New Life to a 120 Year Old Machine

Yesterday I picked up a Singer 29k2. Estimated age is late 1890s to very early 1900s.

Hammer price at auction $300 (Cdn).

Looking a bit rough but promising.

I already have two similar machines. A 29K15 circa 1911 and a mid century Adler 30. They must be separated from the table (via four screws) to transport.

Before some elbow grease with an oily rag. (Above) and after… after a few hours and a few rags…time to work on the machine. She cleaned up nicely and was turning well, but the bobbin (or shuttle) plate was seized up. I gave it a copious amount of oil and left it overnight. Looks good though…this morning I re-lubricated the machine and the seized plate was now moving. I cleaned up this revolving plate. It contained a bobbin and shuttle. The shuttle contains the bobbin, which provides the locking thread from below while sewing. (I am not up on the nomenclature, so correct my description if you know better). Not a bad result at all! A worthy companion to my other Singer 29… to the mighty Adler 30… and to my two Singer 201s…but for finer jobs, I still prefer to hand stitch. It is slower but more precise. This bracelet completed for a widower. The silver piece was made from his late wife’s jewelry. View attachment 1648788 Thanks for looking and feel free to share pics/stories of how you gave a second (or third or fourth) life to an object. (Or creature if you are a certain Doctor created by Mary Shelley).

Very cool.

I love old machines.

Great work! Thanks for sharing.

What a beautiful machine.
My Mom always used a Singer from the sixties.
As a child I loved sitting next to and watching her doing some work on it.