Oiling Your Singer Sewing Machine - The Featherweight 221

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OIL

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oil; lint; which machine is the sub?

I got my FW (1934) a few months ago and have been loving it.  I had been wor-
ried about knowing when to oil it, but it turns out the machine tells me.
When it started getting dry, the foot pedal started getting "sticky".  It
would refuse to be pushed down, then would drop suddenly and the machine
would just take off.  So I got out the oil (another story) and started put-
ting drops in where the manual said to.  When I got to the bottom (where you
can actually see whether there's oil), I found that the needle end was dry
and the motor end was still quite oily.  So I started to worry (gotta worry
about *something*) that maybe the foot pedal was having a problem all its
own.  But when I put the machine back together and ran it, the foot pedal's
"stickiness" was all gone!

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FW Birthdates
      I can tell when my machines need oiling as they sound different when
they run- kind of a 'clackety' sound.  When they are freshly oiled, they
'hum'.  The SInger instruction booklet that came with the machines says they
should be oiled everyday if used frequently!   I mail ordered a pinpoint
sewing machine oil tube (from Clothilde's catalog, I think).  This is much
easier to control than a large bottle.
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oiling; shipping; attachments box

WRT original oil:  My 1934 FW came to me with a tube of 1934 lubricant; the
seller warned me not to use it.  She said she had kept it for authenticity.
If the person/people who don't know where to oil their machine(s) send me a
business-size sase and 50c, I'll xerox the appropriate pages in my copy of
the manual and send them to you.  Snail mail address:  Carrie Bryan, 112 Far-
go Way, Folsom, CA  95630.  Remember to put your name, address, and stamp on
your envelope!
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From a true Singer Featherweight enthusiast

In regard to oiling, I oil my machine according to the xerox copy of the
manual I received when I bought the machine.  It is also in the "Perfect
Portable" book which I don't remember who wrote, but hopefully you know what
I am talking about.  I purchased a small tube of singer machine oil for about
$2 which has a little red nozzle type tip which I find is perfect for getting
in those little holes.
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From: LyndaQults
FeatherWeight Sewing Machine "grease"

Yes I did type grease, what I actually meant was the singer lubricant, and a
really small dab of it goes on large gears when you open up the bottom of the
machine.  You may notice black or dark brown thick "grease" build-up,  That
stuff gets gently scraped off (its usually migrated from the gears onto the
shafts and you will even find it on the bottom cover) and about 3/4 inch long
dab of lubricant gets worked into each gear mechanism.  Its easy but just
sounds somewhat complicated.  You squeeze it out on top of the gear wheel
mechaniism on one side and just work the fly wheel back and forth to lube the
gears.  When I say that they had not cleaned it, the build up was encrusted
and incredible.  The machine I took in to be serviced was a 1954 and it had
been hardly used by my non handy mother-in -law.  Compared to the 1941
machine I took to class, that I knew had not been serviced, the difference
was incredible.  The serviced for $ 70 machine was filthy when I opened it up
to check it out.
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Singer Featerweights and dating your machine

Mimi also suggests using Turtle Wax or Goddard Metal polish for cleaning
surface of machine.  (be gentle)
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<h3>Old Singer Sewing Machines & Lubing</h3>
The thread spool is on a flap.  Loosen the screw to release it.  When you
move that aside, you see that little black hole sticking up?  Give it a
drop of SINGER LUBRICANT.  For most of these old black Singers, look for
these little black holes or wells.  Singer made it very easy for us to
lube our machines.  It's very important to get N. Johnson-Srebro's FW
handbook.  A copy of the 221 documentation is included towards the end of
the book.  Heed her advice on using only SINGER LUBRICANT.  ;-) Ladies,
Over-kill is not good.  SMALL drop is sufficient.
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Singer FeatherWeight motor grease

In the manual, it talks about refilling the motor lubricant holes.  I do not
have any motor lubricant.  Does Singer still make it?  What is everyone
doing instead?

I too as baffled by the reference to greasing the FW motor in the reprinted
manual in N J-S's book so I did a little checking on the matter.  The grease
is no longer manufactured by Singer.  My local sewing man told me the Singer
Motor Grease was Lithium Grease, (that stiff black grease they smear on your
axles) which is no longer available except from you local auto parts store,
and is sold in big containers.  

I then paid a visit to my local Singer man
who told me that regardless of what the manual said you NEVER EVER EVER lube
the motor.  He said that Singer found that lubing the motor eventually caused
seizure of the motor so they stopped that practice.  "But, but but" sez I.
 "OK, go ruin your expensive featherweight," sez he.  Never being satisfied,
I checked out a different Singer man who told me the exact same thing.  I was
told that Singer training school now teaches that it must never be used on
the motor ducts.  After getting 2 similar opinions from 2 different guys I
was satisfied.  I asked the second guy what do they do with the motors, and
he told me that if the customer complains the motor is running slow or
something,  they will disassemble the motor and  clean the brushes, add
carbon to the brushes,  or do whatever needs to be done to get it working
well again.  But here's a tip I learned from my Sewing Machine Repair book:
 If your motor is running slow and just doesn't have any zip anymore, loosen
the clutch to disengage the needle and step on the gas.  Run it at top speed
for a long time until you hear the motor change its sound.  Then its run
itself clean.  It might take 10 mins, but you will hear the change in the
motor's sound when it's finally cleaned.  I have never done this on my FW
(didn't have to), but I have done it on other old machines I've bought and it
does work.

Margaret
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From:  (Gordon D. Jones)
On Care and Lubrication of Singer sewing machines

A few comments on care and lubrication:  Featherweights should be cleaned
and oiled on a regular basis, especially if used frequently.  The bobbin
race should be oiled daily, ONE DROP is sufficient.  Singer says oil the
machine daily if used continuously.  I don't imagine that many of us use
the machine continuously, but there are a lot of quilter's that piece 8 or
more hours a day.  If you use the machine that much, oil it a least once a
week, otherwise, once a month or when you hear more noise than normal.  

You can tell a dry machine (needs oiling)by its clatter.  
Just use a drop or two in each oil hole, more just collects dust and makes a mess.  
Use the Singer book on the Model 221 as a quide on where to oil. 

If you don't have a book, buy the book "FEATHERWEIGHT 221 The
Perfect Portable" by Nancy Johnson-Srebro.  It has a reprint of the singer
info in the back.  Use Singer machine oil or a good quality sewing machine
oil.  Do not use 3-in-one oil or WD-40 as a lubricant. These products can
be used to clean a dirty machine initially, remove gum or rust, but must
followed with a good quality oil for lubrication.  Purchase an oiler, if
you can find one.  Using the container the oil comes in is difficult since
the spout is usually only about an inch long.  I found and excellent oiler
at the White sewing machine dealer.  It is a plastic bottle with a 3" brass
tube for a spout.  The spout  retracts into the bottle when not in use.
You can get the oil where it belongs with this oiler.

 Use only SINGER LUBRICANT to lubricate the bevel gears and the motor.
SINGER lubricant is a non-flowing lubricant that will stay on the gears and
it will not dry out. 

I have cleaned old machines where someone has used

white grease or some other grease that has dried and caked so badly it had
to scraped off.  You can image how long this can take.  SINGER lubricant
can be purchased at most fabric stores, it comes in a 1/2 oz tube and is
called just SINGER LUBRICANT, Singer item #2129.  

The reason one should use

Singer lubricant on the motor and not oil, oil can run onto the commutator
and cause sparking of the brushes and will shorten the life of the motor.
The lubricant, being non-flowing will stay on the bearings where it
belongs.  The motor and the bevel gears should be lubed at least once a
year and more often if the machine is used daily.  For those of you that
have a 221K made in Scotland, you won't find any bevel gears to lub.  It
has a toothed belt between the upper and lower shaft.  Belts run dry, do
not lub or oil the belt.
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Singer Sewing Machine Lubricant

In the manual, it talks about refilling the motor lubricant holes.  I do
not have any motor lubricant.  Does Singer still make it?  What is
everyone doing instead?

 A tube of Singer
Lubricant costs about $2.25.  It is in a red and white 1/2 oz. tube with
the words "SINGER Lubricant".  I bought mine at Woolworth's.  This is a
fairly common item wherever Singer products are displayed.

To be fair to N. J-S, she was addressing the 2 grease tubes and not the
motor itself.  The location of the grease tubes are illustrated on page 70
of her book.  On page 34, she states that the motor brushes must be kept
bone dry for proper operation and, like the original handbook, recommends
only SINGER motor lubricant be used in the tubes.  Boy, as much as I would
like to see the innards of the motor housing, I would not dare break the
seals.

I have one of the original green tubes of motor lubricant.  Squeezed some
of it out, and the lubricant isn't stiff black grease.  It's clear.  My
Singer man told me that if I sew a lot, fill the 2 tubes once a year.  He
also recommended using the Singer Lubricant and showed me the same red &
white tube.  He also recommended that I should run my machines at least
once a month for about 15 minutes.

All these sewing machine techs give us varying information...some very
contrary to what we read or hear, resulting in added confusion to our
already confused minds re: the mechanics of our babies and, especially so,
when we are not mechanically inclined.

This is the reason why I find FWFanatics a valuable source of information.
It is convenient to use each other as sounding boards.  It is the only way
we ladies can filter the information process.  Our goal is to know what
makes our machines sing instead of chug-a-lug.

My Singer source of information, Larry, is 80 years old, still makes house
calls on old Singers, and for the most part, old black Singers have
supported him and his family ever since he returned from WWII.

Margaret's findings are right on the money re: NEVER EVER EVER lube the
motor.  These men were referring to INSIDE the motor where the brushes
are.  The oiling points are areas where moving parts articulate.  If you
track the wells or oiling points, you'll find that each one is directly
above a moving part.

In the motor housing, to remain dry and free from contaminants, the
brushes are designed to be as far away as possible from the bearings.  The
bearings are housed in such a way to prevent lubricant from leaking into
the brush area.  These bearings are moving parts and therefore must remain
lubricated.  We do this via the motor grease tubes.

N. J-S warns not to squirt WD-40 through these tubes.  The pressure from
the squirt may cause the WD-40 spray to reach inside the brush area.
Ladies, we don't want that to happen.  So, do not use WD-40 in the motor
lubricant tubes.  BTW, WD-40 is a solvent, not a lubricant.

The gears of our FWs or any of the old sewing machines are lathe-machined
to precision fit.  If they are not lubricated and allowed to run dry, the
gears create filings and residue which will eventually grind down and lose
their precision fit.  That's the beauty of our machines--precision fit.

Our new top of the line machines may do lots and lots more than our FWs,
but they have plastic gears.  If we keep our FWs well oiled and well used,
they'll last longer than our lifetime and your kid's lifetime and who
knows...maybe your great grandkids.
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Subject: Re: Correction on Motor Grease

DH says Lithium Grease is not the black grease, but rather a white grease.
 He says it is disfavored as it collects dirt.  Just want to correct this
error I made before someone else catches it, and again note NOT to grease
your FW motor.

Margaret
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Subject: rough riders

Someone said she's gotten all kinds of advice on when to oil; I'll give still
another piece.  I oil when my princess gets loud (hence my need for tips like
the thread one above) or if it's been a while, I'll look at the oiling points
in the bottom and oil if they look dry.
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From: Terry 

        GAIL: The 1950 book MACHINE SEWING by Singer says about oiling (quote):
Sewing machines require daily oiling and cleaning if they are used
continuously all day.  If used moderately, a few hours a day, oiling and
cleaning once or twice a week is sufficient.  A sewing machine, like all
other machinery, will not give proper satisfaction if the working parts are
allowed to become dry or gummed with a poor grade of oil.  A sewing machine
that has not received the proper care will run hard and considerable energy
is wasted by using a machine in this condition.  Always remove dust, lint,
threads, etc., before oiling any part of the machine or stand, especially in
and around the shuttle race.
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HOLD THAT OIL!!!!! Singer Featherweight Thoughts on OIL
 
Barb,
 
I was just reading this mornings FWF, when I came upon your letter re Singer
lubricant.
 
DO NOT USE OIL IN THE LUBRICANT HOLES,  sorry for the shouting,  but this
would be disaster both for the machine, and for your pocket book.  Singer
still makes lubricant,  it is readily available in most fabric stores right
next to the bobbins.  costs about 2 dollars.
 
I hope you will never be tempted to take any of your machines to this
repairman,  He does not know what he is talking about.
 
To use oil in a LUBE hole, would really mess up your motor, and if you used
it in any of the gears that require lube,  it would eventually allow your
gears to be damaged.
 
Lube goes in/on lube places,  oil goes in/on oil places,  Never the twain
shall meet.
----------------------------
 From: "Jeffrey E. Froyd" 
Singer Featherweight Sewing Machine oil and lubricant
 
I just went looking for Singer oil and lubricant myself.  
JoAnn Fabrics had both-the oil in a plastic bottle and the lubricant in a plastic tube, 
on the notions wall.  WalMart had the oil for $1 less, but did not carry the lubricant 
(here, anyway).  The Singer manual shows oiling points on the mechanical parts 
of the fw, as well as two places to use the lubricant (D in fig. 26 and A in fig. 27).  
Nancy Johnson-Srebro says in her FW 221 book, p. 34: 
 
"This (fw) motor has two grease tubes that must be filled periodically, 
and Singer motor lubricant is the only recommended grease.  Do not under any 
circumstances try to inject  WD-40 or any other oil into the motor's grease tubes.  
If  you  do, the oil will find its way onto the motor brushes and saturate them; 
they are made of carbon and must be kept bone dry for proper operation."  

The lubricant, by the way, is non-flowing, so when used as directed in the motor 
grease tubes stays on the bearings and doesn't touch the brushes.  Others have also 
reported being told that Singer doesn't make the motor lubricant any more; lots of us 
find it easily in the white and red plastic tube.  I don't know why the contradictions, 
but I would definitely find the tube of lubricant to use on the two points mentioned 
above, but use your oil on the other oiling 
points.  Good luck-hope this helps!  Joy, a fellow Minnesotan living in IN
----------------------------
From:  ( ALTON DAVIS)
Subject: New Baby Nightmare and Other Stuff

   The fiber stuff you were digging out of your lube tubes were the felt
lubrication wicks for the armature shaft.  The tubes contain a spring at
the top which pushes the wick down against the armature shaft to keep it
lubricated.  Since the motor requires very little lubrication, the slow
process of the lube filtering through the felt is sufficient.  Since the
felt is now gone, you should be careful to put very little lube in those
tubes or it will end up on the motor brushes which will cause smoking and
an odor.  All Singer motors which have lube tubes (including the
Featherweight) are constructed this way so hopefully no one else will
decide to clean out the tubes

   The little spring you found behind the face plate was probably the one
on the tension release lever.  It should cause no problem as long as the
lever is completely free moving.  If it sticks, you might have tension
problems sometimes.
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Mr. Issac Singer's History - Singer Sewing Machines

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Mr. Singer's History

=================================
From: (Gordon D. Jones)
Subject: Old sewing machines

Most collectors of antique sewing machines say a machine must be 100 yrs
old to be classed as an antique.  Sewing machines have been manufactured in
quantity since the 1850's.  During the last half of the 19th century, there
were around 200 companies manufacturing sewing machines in the US.  Of
those, less then 20 survived after the turn of the century.  Of the
surviving companies, none of the machines are manufactured in this country
today, not even Singers.  White sewing machines have been manufactured in
Japan since 1974 and New Home was sold to the Janome company of Japan in
1960.

If one is looking for a treadle machine to decorate your home (I have about
a dozen treadles), it will most likely be a Singer.  Why?  It is estimated
that Singer manufactured 21 million machines by the year 1900, and they
continued to make treadle machines through 1930.  You will certainly run
across other names as well.  The Smithsonian book " The Sewing Machine
It's Invention and Development" (unfortunatly out of print now), lists
about 4000 sewing machines names that were manufactured by less than 20
companies.  Names such as, Jones ( I have two of these - surprise!),
Duchess, Essex, Pet, Princess, Queen, McDonald,  etc.  These machines were
sold by every department store and Mom & Pop store in the country, hence
the large number of different names.  There was a McDonald dept. store in
the town I grew up in Nebraska, do you suppose??  National, Standard, A. G.
Mason, Davis, New Home, White, and Free made most of these machines for
others.  Singer never put any name but Singer on a machine he manufactured,
with one exception.  In 1905, Singer bought out the Wheeler and Wilson
company and continued to use the Wheeler and Wilson name on some models for
a short time.

Singer is the most successful sewing machine company in the US because of
the founder, Isaac Merrit Singer.  He was a marketing genius, a former
Shakespearean actor that new how to sell.  He was also successful in the
capability to mass produce parts for sewing machines that were
interchangable.  This, he borrowed from the firearms industry.  Before
1850, parts were hand made not interchangable.  The man who is recognized
as having contributed most to the mechanical development of the sewing
machine is Allen Benjamin Wilson.  He invented and received a patent for
the rotary-hook stitch forming mechanism in 1850.  He developed the four
motion feed (motion of the feed dogs), and received a patent in 1854.  All
modern sewing machines use a rotary hook and four motion feed.  A. B.
Wilson formed the Wheeler and Wilson company(Wheeler had the capital),
which was second only to Singer in numbers manufactured from 1850 until
1880.  Wilson was in poor health and had to quite the business, otherwise
the company would most likely have been number one.  I have  a  Wheeler and
Wilson #8, made about 1880. It's a delightful machine.
-------------------
From: Dawn Scotting 
Subject: More bits and pieces
From Gordy:
Singer never put any name but Singer on a machine he manufactured, with
one exception.  In 1905, Singer bought out the Wheeler and Wilson
company and continued to use the Wheeler and Wilson name on some models
for a short time.

The man who is recognized as having contributed most to the mechanical
development of the sewing machine is Allen Benjamin Wilson. He invented
and received a patent for the rotary-hook stitch forming mechanism in
1850. He developed the four motion feed (motion of the feed dogs), and
received a patent in 1854. All modern sewing machines use a rotary hook
and four motion feed. A. B. Wilson formed the Wheeler and Wilson
company (Wheeler had the capital), which was second only to Singer in
numbers manufactured from 1850 until 1880. Wilson was in poor health
and had to quite the business, otherwise the company would most likely
have been number one. I have a Wheeler and Wilson #8, made about
1880. It's a delightful machine.
----------------------------
Subject: RESPONSES AND TIDBITS
From: Terry (

The following information was gleaned from a March 3, 1986 article in Time
Magazine:

Singer (quote) plans to spin off its sewing operations to a separate firm
owned by Singer shareholders thus ending a 135-year old tradition.....The
market started to unravel in the mid-1970s when sales began declining from a
peak of 3 million units a year...Singer correctly read the writing on the
wall. Its sewing business had become an albatross.
Mahatma Gandhi called the Singer sewing machine "one of the few useful
things ever invented." Admiral Richard Byrd carted six Singers with him to
the Antarctic. During the late 19th century, Russia's Czar Alexander III
ordered workers to use the machines to make 250,000 tents for the Imperial
Army.
"Isaac Merritt Singer [said]: "I don't care a damn for the invention. The
dimes are what I'm after." He eventually pocketed about $13 million, some
of which supported the 24 children that Singer fathered by two wives and at
least three mistresses. (unquote)
----------------------------
Subject: singer history
Date: Sat, 13 Jan 96 02:04:00 PDT

SUE M.

I hope someone can help me with an historical Singer question. I've been
reading the Sincere history (I finally made myself a copy, so I wouldn't have
to keep borrowing it from the library) and I can't quite get the timeline
right. After the war, Singer went back to making the same old machines, which
I presume is where the 301 fits in (another straight stitch machine with the
slant needle variation).The author then says that Singer finally came out
with a marketable zigzag called the Slant-o-matic (which I assume is the 401
with a copyright date of 1958 in my manual). Later in the book, he says that
when Singer came out with the Touch & Sew series around 1960, they gradually
picked up some of the ground lost to the foreign companies. My question is:
was the 401 only really marketed for a couple of years, to be replaced by the
Touch and Sew (which went on forever)? It also seems strange that so many
301's survived since they were being sold when zigzags were the rage. Just
wondering - I would dearly love to find a complete history of the Singer
company - too bad the author moved to White after the war. Sue M.

I know the 401 wasn't the 1st zig-zag...the 319 came before that one.
Our listowner has one of those...they use a funny needle and smaller
cams. There was one other one before the 319...it may have been a 273?
I probably have that number wrong, but I know there was one more zig-zag
before the 319. The 401a was produced between 1960 and 1963 according
to singer, when I called them to try and date mine. They can't give an
exact date on it, though they can give an exact date for a model 99 made
at the same time....oh well. I don't know if the 401 came before the
401a, or what the differences were. I'll have to stop by
my local sewing machine guru's shop next week and see if he can help us out
with these deep questions. His dad was a singer man in the old days.
He still has some of his dad's sales books, which give information and
descriptions on the machines of the era. I wish I could get him to part
with one of them. Maybe he will copy one for me.

----------------------------
From: Kristina Santilla
Subject: History

Hi all!
I finally found an article that tells why the FW and its big
sisters were given the pink slip by Singer. The Dec. 20, 1958 issue of
Business Week has an article entitled *More push overseas for Singer
sewing*. Apparently the "Old Guard" at Singer believed they knew just
what consumers wanted in a sewing machine and were whammied by Necchi and
Pfaff importing zig-zag machines. Then they were double whammied by the
Japanese with low priced machines. When Singer finally figured out what
hit them, Singer was only selling 1/3 of the household machines on the
market, compared to 2/3 prewar. "Still... Singer continued to rest
chiefly on its old reliables-heavy, black(with gold lettering),
straight-stitch models dating from pre-war days."
Singer's answer was to finally install a new president along with
less conservative executives whose marketing stategies included heavy
advertising, pushing models with prices under $69 instead of over $300,
and for the first time selling through 70 department stores and dime
stores. I remember reading that much earlier Singer had sold through
Wannamaker's but that was different in that all Singer salespeople there
were factory trained and it actually operated more like a Singer outlet.
Foreign markets became more important to Singer as foreign
sales climbed to 60% of total income. Singer decided to produce locally
whenever possible. Previously the St. Johns, Canadian plant had exported
as much as 80% of its production to Latin America and the Clydebank,
Scotland plant was supplying both Great Britain and the U.S. About this
time they opened plants in Brazil, Mexico and Australia to supply local
areas. This article also mentions that the plant at Clydebank had 13,000
employees, and I read somwhere that that factory was so important to
Glascow that a Singer sewing machine was put on the city's coat of arms.
I guess we should be glad that the Singer people didn't catch on
sooner to the change in the consumer wants, or it would be even harder to
find a Featherweight.
----------------------------

Subject: more Singer bio plus a little history

Well, you all got me interested in this Mr Singer and I have always been
interested in history so I went to our little local library to see what I
could find. di nada! Not even in the encyclopedias. humph! So I was
talking to the librarians about this before I left, oh, because they were
showing me how to use our MCAT computer that we just got so we can search all
the libraries in the state of Maine. (I did find The Invention of the Sewing
Machine by Cooper which should be coming to me by InterLibraryLoan.) So I
went home feeling grumpy because of living where there isn't any anything and
the librarian called me about an hour later and said she just remembered that
when she read *Life at the Dakota* by Stephen Birmingham, Random House, 1979
that it had a chapter with a lot about Singer! This is because Edward Clark,
the man who built the Dakota (an absolutely fabulously unique apartment
building in NYC which still stands today and yes where John Lennon lived) was
the lawyer who was Singer's partner. So I got to read that and it was
interesting and later I was talking to my Mom, (who is 82) about this because
she grew up in NYC. Recently Mom went back to college at 78 and got her
Master's in History and she said *well of course, I wrote a paper about Isaac
Singer for my History of Technology course!* Yes she still had it!!!! I was
astounded, to put it mildly. It's a very good paper and has an excellent
bibliography, if anyone is interested in it I will xerox and send it via
snailmail - I mean the Bib. She also had a list of her course readings and
some it it is very interesting. The invention of all this technology did not
necessarily free women up. In fact one book is called *More work for mother*
The point being that many many families (not just the upper classes) farmed
out a lot of their house work - ie went to laundresses, seamstresses, bakers,
etc. With the loss of servants and the increase of new machinery Mothers
started doing all the things that had been delegated to others before - so,
although the work was easier, there was more of it! An interesting point.
Enough for today, which is better than the good old days! Henrietta in Blue
Hill, Maine (Httacl@aol.com)
----------------------------
From:
Subject: Re: more Singer bio plus a little history

Hi Henrietta. Hi all.
Yes, I did read that Edward Clark was Singer's Partner. I think he was a
lawyer and a crafty one. He did get one up on Singer, which I understand
was a hard thing to do. I did not know that he built the Dakota, but I'm
very familiar with the building. I go next door to the Dallas BBQ as often
as I can. Great food there. Singer was a wild man. If I recall correctly
he had about 5 "wives," and sometimes he had wives 2 at a time, and 20 kids.
His genious was not in inventing, although he was OK at "improving" things,
but at marketing. The sewing machine was originally aimed at tailors, but
Singer invented the idea of marketing to housewives. My dad called me
yesterday with some old newspapers he had bought and was reading to me from
them. He said there were alot of ads for sewing machines from various
companies, and the Singers were advertised at $75 to $100, not a cheap sum
by any means, especially for 1860. One of the marketing techniques
mentioned that there was a shortage of household help so that the sewing
machine was really necessary so that the homemaker can get the clothes sewn.
I can't wait to get my hands on the papers so I can read the ads myself.
Henrietta, I would be most interested to read your mom's paper.
----------------------------
From: (Brenda Dean)
Subject: Mr. Singer and other things

**************************************************************************
Actor, inventor, super - salesman, lover and sewing machine guru.

Issac Merritt Singer was born in New York in 1811. His ambition was to be an
actor , but his parents were poor German immigrants with a large family and
no money to spare. Singer began his working life as an apprentice to a tool
and machine maker. He left this job to join a travelling theatre group,
which gave him the opportunity to try his hand at acting but failed to make
him rich. The group eventually went broke and a penniless Singer turned to
inventing as a means of earning a living. Whilst working with a tool
manufacturer in Virginia he came across a sewing machine in need of repair.
He studied the machine and considered it clumsy and unreliable. He knew he
could build a better machine himself and after only eleven days Singer
produced his first prototype.

Singer took out his first sewing machine patent in 1851. The Singer
Perpendicular Action Sewing Machine was offered for sale all over America.
Singer was a showman at heart and enjoyed demonstrating his machines at
fairs and circuses all around the country. Within two years he was selling
more machines than any other single manufacturer. This did not impress Elias
Howe who had taken out the first sewing machine patent in 1846. Singer was
using a mechanism similar to the one used by Howe and Howe demanded payment
from Singer for infringement of his patent. A long legal battle followed and
the press of the day reported on Singer's theatrical performances in court,
but in the end Singer admitted defeat paying Howe $15,000 in settlement of
Royalties.

Over the next twenty years the number of SM manufactures grew from seven to
more than thirty and the sales of sewing machines from 5000 in 1854 to more
than half a million in 1874. (Singer selling more than 50% of these.) His
success wasn't simply due to a better product but because he offered only
one or two models at any one time and adopted a new approach to selling. He
used pretty girls to demonstrate his machines in luxuriously appointed
showrooms. He introduced payment by installment, gave after sales service
and encouraged his customers to take advantage of generous trade in
allowances. (It's interesting to note that Singer destroyed many good sewing
machines used as trade ins to reduce the number of second- hand machines on
the market.)

Singer did leave some time for other persutes! By 1867 he had fathered 18
children by a variety of wives and mistresses and his conservative business
partner, Edward Clark, became concerened at the effect this immoral
lifestyle could have on the business. Clark presented Singer and his family
lived first of all in Paris, France then in Devon, England where Singer died
in 1875 at the age of 63. At the time of his death he had married five times
and fathered 22 children!

After his death the family continued to mingle in the best social circles.
Singer's son Paris had an affair with the famous dancer Isadora Duncan which
resulted in the birth of their son Patrick whilst Singer's widow, Isabella
is reputed to have been Barthold's model for the statue of Liberty.

The Singer company went from strength to strength and by 1891 ten million
Singer sewing machines had been made.......
----------------------------
From: Graham Forsdyke (100661.3256@CompuServe.COM)
Subject: Singer Contribution Pt 1

By popular demand
Singer's sex life Part one
LIKING, as I do, a neat turn of phrase, I enjoyed tremendously the short
profile of Isaac Merritt Singer given by the Torbay Civic Society in its
leaflet available at Singer's house "Oldway Mansion".
The leaflet spoke of his fleeing to France whilst being sued for
alimoney with seven co-respondents being named, but said that, once there,
his "philoprogenitive predilections" once more came to the fore and he gave
six children to yet another woman. This prompted me to dig deeper into the
marital and extra-marital activities of the 19th-century bluebeard.
Isaac Merritt Singer lived over half his life in a hand-to-mouth sort of
existence, frequently poor, and when wealth was thrust upon him he was
able to spend the next 25 years making up for lost time.
He was born in Schaghticoke, New York. In early manhood he moved to
Waterloo, New York, where he got work as a wood turner.
He was married in 1830 to Catherine Haley and their first child was
born four years later.
Even then it seems he was much given to consorting with other women, being
quite popular with the fair sex on account of his natural ability as an actor
and imitator.
In 1837 a second child was born to them in New York City where they were
living, and this year was the last he spent with his first wife before going
on the road as a strolling player.
Wife number two was an 18-year-old Baltimore girl Mary Anne Sponsler.
Singer saw her one night from the stage of the theatre in Baltimore where
he was acting and sought her out. It wasn't long before they were living in
New York as man and wife, having quite conveniently quarreled with his legal
wife at the same time.

He told his new companion when she insisted that he must marry her that he
would do so as soon as he was able to get a divorce. Miss Sponsler had to
share a great deal of poverty with Singer in a relationship which lasted 28
years. She took lessons to fit herself for the stage and the two, under the
name of Mr and Mrs Merritt, played temperance pieces in churches all over
the country.
They followed this life for 14 years. They were wretchedly poor and everything
they had in the world was in the one-horse wagon with which they wandered from
town to town.
Whilst they were in Chicago Singer invented a reaping machine and later an
engine for carving wood type. This was the start of the Singers' fortune. In
1850 he had completed the inventions that made up the Singer sewing machine.
He returned again to New York, but this time he set up a stylish
accommodation at No. 14 Fifth Avenue. The first, and only true, Mrs Singer
seems then to have been forgotten and banished to an apartment in Brooklyn.
Number two was everywhere regarded as the inventor's wife, her visiting cards
and invitations to parties that she gave bore the name of Mrs I M Singer. She
ordered goods at stores as Mrs Singer and Singer paid all the bills. She and
Isaac visited her parents at Baltimore as man and wife and so registered
wherever they stopped in hotels.
She bore him 10 children, which added to the two from Catherine Haley, brought
his score at this date to a round dozen.
----------------------------
From: Graham Forsdyke (100661.3256@CompuServe.COM)
Subject: singer part 2

Singer's love life part two

In 1860, 24 years after he had left his first companion, he legally
divorced Catherine Haley Singer.
If Mary Sponsler thought that this was the beginning of their real
romance she was very wrong. Seven months after the divorce Miss Sponsler,
riding in her own carriage, saw him with Mary McGonigal. Se stood up in
her carriage and screamed abuse at her common-law husband.
When Singer came home he beat Mary Sponsler and eventually she had him
arrested, but they later married.
At the suggestion of the company, Singer then left for Europe, and in the year
that he was away it was revealed that he had been living with two other women
in New York City who both thought themselves his only companion.
That same Mary McGonigal had born him five children. He and she lived together
as Mr and Mrs Matthews. Miss Mary E Water, who lived with him under the name of
Mrs Merritt, had added another child to the list.
Singer's absence also allowed his solicitors to deal unhindered with Mary Anne
Sponsler who sued for divorce and was awarded $8,000 alimony, then the largest
amount ever obtained. Singer's lawyers managed to parley this down to a smaller
figure, but threw in one of Singer's large and valuable houses as part of the
deal.
Within a month she had secretly married one John E Foster, not telling any of
her family of the ceremony for fear that it would jeopardise the divorce
settlement from Singer.
But she hurt herself badly in a fall from a chair and believing herself to be
dying told one of her daughters of the marriage. As this daughter's husband was
an officer of the Singer company and knew which side his cloth plate was oiled,
Isaac Merritt soon learned of the secret wedding and caused his divorced wife
to relinquish all claims upon him and to vacate the house. She went to live
with Foster.
The fifth regular lady then appeared in his wife. She was a French woman who he
had met during his year abroad. On June 13 1865, seven weeks after wife number
two had renounced her claims upon him, he was married to Isobel Eugenie Boyce
under the name of Isobel E Sommerville, and with her went to Paris to live.
Whilst he was there a great house was built in the New York suburb of Yonkers,
and when it was finished the pair returned there to live, inviting hundreds to
the house-warming party.
But few turned up. Even Singer's great wealth and fabulous parties couldn't
undo the reputation that he had built and most of the invited guests thought
it best to stay away.
----------------------------
From: G Forsdyke (100661.3256@CompuServe.COM)
Subject: history

1) First marketed domestic sewing machines were available in the mid 1850s from
a host of companies, mostly in the new- England area of America and in the
Midlands of England.
2) Singer first marketed in the mid 1850s but initially he aimed at industrial
users.
3) Singer did not invent a machine in toto but like most other pioneers added a
particular detail improvement. Most important patents were the Wheeler and
Wilson four motion feed, Howe's eye-pointed needle and horizontal shuttle (now
thought to be bogus) and Bachelder's feeding device and vertical needle (bought
by Singer), Morey and Johnson's presser foot (bought by Singer) and Singer's
own heart-shaped cam to move the needle bar.
4) Cost of family-type treadle machine would have been around $100 in 1860,
reducing to around $10 in 1890.
5) Big names in 1850-60s were Grover and Baker, Singer, Wheeler and Wilson,
Howe, Weed, Royal, Bradbury, Jones etc.
6) Only USA England and Germany played any real part in early manufacturing
7) No reliable figures for total machines sold but by 1860 Singer had made
25,000; by 1870, 127,000.
8) First American sewing machine patent was in 1842 granted to John Greenough
using a two-pointed needle with a central eye. First practical patent was to
Englishman Thomas Saint 1790 but in the ISMACS archive is a 1638 patent but it
seems more theory than a practical propsition.
----------------------------
From: brenda@ismacs.com.au (Brenda Dean)
Subject: Mr. Singer and other things

**************************************************************************
Actor, inventor, super - salesman, lover and sewing machine guru.

Issac Merritt Singer was born in New York in 1811. His ambition was to be an
actor , but his parents were poor German immigrants with a large family and
no money to spare. Singer began his working life as an apprentice to a tool
and machine maker. He left this job to join a traveling theatre group,
which gave him the opportunity to try his hand at acting but failed to make
him rich. The group eventually went broke and a penniless Singer turned to
inventing as a means of earning a living. Whilst working with a tool
manufacturer in Virginia he came across a sewing machine in need of repair.
He studied the machine and considered it clumsy and unreliable. He knew he
could build a better machine himself and after only eleven days Singer
produced his first prototype.

Singer took out his first sewing machine patent in 1851. The Singer
Perpendicular Action Sewing Machine was offered for sale all over America.
Singer was a showman at heart and enjoyed demonstrating his machines at
fairs and circuses all around the country. Within two years he was selling
more machines than any other single manufacturer. This did not impress Elias
Howe who had taken out the first sewing machine patent in 1846. Singer was
using a mechanism similar to the one used by Howe and Howe demanded payment
from Singer for infringement of his patent. A long legal battle followed and
the press of the day reported on Singer's theatrical performances in court,
but in the end Singer admitted defeat paying Howe $15,000 in settlement of
Royalties.

Over the next twenty years the number of SM manufactures grew from seven to
more than thirty and the sales of sewing machines from 5000 in 1854 to more
than half a million in 1874. (Singer selling more than 50% of these.) His
success wasn't simply due to a better product but because he offered only
one or two models at any one time and adopted a new approach to selling. He
used pretty girls to demonstrate his machines in luxuriously appointed
showrooms. He introduced payment by installment, gave after sales service
and encouraged his customers to take advantage of generous trade in
allowances. (It's interesting to note that Singer destroyed many good sewing
machines used as trade ins to reduce the number of second- hand machines on
the market.)

Singer did leave some time for other persutes! By 1867 he had fathered 18
children by a variety of wives and mistresses and his conservative business
partner, Edward Clark, became concerned at the effect this immoral
lifestyle could have on the business. Clark presented Singer and his family
lived first of all in Paris, France then in Devon, England where Singer died
in 1875 at the age of 63. At the time of his death he had married five times
and fathered 22 children!

After his death the family continued to mingle in the best social circles.
Singer's son Paris had an affair with the famous dancer Isadora Duncan which
resulted in the birth of their son Patrick whilst Singer's widow, Isabella
is reputed to have been Barthold's model for the statue of Liberty.

The Singer company went from strength to strength and by 1891 ten million
Singer sewing machines had been made.......

**************************************************************************
From: Clay & Shelly Leihy (clay-l@k2nesoft.com)
Subject: Singer in NYT, motor cleaning, etc.

Hi all! Thought I'd post another couple of NY Times articles. Thanks to
all who replied with follow-up info to the last one. I was going to post
the July 1951 article about Singer's exhibit on 2000 years of sewing,
but at about half the length of the entire column, it's a lot of typing!
(Though if enough people insist, I could add it to our website.) Anyway,
here goes:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The New York Times, September 17, 1951 (page 32)

"SINGER PLANS EXHIBIT
100th Anniversary of Patent to Be Marked This Week
ELIZABETH, N. J., Sept. 16--
The 100th anniversary of the patenting of the first Singer sewing
machine will be observed by the Singer Manufacturing Company at its
recreation building here for two weeks, beginning tomorrow. The
observance, a company spokesman said, will include exhibition of new and
old sewing machines, demonstrations of a variety of unusual uses for
sewing machines and exhibits of activities here.
The programs will be given nightly, Monday through Friday, from 7 to 9
o'clock, with the 9400 employees of the local Singer plant and their
families attending on specified evenings. Sept. 22 has been set aside
for the Singer Veteran Employees [sic] Association, composed of retired
and active workers on the company payroll for forty years or more.
Cooperating in the celebration is the Diehl Manufacturing Company in
Finderne, N. J., a Singer subsidiary, whose employees [sic] are among the
total of 20,000 to whom the company is expected to play host."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The New York Times, February 24, 1955 (page 42)

"Advertising and Marketing News"

The Singer Sewing Machine Company has a new junior-size machine and a
new marketing plan. It is introducing a precision-designed miniature
sewing machine for children, to be offered both as a toy and as a primer
for the neophyte.

 Further, the company, which for seventy years has been retailing its
products through company-owned sewing centers exclusively, will sell
through toy shops and department stores, through Joseph J. Bartnett,
Inc., sales representative. The new policy will apply only to the
miniature machine, called the Sewhandy, according to Charles F. Bruder,
Singer vice president.

 F. A. O. Schwarz, toy retailer, will be the first to handle the
machine, and a special window display is planned during the American Toy
Fair next month.

 Mr. Bruder expects national distribution to be completed by June 1, and
a national trade and consumer advertising program is in the planning
stage, through Young & Rubicam, Inc. The theme will be 'Mother, daughter
and dolly appeal.' The machine will retail for $12.95, with the case
extra."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Need back relief from sitting so long at the computer or sewing machine?  Visit Gail's
Chair Yoga Fitness website

Some other sites with Singer History |
The History of the sewing machine Howe and Singer | A bit of info
on Issac Singer | Antique Sewing Machine C. Law
Singer History |

Featherweight Tension Adjustments by Alex Sussex, #singerfeatherweight #sewingtensionadjustments

Singer Featherweight 221 222 Tension adjustment by Alex Sussex

Again, thank you Alex Sussex for all your contributions about the Singer Featherweight!
Gail Pickens-Barger 3/2017

From: AlexSussex@aol.com
LOWER TENSION ADJUSTMENT PART ONE 
ALEX ENGLAND
I am sending this message in two parts so look for the second part and join
them up for a complete guide.

Now that I have caught up a little I can get back to putting a few things on
the digests. Today I am going to talk about one of the most misunderstood
parts of the sewing machine.
LOWER THREAD TENSION ADJUSTMENT.
Only the brave or the foolish should read on. In many instruction manuals it
will say something like, the lower tension is set at the factory and should
not be adjusted. That is all and well, but twenty years have passed the
factory closed and your tensions are all over the place, you have got 
sewing to do and you want it right.
At the tender age of seventeen one of my masters took me through the 
basics of tension adjustments, then spent the next twenty years trying to 
hammer it into me how important it is to every sewing machine ever made. 
No matter if you have the latest all singing all dancing computer that talks 
to you and does the washing up for you or a hundred year old antique 
that simply looks lovingly at you but wont perform.
If you are having trouble with your sewing machine stitch quality and you
have done all the usual things, like played around with the top tension for a
week, thrown the machine out of the bedroom window and then tried to 
see if it will still work before telling your husband that you were burgled 
and the thieves dropped your machine whilst escaping. There is the 
possibility that the lower tension of the machine is out of balance. 

Now before we go any further, do not, I repeat, do not adjust your machine if you are happy with your stitch. A simple test if your tensions are well balanced is to sew a piece of cotton fabric about six inches in length, then get the ends of the thread that are left and give them a sharp tug. Now if the tensions are good the thread should snap without pulling out of the work, in other words, you have a proper LOCK STITCH.

If you find that the thread is pulling out of one side or the other then you are 
out of balance and your threads are not lockedinto the fabric, leading to a 
weak seam. Tension balancing is a little understood procedure and many so 
called repair people will mess around with the wrong part of your machine 
and make little or no improvement. How many of you have taken your sickly 
machines into a shop for a service and received them back smothered in oil 
and not much better with a nice bill for nothing.
Well, here goes I will try and explain the enigma that has eluded people for
so long. Even the great inventor Isaac Singer had terrible trouble getting
the tensions right on his first patent model, so you are not alone. 

The classic symptoms of lower tension collapse are quite obvious. Look 
at your stitch and see if the lower thread has pulled through to the top of 
the fabric, the underneath will look fine perhaps a little loose, however the 
top thread will be able to be pulled out of the fabric. 

This is because the lower thread is laying on the fabric, not pulling 
the top thread into the fabric. You will notice with this symptom that 
you have little or no effect by altering the top tension dial and often think 
that it is a top tension dial fault.
O. K so here goes, hold on tight it is going to get nasty, have your
painkillers ready. Step one, setting the top tension. Assuming that your top
tension is working can be a fatal flaw but is easily checked. Most sewing
machines even quite early ones have automatic top tension release 
mechanisms.

This means that once the sewing foot is raised the top thread tension is
automatically released so that you can pull your work out of the machine
without the thread breaking.  

To test this simply raise your sewing foot and see if the thread pulls out easier than if it were lowered ready for sewing.

To test if the thread is being held by the tension discs properly when ready
for sewing, you need to pull the thread from where it comes out of the eye of the needle-with the foot lowered.

The thread ON ALL MACHINES should be tight enough to bend the needle 
when pulled. If it does not then you need to investigate why it is not 
tight. 
The most common reason is a restriction between the tension discs 
themselves, caused by fluff, corrosion or trapped threads. a loose top 
thread leads to a bunching of thread UNDERNEATH the work (or looping 
on minor tension failure). 

Once you have done this put your numbered tension dial halfway, for instance if you have a dial that goes from one to four put it on two,
one to nine put in between the four and five, get the idea. on older machines with no tension dial numbers turn the dial clockwise until the thread bends the needle when pulled through as I have mentioned earlier.

Then leave the top thread tension alone. Well, by now only
the mad will still be with me the brave and the foolish have gone out for
pizza, and we have not even got to the lower thread tension that we are going to discuss. That will be part two further down.

ALEX SUSSEX
SEWING MACHINES
EASTBOURNE ENGLAND
LOWER THREAD ADJUSTMENT PART TWO, Singer Featherweight 
Sewing Machine ALEX, ENGLAND
This is the second and final part of lower thread adjustment.
Now the lower tensions fall into basically two types for lock stitch
machines. Ones with bobbin cases and ones without. We have to deal 
with eachseparately but both have common symptoms and cures. So I 
will take the machines with bobbin cases first. It is important to 
say at this stage that sewing threads alter a great deal in thickness 
and stickyness (that is definitely not a word but you know what I mean). 

I once had a call out to Brighton District General Hospital because 
twelve machines had all  broken down on the same day, only to 
discover it was a faulty batch of new thread. If you look closely at, 
for instance a new polyester and put it against an old reel of cotton, 
you know the one that you just could not throw away from your grannies 
old stuff because you might just need a sunset orange thread one day. 

You will notice that the new polyester can be up to half the
thickness of the old cotton. In simple terms, this means that by switching
from polyester to the old cotton you have instantly changed the thread
tension by a huge amount and this can lead instantly to a poor stitch. How
many times have you put your trusty old sewing machine away working
perfectly, and a few days later it is messing about. What you have not
realised is that it is possible that the change in thread has caused this
problem. Some sticky old cottons are only fit for hand sewing or tacking or
winding onto your husbands fishing reel so that he can tell you of the
monster that got away.

Always keep a reel of new White thread handy and if

your machine plays up switch to it and see if the stitch is better, nine
times out of ten the thread is the culprit and you just have to be brave and
bin it, or chuck it at a neighbors cat that has just dug up your flower bed
(perfect weight and size for that, so I am told). Now where was I, Oh yes
back to the all important bobbin case thread adjustment. Wind a full bobbin
of new white thread the same type that you normally sew with, it is not
important if it is silk, cotton, polyester or a mix, just your usual thread.
Place the bobbin into the bobbin case and suspend the bobbin by the thread, like a spider hanging from a thread.
Now we are getting to the nitty-gritty of tension adjustment the real bread and beans of the matter. If when you hold the thread the case simply drops to the floor you need to adjust the bobbin case screw clockwise until it just holds its own weight, So that when you shake it a little it drops a little.

It is not so important which way you put the bobbin into the case, some find a machine sews better with the bobbin going one way some the other,  only trial and error points this out for your machine (loads of people are going to disagree with this, never mind). Now whilst the spider, opps, bobbin and case are suspended by the thread simply jerk your hand a little and see what the case does.

This is the MAGIC point known in the trade as the balance point for your type of thread. If the case does not move you need to adjust the bobbin case screw anticlockwise until it drops a little accordingly. Once you have mastered this adjustment you will be in great demand at all sewing classes as you transform misbehaving sewing machines in an instant.

Hold on I am not finished, no happy dancing just yet, no running out and buying twenty lottery tickets because you feel lucky (remember me if you win). Although this is the balance point some machines need to be adjusted slightly tighter or looser for the perfect stitch. When adjusting from this point make only very small movements of the screw, about one-sixteenth of a turn at a time.

After each adjustment run a trial stitch and examine. Once you are nearly right you can go back to the top tension unit again and make final adjustments say from a four to a five to get it just perfect.

machine, you know the ones where you just drop in the bobbin and hook it
around the spring plate is much the same. You need to do this more by feel, you need to FEEL the thread resistance by pulling the thread.

Adjusting the newer type plastic cases that are set permanently into the

One of the ways to do this is to place a fine hand sewing needle into a cork (pinch one of your husbands or better still open up a new bottle of wine with dinner) so that about two inches of the needle is protruding from the cork. Then tie the thread from the machine case through the eye of the needle and whilst holding the bottom of the cork pull the thread.

Now it should have a slight resistance and slightly, only slightly bend the needle. Once again if it does not you need to tighten the case adjustment screw clockwise. If it bends too much you need to loosen it a touch, remember tiny adjustments only. Well, hey presto that is it, if you can master lower thread adjustment you will have a control of your machine rather than it controlling you. One final point (by now the painkillers for that pounding headache have started to work) if you mix your threads it is a lottery whether the tensions will work effectively.

The worst culprits are the old wooden reels of cotton that can
become hard, springy, weak and sticky they can really mess up your sewing
machine, big time. Try and stick to the same threads, if in doubt about a
thread, bin it, really all the grey hairs and profanities it can cause is
just not worth it.

It has taken me three hours to type out and explain something that really only 
takes a few seconds to perform. Now you know why instruction books 
hardly ever mention lower thread adjustments.
I hope this has helped any of you that have a tension problem. It has 

From ALEX SUSSEX SEWING MACHINES
EASTBOURNE, GREAT BRITAIN

Common Causes of Singer Featherweight 221 Sewing Machine Trouble

Deloris Pickens Thoughts on Common Causes of
Singer Featherweight 221 Sewing Machine Trouble

Causes of Upper Thread Breaking

• Machine improperly threaded (see instruction book).
• Tensions too tight.
• Needle bent or having a blunt point.
• Thread too coarse for size of the needle (see instruction book).
• Needle too fine for the size of thread and material to be sewn.
• Burr on needle hole in throat plate (caused from sewing over pins or breaking needle).
• Burr on needle hole in throat plate (caused by breaking needle when pulling material from the machine).
• Needle incorrectly set.
• Needle too long for the machine, or not all the way up in the clamp.
• Take-up spring bent or broken (see adjuster for repair).
• Tension disks are worn so that thread works in the groove.

Causes of Lower Thread Breaking

• Improper threading of bobbin case (see instruction book).
• Tension too tight.
• Thread wound unevenly on bobbin or bobbin wound too full.
• Spring on bobbin case is worn to a sharp edge.
• Burr on the underside of throat plate (sometimes caused by sewing over pins or breaking needle).

To Avoid Breaking Needles

• Do not sew heavy seams with a needle to fine.
• Use proper size needle for thread and material to be sewn.
• See that the presser foot or attachments are securely fastened to the bar and that the needle does not strike the edge of the hole or slot in the presser foot or attachment.
• Do not pull the material to one side when taking it from the machine. The needle may become bent and strike the back of the needle hole.
• Do not bend the needle when pulling out the needle before cutting the thread.
• Do not leave pins in the material after basting and sew over them with the machine.

Skipping Stitches

• Needle not correctly or accurately set into the needle bar, blunt, or bent.
• Needle too small for the thread used.

Stitches Looping

• Looped stitches are usually caused by improper tension. If the loop is on the upper side, it may be corrected by tightening the under tension. If the loop is on the underside, it may usually be corrected by tightening the upper tension.

For Average Sewing Keep Your Tension Set on 4.

Before trying to adjust a tension problem:

1. Be sure the machine is properly threaded.
2. That the bobbin is inserted correctly
3. That the needle is inserted correctly
4. That the needle is good and the brand of thread is of good quality.

Other reasons for tension problems are any kind of chemical contamination caused by fusible interfacing or things that have glue involved in the sewing process. If you feel that you need to adjust the tension after checking all these things then only adjust the top tension. To increase tension on the top side of your stitching lower the top tension a little at a time until the tension balances. To increase the tension on the bottom side of the stitching increases the top tension until the stitch balances.

Always insert the needle with the flat side to the left.

Be sure the bobbin turns counterclockwise when you pull on the thread with the bobbin inserted in the bobbin case.

If you have skipping or broken threads, try a new needle inserted properly.

Use Schmetz needles for best results. Universal point needles for average fabrics. Ballpoint needles for stretch fabrics. Sharp point needles for dense fabrics. You can also use Quilting needles. Topstitch needles and Leather needles. Remember you cannot change your needle too often. A good rule of thumb is to change needles every other project. When in doubt change it! The size of the needles is important. Use a 70/10 for delicate fabrics. Use an 80/12 or a 90/14 for average fabrics. For heavy fabrics use a 100/16 or 110/18.

It is very important to use good threads such as Gutermann, Mettler or Signature. This is especially true for skipping and broken thread problems.

#singerfeatherweight #singer221 #singer221K #singerfeatherweightfreearm #singerfeatherweightcrinkle #sewingmachine #vintagesinger

Singer 221 Crinkle and Blackside Sewing Machines

Darla Trenner, has researched and designed a wonderful website about the Singer Crinkle and Blackside Sewing Machines. (Including the 221 machines.) Her site is no longer available.  I've listed her research here for your insight and knowledge.

What is a Blackside 221?

Manufactured before and after WWII when chromium and nickel were difficult to come by, the   Featherweight Blackside machine has a japan finish and gold decals identical to the Standard 221 but its faceplate is not plated like the standard machine, it is coated black.The coating provides a dull, non-reflective finish.

In an effort to determine the method Singer used to blacken parts, I am gathering information on the passivation and phosphating processes used during the time of 221 blackside production. If you have information which may aid the search.

Although the handwheel rim on the majority of reported Featherweight 221's prior to AG818000 is silver, the handwheel rim on all reported blackside machines is the shiny black japan finish.

Additionally, the backplate on the stitch length regulator is solid black (with the exception of the stitch length markings) on all reported blackside machines.

The presser foot lifter bar on reported blackside machines is predominantly shiny black instead of silver.

There are currently two identified production runs that contain Featherweight 221 blackside machines—July 1, 1941 and September 19, 1945. The serial numbers of blackside 221 machines are not consecutive, they are intermixed with standard machines in the production runs.

There are also non-blackside Featherweight machines in the two known production runs that have a black presser foot lifter bar and non-blackside machines with a solid black stitch length regulator backplate.
After more than 50 years it is likely that these machines are not in 'original' condition—parts break, become misplaced, and get replaced. It is unknown whether all blackside 221 machines originally included a black presser foot lifter bar,  bobbin case, bobbins, presser feet, or accessories... and it probably will never be known.
Machines documented as blackside 221's in the database coincide with a known blackside 221 production run, have a black scroll faceplate, and have a black handwheel rim.

The Featherweight 221 was not the only blackside model Singer produced and not the first; in the AF and AG series alone there are model 66, 99, and 128 machines with black coated faceplates, presser feet, and accessories. All parts on the blackside machines are standard, the finish is simply different.

Urban Legend: 221 Blackside with a Black Pressed Steel Faceplate
In the book "Featherweight 221 - The Perfect Portable" by Nancy Johnson-Srebro, the author states that a 221 machine from the November 22, 1946 production run—AG883740—has a black pressed steel faceplate, much like the faceplates used on the 221K white and 221J tan machines and a teardrop-shaped faceplate retaining screw.

221K white and 221J tan faceplates are easily identified; they have a slot approximately 1/4" long and 1/16" wide at the very top of the faceplate that is used to locate a supporting screwhead. Additionally, 16 standard Featherweights with serial numbers ranging from AE to AM have been reported with repainted or stripped and plated 221K or 221J faceplates.

The database contains 489 other model 221 machines from the November 22, 1946 production run, all of which are standard machines.

In September of 2009 a similar machine was sold on an Internet auction site for $341.67 plus shipping.
Both the seller and buyer granted permission to use their pictures on this website. This machine is from the September 16, 1946 production run—AG811471.

The database contains 426 other model 221 machines from the September 16, 1946 production run, all of which are standard machines.

After viewing the pictures my observations are:

• The paint on the faceplate has what appears to be spiderwebbing indicative of spray painting rather than a baked on finish.
• There appear to be file marks on the edges of the casting where the faceplate is mounted.
• The faceplate fits poorly.
• The screwhead is not centered in the receiving slot and has damage marks from the tool used when it was removed or installed.

Based on the current information available it is logical to surmise the machine has been modified with a replacement faceplate that has been painted black, most likely from a 221K (originally white/green) or 221J (originally tan/beige) machine. It is not reasonable that Singer would produce a product configuration with such poor aesthetic and workmanship.

Standard Faceplate	Blackside Scroll Faceplate	221K White Faceplate

The new owner communicated with both myself and Graham Forsdyke regarding the machine calling herself Rachel Smith when e-mailing me and Danielle (no last name) when e-mailing Graham. Graham arranged to have the machine brought to the Charlotte, North Carolina, ISMACS Sewing Machine Convention in October of 2009 intending to thoroughly check it out including measuring the screw thread size and comparing the faceplate to that on tan and white machines.

After the convention Graham contacted me indicating that Danielle/Rachel "failed to show for the appointment to hand the machine over to Lloyd for transport to Charlotte and hasn't been heard from since."

In October of 2009, the new owner listed the machine on the same Internet auction site with an initial opening bid of $1,999 and buy-it-now of $2,500; the listing was continuously renewed through May of 2010 with the opening bid as low as $799 and as high as $1,925.

Then on May 7, 2010, the machine was listed as a 7-day auction with an opening bid of $0.99 and no reserve. The revised ad stated the machine was evaluated by an unnamed expert who concluded the faceplate was from a 1960's 221J.

The machine sold on May 14, 2010, for $401.01 plus shipping.

AG811471 Screwhead Alignment	AG811471 Faceplate Fit

Concerning the teardrop-shaped screw:

After studying the picture of this machine on page 72 of the 1997 edition of "Featherweight 221 - The Perfect Portable", a member of Featherweight Fanatics pointed out that any Featherweight 221 can appear to have a teardrop-shaped screw by raising the presser foot lifter bar and simulating the angle at which the picture was taken. On page 204 of the 2001 edition of her book, Ms. Srebro retracted the statements in earlier editions regarding the teardrop-shaped screw.

http://home.roadrunner.com/~featherweight/

What is a Crinkle 221? 

Unlike the shiny japan finish on the Standard Featherweight 221, the bed of the Featherweight 221 crinkle machine has a dull textured finish and three parallel grooves cut into the perimeter. Its faceplate is either the standard plated striated faceplate that was introduced on Featherweights during the AH serial number series in 1947 or a plain black faceplate with three vertical grooves down the center.

There are at least two theories on the design of these machines; it's possible they were produced to a specific order or they may have been manufactured on marketing speculation.

We may never know the true origin of the Featherweight 221 crinkle machine, but what is known is that Singer produced other models with a crinkle finish: models 66, 99, and 128 well before the 221 crinkle machine was manufactured.

However, none of these models had grooves cut into their beds like the crinkle Featherweight 221.At the time, the Featherweight 221 was Singer's most produced and most popular model; the grooves may have been added as a simple decoration.

Beginning in 1997 I've corresponded with the Office of the Quartermaster General, Army salvage depots, field service maintenance branch; Air Force maintenance and engineering branch; procurement division; Navy bureau of supplies and accounts, procurement division, material distribution and disposal, aviation supply depot, bureau of construction and repair, shop equipment sections, etc.

Where I could not convince clerks to dig through the documentation, I pulled in favors from friends living and visiting all over the U.S. who have generously given their time to look through mounds of military documents, maritime museum archives, the National Archives and Records historical documents, records of war production, Lend/Lease Administration archives, War Production Board archives, Office of Price Administration archives, Department of Justice Federal Prison Industries, Federal Property Utilization Branch of the Treasury Department, Purchase and Contract branch, etc.
This research encompassed the years 1930 through 1950.

Through these efforts, I have documentation of military contracts for Singer models 241, 17, 97, 68, 69, 144, and class 7 (model 31) but no branch of the armed services has produced a contract or purchase order for a Singer model 221.

There are currently two identified production runs of Singer Featherweight 221 crinkle machines—December 5th, 1939 and August 15th, 1940. The serial numbers of crinkle 221 machines currently appear to be consecutive in the first production run and intermixed with japan-finished machines in the second production run.
The faceplates on all reported 221 crinkle machines in the first run—December 5th, 1939—are black with three parallel grooves like the grooves on the bed.

The faceplates on reported 221 crinkle machines in the second run—August 15th, 1940—are a mix of the black grooved faceplate and the plated striated faceplate that was introduced on Featherweights during the AH serial number series in 1947.

Standard Faceplate	Crinkle Plain Faceplate	Striated Faceplate