The Unicorn has Landed -- Singer 19-10 in the shop

[Matt S]

Strictly it arrived a couple weeks ago but I've not had much time to fiddle with it until now. Singer 19-10 feed-up-the-arm zigzag from 1951 in very tidy condition. There's very little information available on this apart from what's in the Singer catalogue:

C.B. Drop feed. Over seaming cylinder bed 1 13/16" diameter at end. For cloth or leather. Speed 1000.

Uses A/15 type bobbins and is a drop-feed. Bed gives about 9" of space behind the needle. Uses an unusual presser foot -- from the parts list it looks like a couple were available, one with some sort of guide blade for butt stitching (missing from mine). I'll try and improvise something from standard feet. Stitch length up to 3/16" (4mm) and ZZ throw up to 5/8" (8mm). No reverse.

Mine looks like it's had very little use. Apart from a few shipping injuries (anyone got a spare Simanco 7170 lifting lever?) it only needed 60+ years of dried grease cleaned out and a heavy oiling to stitch beautifully. Listed needle size is 16x87, which is now obsolete so I picked up a few different sizes of 16x230 which apparently is the same except with a scarf. When it arrived it was stitched off with TKT30/V92 jeans thread but not having any of that on hand I tried TKT20/v138 nylon, which is what I normally use on a similar weight machine. Unfortunately it kept binding inside the shuttle race and skipping stitches at the right throw of the ZZ. The shuttle driver is pinned so can't be adjusted. TKT40/v69 works great.

Overall I'm very pleased with this machine. Although it wasn't exactly cheap it was a lot less expensive than any other transverse-feed machine with similar capabilities I have been able to find. I'm excited about the new designs I can offer which this opens up for me.

 

[dikman]

Nice looking machine, something just a little bit different.Looks to be in pretty good condition, judging by the paintwork.

[Hockeymender]

Me thinks a machine like that could fill some voids in my shop. Very interesting. Now I’ll start looking......that’s bad. 

[RockyAussie]

What Joe said ....

[Bugstruck]

I am with the others, really like it. Someone will likely know max thread wt. If it is passing the thread on one side of the stitch and not the other, that's hard to say but I assume it's catching the loop cleanly on both sides? If not, that is often just a missed stitch but if the hook is sometimes piercing thread on one side of the throw that will jam it up as I'm guessing you know. Pinned machine, just bought my first one, straight stitcher though. Needle bar height adjustment fixed that one FWIW. Might be worth a look but a different animal you have there. Zigzags don't have much tolerance for calibration error on the wide settings in my experience and one side is usually the problem side and usually timing. Then again, could just be the thread weight as you noted. Great find!

[Matt S]

4 hours ago, dikman said:

Nice looking machine, something just a little bit different.Looks to be in pretty good condition, judging by the paintwork.

Thanks. Other than a few small chips the paint looks just as it did 67 years ago. Even the italic gold "oil" decals are intact. I always thought the japanned Singers were the most beautiful, but this crinkle finish is nudging for top spot, and it doesn't show any fingerprints.

4 hours ago, Hockeymender said:

Me thinks a machine like that could fill some voids in my shop. Very interesting. Now I’ll start looking......that’s bad. 

Transverse feed machines suitable for leather are pretty rare but this is the first zigzag I'm aware of. I was keen to get this one because it lets me sew some designs I had that I could otherwise only do with a patcher. That and the bragging rights...

2 hours ago, Bugstruck said:

I am with the others, really like it. Someone will likely know max thread wt. If it is passing the thread on one side of the stitch and not the other, that's hard to say but I assume it's catching the loop cleanly on both sides? If not, that is often just a missed stitch but if the hook is sometimes piercing thread on one side of the throw that will jam it up as I'm guessing you know. Pinned machine, just bought my first one, straight stitcher though. Needle bar height adjustment fixed that one FWIW. Might be worth a look but a different animal you have there. Zigzags don't have much tolerance for calibration error on the wide settings in my experience and one side is usually the problem side and usually timing. Then again, could just be the thread weight as you noted. Great find!

The heavier thread is getting stuck around the shuttle about equally on the left and right throw. Not every time, which makes me think I can do something about it when I can put a little more time into this machine. It also skips stitches fairly often at the right throw when using heavier thread which as you mention is probably a timing thing. Had to dismount the needle bar since it got bent in transit so I had the fun of resetting the NB height timing -- a surprising amount hassle since it can only be adjusted once I've removed the end cover and the rocker assembly in which the NB slides -- and then has to be reassembled to be tested!

[Evo160K]

Would the twist (LH or RH) of the thread in the right throw bobbin of this machine cause the problem with the stitch?

[Matt S]

5 hours ago, Evo160K said:

Would the twist (LH or RH) of the thread in the right throw bobbin of this machine cause the problem with the stitch?

That's not a bad idea, but this machine has a single bobbin for both throws of the needle. The hook timing must have been very carefully balanced to work at both extremes. It's a little unusual because unlike most machines it doesn't require a scarf on the needle.

[Bugstruck]

6 hours ago, Matt S said:

That's not a bad idea, but this machine has a single bobbin for both throws of the needle. The hook timing must have been very carefully balanced to work at both extremes. It's a little unusual because unlike most machines it doesn't require a scarf on the needle.

I have a clear sense you don't need this but some others reading may? I'll just remind the basic things I'm slowly getting better at recalling when I have a stitch issue on any machine, before I jump too far into the weeds. Been there, done that, think most of us have and I'll do it again at some point.

1. Adequate foot pressure.

2. Good consistent pull on the top thread right to the needle. Released but more importantly under tension. Just a clean path check for any anomalies.

3. Check same on the bobbin though rarely problematic if the tension is even close. I have experienced it though and in one instance it only showed itself when sewing. You could not feel it but you could see it. Generally these bobbin issues just impact the consistency of the stitch appearance (like you are playing with the tension as you sew), so not a big deal to resolve.  

4. Take-up spring adjustment. Most recommendations are they are seating about the time the needle starts to penetrate the material. The 78-3 I just got holds tension to within about .05 mm of needle bar bottom motion but that does not impact the loop on that machine. I don't recommend that setting but I'm not changing it for no reason and I've learned these machines have their own personalities, so to speak. In general I think the take-up spring disengagement point is a little over-stressed sometimes but it certainly does matter.  

5. Good, correct size, proper type for the sewn material,  needle and well seated and oriented. There are some machines and/or thread combinations that will improve loop position a little with the needle a few degrees off true but that's rare and not where I'd start.

Probably forgetting a few things but that's the short list of what I do before I dig deeper.

If you have to go into the weeds, and this is rarely a problem, but hook to needle clearance is a quick one to eliminate and not where people generally think to start. Use your largest needle.  

  

 

   

 

[Darren Brosowski]

That one is in much better condition than mine - might be time to clean it up and sell it!

[RockyAussie]

3 hours ago, Darren Brosowski said:

That one is in much better condition than mine - might be time to clean it up and sell it!

If you do please let me know.