn't deal with those I know in Melbourne.

Hi Constabulary, I am looking for the manuals you describe here, but these links don't work any more. Can you please post these pdfs again, as I would love to have the manuals for my 45K machine. Thanks, Trevor

Mizzy, I agree with dikman, it would be better if we could see a slower movement in the video - perhaps by using the handwheel. Having said that, it looks to me like it is going the right way. Can you please take another video with a slower movement? I would be interested to see it again. Trevor

Although I am not familiar with the Consew machine, it may be like the Singers which I use in this. Check the shaft of the Bobbin winded and see if there is a little pin on it. If so, this pin goes into a little slot on a radius from the centre of the bobbin. This slot / pin relationship stops the bobbin from spinning on the winder shaft. Many modern bobbins do not have the little slot for the pin, so they spin on the shaft. Although spreading the shaft will work, it is not ideal. If your bobbin winder does have the pin, then seek out bobbins which have the slot - this will be a much better solution for you and your machine.

Hey Constabulary, I see from the list at the bottom of your post that we share some similar machines - 29, 45, 132, 307 (I forgot that in my list above because it is not black!!! It is currently in storage and the 31K47 is on its table with the great singer motor). The 111G156 has me envious. That is another machine I am watching for (along with the 133K8). Compound feed with alternating pressers and reverse!!! Now, THAT is a great leather machine... Trevor

You have made a wise choice Bailey. Scoutmom commented on the Singer 201. I am not sure if she was referring to the machine or just the motor which can be sort of seen in the final image. The singer 201 was a great domestic machine. Kylie and I have three which are in beautiful condition - one hand crank cast iron classic style; one motorised classic with the external mounted motor and knee control [but we also have a foot control which bypasses the knee control] and one from the later 50s when they had aluminium bodies - still looking heavy duty in black, but much lighter weight. They all run perfectly and get plenty of use - including some light garment leather. After WWII, Singer used a lot of aluminium from decommissioned war planes - cheaper to use recycled materials and much lighter weight which is good for the housewives who were using them in the 1950s. The machine in the Craigslist photos is NOT a 201. The decals are not singer - despite the attempt to suggest otherwise with the obvious "S" in the pattern. The silver face plate which is just visible in the photos where the machine is supposedly sewing through an aluminium can is also clearly nothing ever made by Singer. If it were a Singer 201, then I would not pay more than about $50.00 in Australia (that is about $35.00 US). I have bought numerous over the years - to play with and to get parts for our machines. I then service them and sell them for about $100 - in beautiful working order. But not for leather sewing... Through the entire exercise we have ended up with only one (so far) which will not ever be in working order, as too many parts have been stripped off. I know there might be better brands for leather work, but we just love the old singer machines so we have all of our machines in this classic brand - 31M32 - just because it is a beautiful tailoring machine which was used in the garment industry (sewing garment leather) in Italy till it came with the tailor to Australia in the 1990s. Heavily worn timber on the table attests to a long history of hard work. It is on its original treadle base, and won't get a lot of use, but we just can't part with it. The "M" means it was built in Italy, where it lived all of its professional working life. It then worked as a home machine for the "retired" tailor until he passed away. I bought it from his grand-son who just didn't appreciate the beauty of this antique. You see, the story behind the machine is as important to us as the machine itself. That doesn't mean we will wast money on a lemon just because of a story, but once we find a machine, we find out all we can about its history. 103K - so called "semi-industrial" We don't kid ourselves - it is really a stronger domestic machine, but it uses long shank industrial feet. Based on the instruction manual, it appears to have been intended to be used in corsetry and came originally with a corsetry foot. That is exactly what Kylie uses it for. She is passionate about traditional corsetry except she likes to make it in leather. This machine can handle garment leather with no problem as long as it has a roller foot attached. Some leather surfaces stick a bit on normal feet, and this affects the sewing ability of any machine. Ours is in almost perfect new condition, despite having been made in 1953 (the year I was born - yes I am that old). We can't figure out why it is like this, and we have not ben able to find out the story. it came without a bobbin case, and we can only suspect that this part was lost very early, and the owner just gave up. It really looks like it was only used a few times. We have an alternate machine - another 103K which is very nearly as good. 31K48 - wheel feed and rolling foot - I feel like this is the entry level for leather. It will certainly sew leather and would probably handle the jobs you are working on. But I would suggest something heavier for your belts and bridles, even though this machine has handled these jobs for us perfectly well. My alternate machine is a 31K18 which is an earlier model of essentially the same machine. 31K47 - spring loaded walking foot. I would say this should be your minimum machine and if you can get one of these (and keep up with parts and service) you will be very happy for a long time. It has normal drop feed for the under side. The foot is actually two feet. One holds the work down while the needle passes through, and lifts up with the needle. This one just goes up and down vertically, to hold the work stable while the needle does it job. The other foot stays down while the feed dogs move the work forward, and it moves with the work. At the end of the feed stroke, this lifts up (after the other "inside foot" has come down to hold the work) and a spring jumps it back to the starting position where it lowers down to the work again. Sometimes referred to a a jump foot and various other names. My alternate machine is a 31K17 - an earlier model of essentially the same machine 132K6 - much heavier duty walking foot with alternating pressers. This is an excellent machine for heavier leather, and is the strongest I am likely to use regularly. Many people just love this model for their leather work. My alternate machine is... actually are - 2 more 132K6 machines. Still working on these to build the very best to keep, the second best to sell and the last for spares. I bought all three at huge bargain prices (less than half usual price) and found them all to be much better than I expected - all work perfectly and look great. it is going to be very hard to choose which is the best. But the collection doesn't stop here. I told you that we are passionate about our old Singer machines. They may require some continuing attention - but that is part of their charm. The fact is that we have machines which are over 100 years old and still working perfectly. We have duplicates of some machines, but don't expect to need any of the parts in our lifetime. 45K25 - for saddlery. This is the first of the cylinder bed machines in this list. This is a drop feed machine. Very heavy duty leather machine which I bought from a saddler. He had been using it to make and repair saddles for a few decades. I saw it for sale for $450 Aus. Add $100 to transport it to my home and it was still a quarter the price these usually sell for in Australia. When it arrived, it was absolutely beautiful - except the timber on the table was no good any more. Just cleaned it up, and nothing more to the machine, and it was perfect. I still haven't made a new table top as I am trying to decide on the most practical format. With the right motor and needles, it will sew through more than an inch of tough veg tanned leather as if it were butter. 17-8 - a light weight cylinder bed walking foot with alternating presser feet. Bought from a shoe repairer. That is their best use - light leather and shoe uppers. 29K58 - Boot Patcher - a cobbler's machine used for fancy stitching on western cowboy boots and for shoe and boot repair, even deep into the boot. These are not actually cylinder bed machines, so you should have a look at the pics to get an idea. http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/model-29-leather-stitching-sewing-machine.html Some suggest that you buy a cylinder bed machine. There are advantages, because you can get up close to the work on most of these machines. You can also add a table around the bed to artificially make a flat bed. If this is well fitted, the ruse works very well, so you get the best of both worlds. The disadvantage is that repairs and maintenance to parts in the bed are more difficult due to tedious access. At least that is true for the home repairer... The 133K8 is the cylinder bed equivalent of the 132K6. If you go for cylinder bed, then this is the one I would watch out for. The fact is that this is the machine I am also watching for to "complete" our collection. (Who am I kidding - our collection will never be complete...) Given the uses you describe, I would recommend a good flat-bed machine, as it is easier to control your work while you are sewing. If you want to go with a beautiful classic Singer industrial, I would suggest a 31K47. it is a walking foot machine which can certainly handle belts and bridles. It would be a very good first machine for you, and will give decades of good service if you take care of it. The next machine I would recommend would be the 132K6. With both, you will very easily manage all that you are after. If, on the other hand, you don't want to take the risk of an old machine, then I would ask the nearest cowboy dealer about their recommendations. In Australia, I would contact @DarrenBrosowski, who really knows industrial machines, services them and sells some second-hand machines of various brands and new Cowboy machines. I don't know of anyone in Australia who is more knowledgeable. In USA, contact Wizcrafts on this group, and/or the dealers who sponsor the forum. Please also note - I am NOT an expert, just an enthusiast who is passionate about vintage Singers.

I have to agree with all of the above. The three things which raise big red flags for me are - 1 - they go to so much trouble to hide what sort of machine it is. The photos are cropped close to hide everything but the foot (more on that later) and the text keeps referring to "The Sewing Machine". If they are so proud of what they have to offer, why don't they tell you what they have... 2 - they are showing the machine head not mounted on anything... Is the sale for the head only, or is it for a machine on a stand? It obviously can't run as it is, given that they claim it has a "*** VERY POWERFUL MOTOR ***" What is the motor mounted on? 3 - the foot is a standard SHORT SHANK straight-stitch foot. This is a domestic machine. This is also indicated by the one thing that is kind of true in their blurb - they call it "Industrial Strength" - meaning they don't dare call it "Industrial"... For the things you stated you want to sew, you need a walking foot industrial machine. The foot on this will drag on the top layer of leather. Any one of these factors would stop me from considering this machine. All together... NO WAY...

My experience with that style of clipper is that they have less control - not great for fine detail. They also seem to be limited to only thin thread - when you get up to thicker threads, they start hcking rather than cutting. Others may have different experience...

Sorry - can't help with FE. I am guessing your machine was probably made in 1950s - with a black ring around the singer logo disc. Hope the sources of manuals above were helpful.

I have two 29K machines, and have had others. So far, all I have seen already have the shaft for both end and front positioning of the hand wheel. I have tried moving the wheel on one of the machines - for the sake of interest... No problem - I just took it off the end and put it on the front. I chose to keep it on the end, as this was more convenient for me and made it easy to transfer from treaddle use to hand cranking simply by positioning the belt.

@loccom What is the full serial number? EF....? All of the EF machines were made in 1949 and 1950. There were 999,999 in that Serial Number range