Tuesday 12 January 2016

A Hundred Years Old


This Singer 99K is the machine that I have been using for all my basic straight stitch sewing for the last month.  It is an earlier version of the 99K, and there are a few differences between it and the 1927 99K that I am especially fond of.


The serial number pinpoints the date of manufacture to the first half of 1916.


German machines had been very popular before the First World War, but imports had stopped.  Singer made sure that nobody made any mistake as to where their machines were manufactured.  By 1918 it seems they thought that people had got the message, but still stamped the machines on the underneath.


The tension discs are much smaller than on the later 99Ks.


These decals are on the back of the pillar, rather than on the inside.


The needle bar is very slender, much thinner than the presser bar.


The face plate has a different floral design to that on the 1927 machine.

Much as I enjoy playing spot the difference, the stitch produced by this machine is every bit as good as the stitch from my other 99K.  I am looking forward to giving this machine plenty of use during its centenary year. 

Linking up to Connie's blog Freemotion by the River for Linky Tuesday

13 comments:

  1. What a beautiful machine!! I also love my vintage sewing machines and use my 15-91 for everything!

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  2. What a lovely machine! I would love to add a Singer vintage machine to my studio...must do some research on best places to find them!

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  3. What a beauty! She has aged well! Do you know where she has been and who else may have used her?

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    1. The young woman I bought it from had originally got it from someone in her family and had kept it for a few years; also she had lived in New Zealand for a while, shipped the machine over there with her household effects, and then shipped it back when they returned to England. This machine has certainly travelled!

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  4. Cute machine. I need to clean up my newest 99, that I was given last week. It was motorized, with a knee lever, but, it will turn into a hand crank.

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  5. Какая красавица! Она сама - произведение искусства. Как хорошо, когда рядом в доме такая трудяга: и память времен, и добрая помощница. Поздравляю с такой подружкой!

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  6. I'm currently eyeballing a 1950s 99 to get as a backup machine. I was afraid a 3/4 sized machine might be small, but I just discovered the throat size is identical to my current Singer. The old ones are so pretty.

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    1. Go for it, Sally, and don't be surprised if the Singer outlasts the machine it is backing up.

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  7. Beautiful machine. I use my 1904 model 90-15 treadle lots. The bobbin in it is the same as on my electronic Bernia, fancy that!

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  8. So happy you were able to get one of these in NZ! This is my go-to machine for ultra-precision stitching (think 1-inch blocks). It also travels in my RV so I can sew-on-the-road (while husband drives, of course).

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    1. No, not quite... I'm in England, I bought it here, but the previous owner had lived in New Zealand for a while, so the machine had been to New Zealand and back with her.

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