industrial singer class 5-9

[meswaine]

I am looking for any help with my search for needles  and a manual for a Singer 5-9,  The photo does not do the scale justice, It weights at least 500lbs. It is 4 feet wide. It is  much larger than the class 7 but has a similar bobbin, but i don't own a class 7 so I am not sure how close the bobbin holder is. I guess I am looking for someone who has a class 5 machine  or any direction to point me.  Which industrial sewing store might know about this machine?  Thank you for letting me post my question here.

i found this old book in the Smithsonian on-line archive but this doesn't help me enough to find an equivalent needle. 

[Matt S]

Well that's a beautiful monster. ISMACS describes it as an overseaming/sigzag machine. I can't imagine many dealers/stores would know much about it, it's been out of production for 120 years. However you might have luck contacting the London Sewing Machine Museum -- run by a machine dealer in Wimbledon. Contacts:

By post: London Sewing Machine Museum, 308 Balham High Road, London SW17 7AA
By phone: 020 8682 7916
By Fax: 020 8767 4726
By e-mail: wimbledonsewingmachinecoltd@btinternet.com

[CowboyBob]

There used to be a belting company in town that had these. I remember going there & 2 of them were running at the same time time what a great sound they made.we do have some 5x5. Needles in stock Size #28

[meswaine]

WOW.... both response are so  helpful !

I will look into London Museum and I will order some needles from "Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines"

Bob, Do you remember the name of the Belting Company ? I wonder if they would have a manual in some old folder in a back corner ?

Thank you both. Michael 

[DrmCa]

This looks like a machine for doing fishtails on belts rather than zigzag. But I can only see one side of the drum near the needle bar from here.

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

Here's what I got on this. 

[shoepatcher]

This is a Monster.  One of the biggest machines Singer ever made.  Bigger than a 6 class, 7 class , 8 class.    Not as big as a 9 class which was THE  largest machine Singer ever made.   I would buy if I had it available 5-1and rebuild it just to have it.   You will definitely need help moving it.  Please get us more pics of it especially if you get it.  I have an original parts list book to  5-1vto 5-5, 5-7, 5-10 to 5-11.  Not the 5-9 however. 

Is this a zig-zag machine?

glenn

[Yetibelle]

18 hours ago, shoepatcher said:

This is a Monster.  One of the biggest machines Singer ever made.  Bigger than a 6 class, 7 class , 8 class.    Not as big as a 9 class which was THE  largest machine Singer ever made.   I would buy if I had it available 5-1and rebuild it just to have it.   You will definitely need help moving it.  Please get us more pics of it especially if you get it.  I have an original parts list book to  5-1vto 5-5, 5-7, 5-10 to 5-11.  Not the 5-9 however. 

Is this a zig-zag machine?

glenn

This looks like an extended Class 7.  I think the Class 8 is bigger than this?  At least from looking at that picture. The largest machine is the 67-1

Class 8-8 monster>

 

 

 

 

[shoepatcher]

Singer only made about 40 some of these 67-1 machines.  I have seen 2 of them in Ohio and they are monsters, bigger than a 5 class.  Both machines are huge.  The 5 class shown in the pictures has a S.D.A. on it which stood for Singer driving attachment.  They were run on line shaft and the SDA is what you engaged the machine with on the drive belt.  The 5-9 is indeed a big zigzag machine.  The 8 class is smaller than the 5 class machine.  Both are smaller than the 67-1.   If you want to see the biggest machine Singer ever made, look up the 9-1 machine.  That was truly a monster.

glenn

[Yetibelle]

I think if you saw a 9-1 in-person it would be very impressive, but it looks like a quilting frame rather than the traditional machine shape so it lacks in its overall "wow factor" from the Singer rendering.  I wonder if any survived?  It would be great to see an actual photo of one.  It would be also great to see a 14k8, they looked fairly complicated.