Equipment New Project: Singer 29-4 leather machine

[Millwright]

We were in a junk shop in northern Okrahoma on Saturday and ran across this old (1920) critter.

For whatever reason it just had to come home with me.

It is a shoe patching/harness making machine and will sew leather 5/16"+, you can spin the presser foot 360deg and change directions without moving the work.

I had to make a bobbin for it and do some tweaking to get it stitching. There was about .015" slop in the needle shaft and carrier which had the needle wandering around at the bottom of the stroke.

The two critical parts are on the way, it has been disassembled and stripped.

This picture is in primer, I'm figuring 3-4 coats of black lacquer and 5-6 of clear lacquer.

I also have the correct decals on the way.

Will update the progress here, if anybody is interested.

 

[hiwall]

We are all interested.

 

[intothatgoodnight]

Quite interested in your progress, as you restore this bit of history.


intothegoodnight

 

[Creedmoor]

Absolutely a major score. I am SO jealous. But, why oh why would you paint it???

 

[ShyGirl]

Amazing find. I am very interested in your progress.

 

[thompson]

Count me among the interested!

 

[brokenwings]

I love the idea of the machine too! I make leather doll shoes for my antique dolls and wish upon wish I could find one of those. I do love the old painting on antique machines though instead of repainting.

 

[mecoastie]

Awesome. I have a couple of regular treadles on the restore list that I hope to get to by next winter. What size needles does that use? I have a ton of industrial needles that I picked up if you need any. I have no use for them.

 

[Papacub]

Looks good Millwright, great project!

 

[Sacajawea]

Man, I'd like to find one of these. That's a great score - and you obviously know what you're doing to restore it. Very impressed.

 

[Freeholder]

Definitely keep us posted! That was a great find, and I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like when it's finished!

Kathleen

 

[Millwright]

...aaaaaand what have we learned today, kids?

The primer next to the lacquer on the shelf may not be compatible with the lacquer.

Paint isn't any easier to strip the second time around.

 

[Windy Ridge]

Where, o where do you get parts for one that old?

Windy Ridge

 

[Millwright]

Where, o where do you get parts for one that old?

Windy Ridge

There are a coupla places that sell parts, some do cannibalized parts and some sell new.

They all are proud of their wares.

 

[Vicki]

Great find Millwright and wonderful that you work on things like that. I have a Victor XV111 in a full six drawer cabinet and it's in very good condition. It worked quite well but I haven't tried it in years now. I bought it at an auction about 30 years ago. It has a beautiful metalbox that came with it with many attachments and I believe it will sew leather with no problem. Quite a bit of detail with gold and orange flower prints all over the machine and base. I've tried searching for information on it many times but can't find much. I know the Victor machine came from Middletown and was produced between 1864 and 1883 but I have yet to find a plate with a serial number , date or any other information on it. It's encased so I can't see the bottom of the machine and that could be where the information is. Any advice on this old girl and where I might find the serial number or more information on it?

Vicki

 

[Martinhouse]

Millwright, what a wonderful piece of equipment!

If you were my neighbor, I'd try to hire you to fix my upholstery machine, a Singer 111W153. The machine is okay except for a lot of rust and mud dauber nests. But I stored a 100# bag of potatoes on top of it last summer and they rotted without getting smelly and the resulting liquid ruined the table that the machine is mounted in. I am no longer able to saw and hammer like I used to or I'd build a new top myself. I supposed I could find a used stand, but haven't bothered yet since I don't work any more.

I'm glad you want to make your machine look like the original. I love those old Singer decals and brass plates on the black-painted heads!

 

[Millwright]

Vicki, I didn't see much on a quick Google.

This showed up, but info is pretty sparse.


http://articles.courant.com/1998-11-25/news/9811220015_1_victor-sewing-machine-company-seamstress

 

[Vicki]

Vicki, I didn't see much on a quick Google.

This showed up, but info is pretty sparse.


http://articles.courant.com/1998-11-25/news/9811220015_1_victor-sewing-machine-company-seamstress

That's what I found too. I did find one other page listing a few more details but nothing that helped me nail down a date.

http://www.sewmuse.co.uk/american sewing machine manufacturers.htm

That link may help someone else but it did give me this...

Finkle & Lyon Sewing Machine Co. Est. 1859 - 1869.
Offices: 538 Broadway, New York 1860 - 1865.
581 Broadway 1865
Founders: Milton Finkle, Lucius Lyon.
Became:
Finkle & Lyon Manufacturing Co. 1870 1872
Became:
Victor Sewing Machine Co. Est. July 1872 – 1883 (Closed).
Factory: Middletown, Connecticut.
Machines Made:
Family - four finishes 1859 - 1862
No.1 Family 1862 1866
No.2 Family 1866
No.3 Medium 1862 Tailoring 1862
Victor 1867 1871
Improved Victor 1878
Production: 1866 - 1867 2488, 1874 - 6,292

Thank you for trying Millwright and for starting this thread. I love sewing and learned on a treadle from my Grandmother so this certainly brought back memories. I believe hers was a Singer as well.

 

[Raggedyman]

Count me among the interested!

and I!!!

 

[Millwright]

I really don't know squat about sewing machines other than peripheral knowledge.

I've wanted to build a holster that addresses some details that aren't taken into account on anything available.

My way of thinking....if you want to sew leather well, you need to understand your machine. Rebuild one and Iearn to make it run is a first step. The knowledge picked up along the way will apply to something else.

Part of the process for me is to look at every component, asses it's condition and do a quick plan to build it if necessary....do I have the material and tooling and is it worth the effort to hand make.

Sunday morning I started messing with this machine and saw that it didn't have a bobbin spool. a coupla hours on the lathe and had a working prototype to prove out the rest of the machine. Once I had it stitching and figured out the parts and their function everything got torn down and checked for wear.

They are just nuts, bolts, shafts & cams. Not really different than an engine or a 3 story plastic film line.

The worst part for me is refinishing....it just ain't my thing.

 

[Millwright]

One project breeds another...

The primer I had grabbed off of the shelf at Lowes (without reading the label ) was not acting right with lacquer paint.

SOOOOOO...

I had to dig out the sand-blasting cabinet from the barn and get it back in service.

5lb of dirt dauber nests in the gloves got pounded out.

It was kinda set up for using a shop vac for dust extraction. Not enough airflow to see.

Was staring around the shop looking for an alternative and spied a leaf blower. AH-HAA!

A few zip ties, plumbing fittings a a ratchet strap later...we got airflow. The gloves stay puffed up from the negative pressure like limbs on an inflatable doll.

The florescent light was kinda puny too, threw a 500w equivalent LED work light up on the window...NOW I CAN SEEE.

Sure, it took a coupla hours of set-up for 45min of blasting, but I will have a much better finish in the end.

 

[Witness]

My DH has remarked several times how
he wished he had a machine like that
so I could sew boat covers etc.

I had sewing class in High School and
later worked for an importer of sewing machines.

To me, there are so many things I love to do
sewing is last on my list.

 

[Vicki]

I love seeing (in your case hearing about) people work, it's such a lost art. lol

 

[Millwright]

Highly modified, blown & injected performance blast cabinet.

Major components, cleaned and ready for primer/paint.

The front pulley has a recessed area to drive a roller cam on the main arm. I didn't want paint there for the roller to break loose and get in the bearing. It is too big of a pain to mask off for painting. A light smear of petroleum jelly in it with a q-tip keeps the paint from biting.



Be advised, running a blaster sure makes you beerthirsty...almost as bad as sanding sheetrock.

 

[von Koehler]

eBay has some for sale. They are rather expensive and most seem to require some restoration:

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/singer-29-4

 

[intothatgoodnight]

Looking good there, Millwright - looking GOOD!

Blasting cabinet, eh? The pro in you is slipping out . . . (btw, like your mods - noted.)

Screws, nuts and bolts - all an essential and important part of the McGeek food group . . .

Carry on.


intothegoodnight

 

[hiwall]

Fine for this one job but the blasting sand would sure raise heck with the fan blade in that leaf blower.

 

[Millwright]

After 3 coats of primer & gobs of sanding, 4 coats of black lacquer...the decals went on today.

Now I just need the wind to die down to start shooting clear coat.

 

[hiwall]

Wow!

 

[Martinhouse]

Millwright, that is so fabulously BEAUTIFUL!

 

[AlfaMan]

NEAT !!!!!! Love the restoration job on this machine. It really turned out super nice!

 

[intothatgoodnight]

What are the eggs for, in the picture?

Some secret sauce/paint recipe that you are brewing up, to give it the proper Singer patina?

What a beauty!

The work of a real craftsman.

Bravo.


intothegoodnight

 

[jward]

Definitely the Kewlest thing I've seen today! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Millwright]

I still have a bucket-o-parts going through the carburetor cleaner vat.

This is a slow process, all the sub-assemblies are getting cleaned together to keep the parts in a group...especially screws and taper pins.

The new needle shaft and carrier have to be lapped in, the fit is too tight and it needs to be butter-smooth when mated. I can't find a pack of Clover Lapping compound anywhere in town and I refuse to use chicom crap if at all possible.


Note: Three year old bondo, thinned with acetone is barely usable.

I needed about a thimble full and it took half a quart to get some that would smear.

There were some major casting flaws under the decals that had to be filled.

 

[TidesofTruth]

Fascinating.
Thanks.

 

[imaginative]

Millwright, that is so fabulously BEAUTIFUL!

Dittos

 

[ShadowMan]

You Sir are a TRUE Craftsman!! I totally LOVE jobs like this! What an awesome job. Please keep us updated as you continue on this restoration. Great inspiration for the rest of us.

 

[Txkstew]

I looked into heavy duty sewing machines a while back. I found a real nice new one for $700. I would like to make canvas tents. Tents like I want, cost many thousands of dollars.
Your project looks like it's going to work out good.

 

[Millwright]

Finished spraying the clear lacquer today and started reassembly.

Lots of small parts that were a pain to blast, so far I haven't dropped any through the screen into the sand.

Still have to put the bobbin drive in and set the timing.

Will try to get some better pics in daylight.

 

[Vicki]

Bravo Millwright!

American ingenuity at it's finest.