old singer machines

[HollerBornCustoms]

Hey folks.

I've been looking on eBay for a sewing machine and was wondering if any of you had used some of the old singer 99 models. They are on there pretty often for a decent price. Would this be a good starting point for a leather machine? The ex wife left her newer singer here when she moved out, but it's mostly plastic and I doubt it would tackle leather very well. Any help will be greatly appriciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Art]

The Singer 99 was a 3/4 version of the 66 and was the quintessential (which kinda means it "owned" the term portable sewing machine) portable sewing machine of the first half of the 20th Century. A lot of them were provisioned in a tabletop style case and were hand crank and later on with motors. The tabletop style case usually had a top, making it into a carrying case, and the early ones were usually beautiful as were the machine heads with elaborate decaling. These machines were also sold in the treadle style of cabinet for home use. Singer made these machines from the 1900s right into the '50s and '60s, and they made a bunch of them. They were made for sewing around the farm or homestead and will sew pretty much whatever you can get under the foot; you might have to handwheel it through, but generally it will do it. The motor driven ones however, suffer from a puny motor that won't last very long in heavy service, and only develop any power when running full speed. So, this is NOT a leather sewing machine, don't expect to sew holsters with it, it will probably do most wallets after a fashion, but nothing very thick. It won't handle large thread, so don't try, it is a standard, portable home machine of the first half of the 20th Century. Tell us what kind of work you do and we can make a few suggestions.

Art

Hey folks.

I've been looking on eBay for a sewing machine and was wondering if any of you had used some of the old singer 99 models. They are on there pretty often for a decent price. Would this be a good starting point for a leather machine? The ex wife left her newer singer here when she moved out, but it's mostly plastic and I doubt it would tackle leather very well. Any help will be greatly appriciated.

Thanks in advance.

[bruce johnson]

My local sewing machine guy has been in the household business for a quite a while. I see those 99s in the antique stores a lot too. I asked him about them, and he said to find a 66. Ummm, my wife has her sewing machine (66-16) in the living room her mother bought the year my wife was born. I threaded it up the other day and it didn't balk on two layers of 4 oz chap. I was looking for one to do wallet interiors and little stuff. While I was in the store he showed me a new Singer CG 550 (?). He had some pretty hard old dried up pieces - skirting weight and some chrome tan. It didn't even cough sewing a stitch at a time. I was pretty impressed. It was priced at about $400 last time I was in there. I wouldn't go to war with it, but it did impress me for what it did. It might be worth checking around. I got prices $100 different locally (one had it on a weekly special), and it seems to be one of those things not many list an internet price - call them for info deal.

[artieinmiami]

My local sewing machine guy has been in the household business for a quite a while. I see those 99s in the antique stores a lot too. I asked him about them, and he said to find a 66. Ummm, my wife has her sewing machine (66-16) in the living room her mother bought the year my wife was born. I threaded it up the other day and it didn't balk on two layers of 4 oz chap. I was looking for one to do wallet interiors and little stuff. While I was in the store he showed me a new Singer CG 550 (?). He had some pretty hard old dried up pieces - skirting weight and some chrome tan. It didn't even cough sewing a stitch at a time. I was pretty impressed. It was priced at about $400 last time I was in there. I wouldn't go to war with it, but it did impress me for what it did. It might be worth checking around. I got prices $100 different locally (one had it on a weekly special), and it seems to be one of those things not many list an internet price - call them for info deal.

Too bad you are not in the Miami area...I went to the Ft Lauderdale flea market (swap shop) and a guy there had 6 industrial machines (w/ tables, motors etc) for sale and no takers...he was begging me to buy one...cheap !! One of them was a curved needle machine and I have no idea what it is for...the rest were all old singers with very large heads on them. Since I have too many machines now and no room...I had to pass. Anyone looking for an industrial machine in Florida...it would be worth your while to hit the flea market on the weekend...just one bit of advice....bring a truck !! You will not believe the stuff that you will find at that place...more than half of the 1,000 vendors are garage sale folks with used stuff to sell.artie in miami

Too bad you are not in the Miami area...I went to the Ft Lauderdale flea market (swap shop) and a guy there had 6 industrial machines (w/ tables, motors etc) for sale and no takers...he was begging me to buy one...cheap !! One of them was a curved needle machine and I have no idea what it is for...the rest were all old singers with very large heads on them. Since I have too many machines now and no room...I had to pass. Anyone looking for an industrial machine in Florida...it would be worth your while to hit the flea market on the weekend...just one bit of advice....bring a truck !! You will not believe the stuff that you will find at that place...more than half of the 1,000 vendors are garage sale folks with used stuff to sell.artie in miami

ps I saw five of the singer 99 or 15 (all the same) all in the 30-40 dollar price range...one of them was all decals and very little black area left on it...I know they are usually pretty ornate...but this one was really tricked out to the max !

[DCKNIVES]

I picked up a 31-15 from a co-worker who got it at a fleamarket.Paid $50.00 for it with table and almost new motor.Won't do heavy stuff but will take on belts and some other time consuming stuff.Dave

[Randyc]

I picked up a 31-15 from a co-worker who got it at a fleamarket.Paid $50.00 for it with table and almost new motor.Won't do heavy stuff but will take on belts and some other time consuming stuff.Dave

Three years ago I picked up a 31-15 in good shape with table for $150.00 off ebay. In 2006 I learned to build western boots under master boot maker Carl Chappell and really learned alot about using this class of machine. Mine has the regular clutch motor so I learned to control the speed down to a stitch at a time by laying my hand on top of the fly wheel and slipping the clutch. The 3100 series is still very popular among boot makers for doing all that ornate stitching of boot tops. I also used my 31-15 for decorative stitching of belts, cellphone cases and other smaller lightweight projects. Parts are easy to find and the machine is easy to maintain. My 31-15 was manufactored around 1918 and it's kinda cool stitching with a piece of history.

Randy

[HollerBornCustoms]

Well, found a singer 66 on eBay last night....good price and supposed to work just fine. Should be here sometime early next week, so we'll have to see how it does when it gets here. Haven't touched a sewing machine in years (freshman home ec I think), so it will be a learning experience. Wish me luck.

[cheneycustom]

Art, what do all the different suffixes mean ( -16, -18)? What size thread can be run in these? Are old white machines of any use on 2 layers of chap? Thanks- Chris

[Art]

Hi Chris,

The dash numbers or subcategory numbers (I have heard them called) are used to denote differences within a particular head casting. It might be a bigger bobbin, drop feed or not, jump foot, walking foot, and also all sorts of feeding contraptions particular to certain industries, especially the shoe industry. Sometimes it was just a new "improved" model of a classic design. The Germans took this to the ultimate, having a number or letter suffix for everything on the machine (getting the most utility out of every casting). If you ever notice all the "extra" boring and/or tapping holes on some machines, that's where dash numbers and letters come into play, something goes in that hole to attach some whatchamacallit. With Pfaff and sometimes Dürkopp there are tables that define these attachments and the same positions and letters are used from machine to machine, but with Singer, it seems that when the produced a machine with a little different mechanism, the put a different dash number on it.

Art

Art

Art, what do all the different suffixes mean ( -16, -18)? What size thread can be run in these? Are old white machines of any use on 2 layers of chap? Thanks- Chris

[HollerBornCustoms]

Well, the singer 66 came in today. seems to work just fine. now I just have to learn to sew again. well, that and build a table/stand for it, the case for it isn't in the best of shape.... good thing dad's real handy with the woodworking

[MADMAX22]

Very cool, keep us updated and show some of the stitching if you would. What thickness can these guys handle?

[HollerBornCustoms]

I'll let ya know on the thickness thing in a week or so. Gonna get some needles and thread and then a friend of mine is gonna come down and see if she can teach me to sew on it. It came with some old thread and a bobbin already wound, so I ran some regular fabric through it just to see and it runs, well, like a singer sewing machine. Only thing wrong so far that I can see is the light doesn't work, but that may just be the bulb, haven't checked it out all that close yet. I'm off work in a few days and will dive deeper into it then. I'll keep ya posted.