ELeBlanc

Art, I have just come into a stock pile of unobtanium! Got it in a US Gov auction. Had to choose between two lots - the other lot was labelled Area 51 skeletal remains. Techexchange

I was at an auction in PA on Friday. They had a Singer 7-31 head there. Waited 5 hrs for them to get to this item. When they did it was just me and a woman bidding . Ultimately I won it at $300. When I was in line to pay for it the woman was also there. I asked her what she intended to do with it. She said she was going to take it back to a Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona to use. I felt like that was a much more noble and selfless use than mine so I told her that if she wanted to pay the $300 she could have it - to which she said Sure!. So I had one for 30 minutes! Back to the search.

Appreciate your inquiry. I should have posted the price initially. Price is per needle. If you find these at $3 per needle let me know so I can buy more. Thanks.

I just listed some needles for Singer Model 97s in the for sale - new section of the site. They are sizes 250/27 and 200/25

Needles are marked Singer 250 / 27 and Singer 200 / 25. Price is $15 per needle. The points are not rounded - they are diamond shaped like the tip on an arrow or spear.

the needles themselves are labelled or the packaging? I'm somewhat unsure of the packaging because it says 200/25 and the only reference I see to 200/25 is for Patcher needles and those are only about 1" long.

I've never seen a model 97 needle before these so I know very little about them - other than that they are very rare these days! If they are not Leather Point would they be for heavy canvas? How could I tell the difference? They came from a Harness shop so that would make Leather more likely. Left them at work (with camera) so need to go get them.

Pictures to come later today. Awls says Sharpened No. 47. Needles say McKay Groove No. 50. Newer name for these is Rapid Needle 01 Round Point McKay Groove. Maybe 30-40 in total between the two types.

Pictures to come later today. Needles are 3" long. The ancient Singer Box says 97-4 220/25. However there are two different thicknesses of needle in the box. The thick one reminds me of some Landis 1 needles I have.

Wiz, My recently purchased early Frobana has an issue. Apparently many years ago the owner could no longer obtain the original needles with the female notch in them that aligns with the male extension to hold the needle securely. So, being creative the owner ground off that male extension thinking they could use regular curved needles ratrher than Frobana notched needles. Well now the thing doesn't hold any needles securely. I guess I need a new one of the part that holds the needles. I contacted Henry about the part. I think I'm toast here. I suppose I could try to have a new part machined but I assume that would be very expensive (any ideas) and also my part isn't a good pattern because the essential part of mine was filed off. Any ideas? EY

I sold the Landis locally for $390 (and avoided shipping). I have a similar American St Louis I might sell. Where are you located?

There is a model number under the Singer gold shield. It looks like is a 29k series. There are also a lot of basic parts available on Ebay for this series of machine. Bob Kovar (sewmun on this website) of Toledo Industrial Sewing sells most everything under the sun for most every leather machine - plus its good to give business to other people on this website! EY

Hmm. Sorry. I thought I added a reply before. The unit is sold. Thanks

So you added a couple of key facts in those two sentences - you used to be paid as an employee: Further questions: 1) Were you getting vacation and benefits like health care when you were paid as an employee? 2) Did the owner switch everyone, almost everyone or just you? 3) How did he come up with an hourly rate when he switched you from employee to contractor?

Some practical points. Ask the other people in the shop if they are paid as employees or as contractors. It could be either but it will let you know more of what the boss is thinking without directly confronting the boss. He may treat you as a contractor during a "trial" period where he is deciding if your work is up to snuff. As other people have said, contractors for a small business are generally cheaper because no vacation, no benefits, no security. But I think telling him "well the IRS says I'm an employee" is a non-starter. He'll know the rules. Also its not as clear cut as others have stated. Even if you are given a place to work and all the tools you need and when to work, if they work is considered limited in duration then the boss could call you a contractor. Also if he treats you as a contractor and you tell him that per the IRS website you think you are an employee he could tell you to see if the IRS has any openings cuz your services may no longer be required.

I want to second Anne's sentiment. Everyone on the board is helpful and responsive but Bob (sewmun) and Wiz are two of the foundations on which the site stands. EY

Hi: Got these with a bunch of other stuff I purchased from the son of a shoemaker. These are large. The bobbin case is 1.75 inches in diameter and the whole shuttle is 2.75 inches in diameter. He had a manual for a McKay 36 but no idea if this means these are from that machine. Thanks in advance. Still have a 5 in 1 in NYC I'm looking to sell!!! EY

There are lots of different treadle machines with very different capabilities. You'd need to add manufacturer and model to the conversation to get an informed response back EY

Hi, I just purchased some Landis 3 and 16 Needles and Awls and I'll be looking to sell some. These are size 16. These are New Old Stock (NOS) Landis items. I was thinking of selling them in sets of 2 needles and 2 awls or 3 and 3. I haven't decided on pricing but I'm looking to help pay for the Frobana I just purchased! I'm not sure exact quantity I have because I haven't counted yet but I think its between 80 and 100 needles and (hopefully) the same quantity of Awls. I believe I also have 4 Landis #1 size 16 needles. Not 100% sure because paper sleeve doesn't list a model number on it but they are about 4" long. I'll post a picture later. I may keep these. So I was unsure whether to post this in NEW or USED because the needles / awls are NEW but I'm guessing more people would look in USED (because I look in USED more). EY

Well I am now the proud owner of a new (dirty) Frobana. It doesn't have any needles but everything seems to work. Just this morning I put a piece of cardboard in it and the machine grabbed it and moved it along as it should. I've heard people say it creates a grove in the sole as it moves the leather along but on the cardboard all it did is make two very small indents kind of like a dull thonging chisel. EY

New York City

Ok - thanks. The standard questions: are parts available? Hugely expensive? Can you tell from the lousy pictures if anything is missing. Are they still useable or more for curiosity pieces. I won't be in front of the machine until Sunday. Also I' m the proud daddy of a 29-4, 29k58, 29k172 and Juki LU-563. Would it offer me anything that my babies don't do already. Oh - I should say that I still have more experience in BUYING sewing machines than in USING them.

Its also has the general shape of a Bradbury from the UK. Produced 1870s-1920s.

It came from an out of business Harness Shop. I can't provide any other info. Thanks in Advance.

Rayban, That is too awesome! What is the weight of the thread? What kind of thread and where did you get it? What is the weight of the leather and what did you sew it with? Einar