Clones And Originals

[LumpenDoodle2]

There are several very good and informative websites covering the history of the sewing maching (including ISMACS), and Game of Thrones sums it up perfectly.

I think one of the reasons Singer is seen as the 'wellspring' is that they perfected the mass production earlier, and produced a reliable, and affordable machine that you could buy on 'tick'. Ok, it would still cost you at least 6 months wages, but less than a number of other machines out there.

Singer was also more willing to produce specialist industrial machine for the trade. There is an online vid of the Singer sewing machine collection held in Glasgow. Some real drool inducing machines there, and compared with other manufacturers machines, the parts are almost fully interchangable, but what machine came first.........

[Darren Brosowski]

That is a common and easily understood misconception.

Singer was well behind most manufacturers when it came to production as they did not use the "arsenal" system where parts where interchangeable. Every machine was hand fitted, disassembled, body painted and then had the fitted parts put back into the body. Most of their opposition was using "Go/No Go" gauges so that they could fit any part to any body.

Where Singer creamed the opposition was in marketing and they pretty much invented Hire Purchase to sell their machines.

They had a brilliant Engineer by the name of Phillip Diehl who was the man behind the IF - later known as the Model 15 - who had to fight the board of directors to introduce modern practices. If they had not followed his advice they would never have been able to manufacture machines in the volumes required.

A bit more about him here;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Diehl_%28inventor%29

"I think one of the reasons Singer is seen as the 'wellspring' is that they perfected the mass production earlier, and produced a reliable, and affordable machine that you could buy on 'tick'. Ok, it would still cost you at least 6 months wages, but less than a number of other machines out there."

[Darren Brosowski]

http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/great-diehl-of-invention.html

[LumpenDoodle2]

There again, if Wikipedia is to be beleived, Singer still done good on the mass production side. ;-()

"From its opening in 1884 until 1943 the Kilbowie factory produced approximately 36,000,000 sewing machines. Singer was the world leader and sold more machines than all the other makers added together. In 1913 the factory shipped 1.3 million machines. "

I thought it was only 16,000,000 machines, I must do another google to check. :-()

[Budd]

http://www.sewalot.com/singer_through_the_ages.htm

Alex I Askaroff

Alex has spent a lifetime in the sewing industry and is considered one of the foremost experts of pioneering machines and their inventors. He has written extensively for trade magazines, radio, television, books and publications worldwide.

Over the last few decades Alex has been painstakingly building this website to encourage enthusiasts around around the Globe. maybe dis guy could help or he might steal the idea for his next book ...be cryptic

[jimi]

http://movingimage.nls.uk/film/1592

not sure but i think they were assembled painted??

[LumpenDoodle2]

http://www.sewalot.com/singer_through_the_ages.htm

Alex I Askaroff

Alex has spent a lifetime in the sewing industry and is considered one of the foremost experts of pioneering machines and their inventors. He has written extensively for trade magazines, radio, television, books and publications worldwide.

Over the last few decades Alex has been painstakingly building this website to encourage enthusiasts around around the Globe. maybe dis guy could help or he might steal the idea for his next book ...be cryptic

Yes, his site is a fascinating read, and a store of really helpful info for the lineage of vintage machines.

His work's really appreciated by us sewing machine nuts.

[Darren Brosowski]

A lot changed over that 60 years. In some years Kilbowie made nearly a million machines

1910 was 1,079,624 serial numbers

Obviously they did not make that many every year and it was about the factory capacity.

There again, if Wikipedia is to be beleived, Singer still done good on the mass production side. ;-()

"From its opening in 1884 until 1943 the Kilbowie factory produced approximately 36,000,000 sewing machines. Singer was the world leader and sold more machines than all the other makers added together. In 1913 the factory shipped 1.3 million machines. "

I thought it was only 16,000,000 machines, I must do another google to check. :-()

[Constabulary]

Seems they have processed a lot of cast iron. I wonder where all that cast iron is nowadays? I think there are some kind machine hoarders out there and a lot is concentrated on Ebay Germany. Ebay is probably the larges cast iron source in da world. When you melt down all the existing vintage cast iron machines and the world price for iron will drop dramatically .

[LumpenDoodle2]

I do know someone who had an elderly neighbour who had been a Singer engineer. When he died, they removed 600+ sewing machines from his basement. I have been led ti believe that Glasgow Council have them in storage.