View source for Excerpt from an I.M.Singer Letter

'''Glasgow. May 6 1863.'''

"I send you a box containing a gage to gather one pise of goods on to an other pise. This gage is held on the mashine by the same screw that holds the heming gage the end of wich is plased between the presser an the feed…the goods to be gatherd is plased next the feed and unde the gage and the pise that is not to be gathed is plased between the the top of the gage an the under side of the presser. Edge of the gage must be one sixteenth from the nedle to make it work well. The…must not be held by the operater sinse to guide its direction of the seem the gage will gather more or less acording the preshure put upon the presse pad in the common way.

I send some samples done by the gage in the same base. Let fans…try the gage first.

2 I send you samples of plasting done by a simple contrivanse of mine these platts are single but I shall soon have a fisture that will make the double hose plait inconcestion with the machine.

3 I send you some sampler done by the arm machine with the new thread controleler an the feed marks made to act properly but without change [in] direction.

The uses of those alterd mashines seem satisfied you will observe that the stiching on the top is much better than we have ever done before and this is owing entirely to having the point of the shuttle move in the same direction that the seem moves that is up the arm both the shuttle and the seem.

By this means the shutle masters the needle thread but the shuttle running in an opesite diretsion from the seam alowes the needl thread to master the shuttle thread and therefore the stich has always been more loose on the top than on the bottom the samepler are the opisite ther having the shuttle more forward through the loop in a line with the prgress of the seem has the same efect on the shutle thread that is had when the feed is transverse the seam, now this seeming mistake has proved that the old plan was an is an error

3 I send a sample table that I found here in use

4 I send a Cushion mad by a man in the offise for the New York…

5 a new way to put on the foot and the hammer it will cost no more than it dose now as they can bouth be made from on pise picked out of the solid and then struck up this make more room under the sheminy gage or if any other kind of gage or preasser is required it is easy put on the forms before being bent presser [Singer then sketches a machine part] hemming [Singer again sketches a machine part] gage the dotted line are plases to be bent I will send one of the arme machines soon as alterd or repaird and soon with a new feed I have no means for making patrons the arm should not be made any larger at the end…first six inches from the other end there…above the needle put must be made some larger at the but.

6 the arm of the treaddle that the pitman is atashed to is in some of the transverse making 10 inch and in some 6 inch now I wish then all to be made 8 inch and the…left as it is now 2 inch from the center to center the alteration are to be made as soon as conveint.

I have just aplied for a patent here in england with 40 od claims. The fountain head has not dried up yet".