Dave

Courtesy of Dave King

Ward Arm & Platform

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Weir 'The Globe'

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Whight & Mann, Prima Donna

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William Pretty, Corset Manufacturer, Ipswich, England

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Whight & Mann Excelsior Advertisement

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Willcox & Gibbs Spool Pin Pictures

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The Flypress, used for forming the cup

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The press tool, a hand made blank at 61mm diameter and the finished cup. As the tool will be used to make very few parts it is just made of mild steel, no need to harden it. The press tool is made the same size as the finished cup. The bore of the die is 46.4mm diameter and 7mm deep. I used 1.2mm steel so the punch (top part of the tool) will be 2.4mm smaller plus a little clearance, so 43.95mm. The bottom half (the die) has a flat base so when you press the sheet metal in to it you get a nice crisp corner on the cup

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Line the blank disc up with the die so it is central and the punch down firmly

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The raw cup, as it comes out of the press

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Pop it in the lathe and clean up the outside edge. Deburr and polish the edge as the thread must run smoothly over this. Drill the centre hole 4.5mm diameter

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The shaft of the spool pin is 6mm diameter. Turn the end down to 5.3mm diameter by 14mm long and round off the end. Do not cut the shaft to length yet as it is easier to hold in the milling vice while it is longer

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Using a small slitting saw (from memory 3/64” thick and ¾” diameter) on the milling machine cut the clearance slot for the retaining spring

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Still on the milling machine use a 1/16” slot drill to straighten the end of the slot to 2mm deep, this is so you can drill the hole in step 11 without the drill trying to run out of the side of the shaft

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Cut the spool pin to about 74mm long and finish it on the lathe to 73mm long. Turn the step in the end t0 4.5mm diameter by 2mm long

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Back to the milling machine. Put the pin in the vice so there is a slight angle, say 5 degrees or so, so that when you drill the retaining spring hole it runs towards the centre of the pin. The hole diameter will be around 1.5mm diameter depending on the spring wire you are using. I found a spring with 1.5mm diameter wire

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Most commercial springs are very easy to straighten and shape with pliers. Be very careful when cutting though as bits can fly off with great speed. If you cut while holding the pliers firmly in to a pile of rag so both parts are well covered you will be fine. The picture shows an original spool pin, a remade pin and one in parts

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Once you are happy with the shape of the spring, rest it in a vee block on the flypress and gently squeeze the metal of the pin down to retain the spring. Do not squeeze too hard as you will bend the pin

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Pop the spool pin in the vice with a support under it to stop the pin sliding down between the vice jaws. Place the cup in position over the pin as shown and carefully peen the end of the pin over with a small ball peen hammer. The idea is to form the end of the pin out so it grips the hole in the cup, and slightly mushroom the pin over the top of the cup

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Back to the lathe to tidy up the edge of the joint, not really necessary but it looks nicer and more like the original

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3 spool pins. An original plated one, a mild steel one and a polished stainless steel one

Allbook & Hashfield

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American ?

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Singer Oriental Cabinet

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Jonas Brook & Brothers Thread

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Advertisements from the 1870s

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Holland Manufacturing Co. Thread Re-spooler

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1877 Willcox & Gibbs Automatic 'True Lockstitch' Machine Manual

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Unidentified Monopod Machine

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Federation Baby

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Unknown Pawfoot Machine

Serial # ? 447 ?

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Göricke Jdeal

Serial #s 51413 or 97966

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Grover & Baker

Serial #348926 (1871 ref.Cooper)

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Singer 20

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Singer 30 Manual

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13 x 1 Needles

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Wilson Improved Buckeye

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Mystery Iron-based Machine

Serial # 4(1?)238

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Machines from an 1862 Exhibition

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  Ferrabee's Machine H.

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  Guiness's Machine

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  Bigelow's Boot Stitcher

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  Arnold & Price’s gathering attachment

H. FERRABEE

A machine, yclept the “British Sewing Machine,” although owing its origin to American soil, is exhibited by H. Ferrabee of High Holborn. It is a lock stitch machine, provided with a stationary discoidal thread case below the cloth plate, and has a peculiar rotatory hook working in conjunction with an eye pointed needle for the purpose of catching the loop of the needle, and passing it round the thread case, so as to interlock the thread contained in the thread case with the loop of the needle thread, thereby producing the lock or shuttle stitch previously referred to. Fig. 462 represents a side elevation of this machine in working order. The needle carries its thread through the fabric it the form of a loop, and by rising slightly opens that loop, so as to enable the nose of a hook to enter therein with greater certainty. This hook forms the upper extremity of a lever, which is centred upon a crank pin in a disc, on the end of the main driving shaft, its lower end being jointed to a link, the backward extremity of which turns on a stud pin fixed to the underside of the bed plate. On rotating the crank, the hook describes an elliptical course round the thread case, carrying with it the loop of the under thread, and after passing it under the thread case releases it as it rises again on the opposite side.

GUINNESS & CO.

A shuttle machine (Fig. 463), embracing several peculiarities, is exhibited by Guinness &Co. in the Processes Court. We have seen several specimens of Ornamental Stitching…..(Missing section)….ordinary stitching for manufacturing or for family purposes. A single needle, or two or more needles, are employed, according to the kind of stitch to be produced. These needles are straight, but in place of being attached to a vertical slide immediately over the fabric, they are attached to the end of an arm, which projects horizontally from a slide working vertically along parallel guide rods at the rear end of the fixed bracket arm; hence the slide, which requires to be lubricated, is situate some distance from the fabric, and the risk of injury to the latter by the dropping of oil thereon is obviated.

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There is a peculiarity also in the form of the shuttle, the nose of which is made above the longitudinal axis of the shuttle, and instead of the descent of the needle being regulated so that its eye will pass below the bottom of the shuttle, as is the case in ordinary shuttle machines, the eye of the needle descends only so far as to clear the underside of the nose of the shuttle. This arrangement affords the facility of using shuttles of various sizes in one machine, without altering the stroke of the needle, provided the points of the shuttles are all at the same height. It is important that there should be as little tension as possible upon the needle thread whilst the shuttle is passing through and expanding the loop; and to obtain this the thread, as it passes from the bobbin, is lead off in a direction away from the needle, and after passing through a suitable tension apparatus, it traverses an eye in the end of a vibrating lever, whence it passes back to the eye of the needle. When the thread is required to be slack for the passage of the shuttle through the loop, the lever is acted upon by a pin on the slide, and thrown forward so as to give out a sufficient amount of slack thread to form a loop through which the shuttle can pass easily. Another pin on the same slide, moves the lever back again to its original position when the slack thread is taken up, the stitch tightened, and as much thread as was required in forming the stitch drawn off of the bobbin. In place of the shuttle traversing an ordinary groove or shuttle race, it is carried in a holder which slides to and fro along a horizontal guide bar spindle, passing through a hole in the shuttle holder. The material is traversed stitch by stitch under the needle by an ingenious modification of what is known as the “four motion feed,” which we refer to more particularly hereafter, under our notice of the Grover and Baker machines exhibited by Mr. Newton Wilson. The feeding surface when sewing very fine fabrics is made smooth in place of serrated, as it is found that a smooth surface will give the necessary hold upon the fabric to propel it forward, whilst it is not so liable to injure the material as when it is formed with teeth or serrations upon its surface. This feeding surface is also so shaped as to operate both in front of and behind the needle, or, in other words, in a line with the stitches, so that they are always held firmly between the feeding surface and the presser foot, which is a most important requisite when operating upon net or other fabrics of an extremely light and open texture. The feeding surface is formed on the upper end of a bar, having a vertical slot made in it, through which an adjustable pin carried by the bed plate or table of the machine passes. The lower end of the bar is connected to a revolving crank pin, on the end of the main shaft of the machine. When this crank pin is rotated, the upper end or feeding surface rises and falls to an extent equal to the throw of the crank, and also moves laterally, which lateral motion imparts the desired feed to the material. This feed is regulated or varied so as to produce long or short stitches by altering the position of the pin forming the fulcrum or working centre of the slotted feed bar. Thus on lowering the pin in the slot the lateral throw of the feeding surface will be increased, and the contrary effect is of course produced by raising the pin. The whole of the working parts of this machine are actuated by cranks, in lieu of cams. The slide for working the needle is connected by a short link to a crank pin on the side of the driving pulley. The shuttle driver is also traversed to and fro by another crank and link at the front end of the driving shaft, and the feed bar is actuated by a third crank or eccentric pin on the extreme end of the driving shaft, as already described. This is an excellent arrangement, avoiding the additional friction which always accompanies the use of cams, and greatly simplifying the construction of the machine. Another advantage which arises from this mode of actuating the parts, and which should not be overlooked, is the power of working the machine equally well in either direction, the fabric being fed either from or towards the operator at will, by simply reversing the motion of the machine. When two needles are used in this machine they are placed parallel with each other, and in a line with the direction in which the work is propelled; consequently they only produce one line of stitches. Each needle is supplied with a separate thread of its own, and the shuttle with its filling thread passes through both the loops of the needle thread at one traverse, the result being a three thread lock stitch possessing great elasticity. A great variety of stitches, one of which is shown at fig.465, can be produced using two needles and a shuttle, by simply varying the feed of the cloth, a property which is, we believe, peculiar to this machine. Guinness and Company have obtained “honourable mention” for their sewing machines, and are the only British exhibitors who have been noticed by the jury in their awards. These machines are undoubtedly worthy of distinction, and we a re glad they have not been passed over; but the awards generally in this section have been so unaccountably made that they are utterly useless as real criterions of merit.

Boye Chart 1906

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National Miniature Machine

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Bacon 'The Little Belle'

Serial #1423

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Tabitha

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Jones Model D

Serial #180

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Müller 10 Advertisement

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La Parisienne (Marc Klotz)

Serial #4716

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Newton Wilson 'Dorcas' Chainstitcher

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Sewing by Steam

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Joseph Harris Royal Challenge

Bull Street, Birmingham

Serial #140717

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Mystery Singer Attachment

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27K Floral Faceplate

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Bradbury Poster

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Fake Singer for ID

Serial #PB012806

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1868 Sewing Machine Advertisements

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Florence

"Before" Pictures

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After Cleaning

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Thomas Ward, King's Lynn, Norfolk

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  From Harrod's Directory 1863

1862 Alexander McKenzie Advertisement

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Mundlos ZZ/A Robot

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Willcox & Gibbs System Machine

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Singer Square Cover

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Whight & Mann Design Patent 1870

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Seidel & Naumann Typwriter

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Pfaff 11

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Serial #3027003 (1936)

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Magnet

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Another Odd Machine

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Guelph Advertisement

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Salter Ideal

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Princess of Wales

Serial #56877

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Early Singer Industrial

Courtesy of Alan Blakeman, BBR Auctions

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Early Willcox & Gibbs

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Serial #206688 c.1872

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  Registration Diamond (October 1869)

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Hulse, Pringle and Woodhead 'Fearnaught'

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Whight & Mann (Mr Santley?)

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Frobana

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Serial #9140

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Early Singer 29K

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Serial #6538810 / 127810

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Fur Stitcher

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Baby Brother

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Kruse & Murphy

Serial #162172

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Singer 12 Accessory Kit

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Kimball & Morton

Serial #74329

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Unknown Hand Machine

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Frister & Rossmann Willcox & Gibbs Automatic Type Chainstitcher

Serial #4479

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North American Manufacturing Co. 1866 Share Certificate

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  Certificate showing image of early machine

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  Picture of embossed machine from the rear of the certificate

Biesolt Locke Meisson Patent

Serial #51512

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Bradbury No.6

Serial #13565 (?)

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Britannia (Wheeler & Wilson 1867 Patent)

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Whight & Mann Prima Donna

Pictures courtesy of Clevedon Salerooms Ltd

Serial# 6886

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Singer Model 12K Treadle

Serial #3586057/695257 - 1879 Bridgeton, Scotland

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Bremer & Bruckmann

Retailed by Leigh & Crawford, London

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  Bremer & Bruckmann machine badged as "Swift"

American #8

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New Home vs Singer Vibrating Shuttles

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  New Home shuttle in New Home machine

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  New Home Shuttle Arm - 7.5 inch radius (shallow arc)

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  New Home/Singer shuttle mismatch showing difference in radius

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  Singer shuttle in Singer machine

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  Singer/New Home shuttle mismatch

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  Singer Shuttle Arm - 2.5 inch radius (deep arc)

Gritzner-Kayser Leather Stitcher

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Howe Treadle

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  Howe Hand Handle for comparison. Courtesy of Rijnko Fekkes

Early Model 12 New Family Hand MOP

Serial #816716/106916 - 1871

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Britannia 'Tom Hood' Machines

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  Tom Hood Hand

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  Tom Hood Treadle

Singer 28K Combination Table

Serial #R292084

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From the Whight & Mann Catalogue c.1870-74

Courtesy of the Fashion Museum, Bath and North East Somerset Council

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  Alberta

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  Holborn Express

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  The Princess

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  Thomas

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  Vegetable Slicer

Singer 'Wraparound' Crank Mechanism

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Davis Vertical Feed Treadle

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TS Badged for Whight & Mann - Gritzner?

Serial #408814

This has 'Prima Donna' on the arm. Is this example made by Gritzner?

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Stitch Types

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Willcox & Gibbs Combination

Serial #A288231 - 1876

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Samuel Smith Tombstone

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Singer 28 with Spectacular Decals

Forum Discussion

Serial #8614030, February 12, 1889

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Whight & Mann Alberta (Christchurch Museum)

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Whight & Mann Excelsior

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Wheeler & Wilson Attachments

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Dolly Varden

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Royal SMC

Serial #145136

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Wanzer A

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Müller Number 2 Toy Machine

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Singer 12 with Mother of Pearl

Serial #5781738/1221938

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Seamstress

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Bradbury B2 Rotary

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Whight & Mann Alberta

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Progress Report

A few progress pics. The top is pretty much done, just stumped for some period looking carpet now!

The original carpet has large areas rotted away, the remains appear to be bands of three shades of green mottled (leopard skin like) then the same but brownish...

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Vera Originale

Serial Number unknown

Which company made this Vera Originale? R. Lehnmann, previously known as Baach & Klie?? German Makers Lists

Principessa Jolanda was born June 1st 1901, married April 9th 1923 and died October 16th 1986. She looks too young to be 21 so perhaps the machine is about 1907 to 1910.

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Ward's Arm & Platform

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US-made/UK-made Singer 28 comparison

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