More Hand Crank Sewing Machines

I continue to be enthralled with hand crank sewing machines  and had an opportunity to purchase two a few weeks ago in a package deal with a treadle and an electric sewing machine. It was a quadruple hit! My husband went with me for the drive on wet roads at night but we found the place easily enough and, of course, there was a story, too.

In Jeff's very clean garage we found the four machines all waiting for me, a bit dirty but I knew they had been stored in another garage for some length of time. The two hand cranks were original, a Singer 127 vibrating shuttle in a bentwood case:

Singer Vibrating Shuttle

Case and machine both responded well to a good cleaning plus my favorite Howards Feed & Wax for the wood parts. Using my new products of Go-Jo and metal polish, things are looking quite good:

Singer 127 bentwood case

Next up was a very sweet Pfaff hand crank that looks much like my other German hand crank:

Pfaff model B hand crank

The Pfaff has a letter "B" on the back of the arm but my research doesn't bring up too much so I'm in the dark about needle size, threading, as well as the general mysteries of a transverse shuttle sewing machine. Most of my time is spent trying to find a needle and getting it set into the holder. I can get it to stitch but not without skipping or the tension miserably off. Still, a very sweet machine.

The first machine I started to work on when we got home was a Singer 319W that was very dirty but in excellent condition. It came in a bentwood case that was falling apart but wood glue and Howard's will fix it right up. The wiring gave me pause but it ended being sound and the machine stitches just fine. A box of accessories was helpful so it seems to be ready to go but here's the big plus: it is an aluminum model so it is not a heavyweight like most 319 or 306's. This is wonderful news and makes those piano keys up on the top just sing out to be used!

Singer 319W

The final model was a treadle, a Franklin with a coffin top, that is in fairly decent condition. Jeff said this cabinet was kept in the front room of the original owner so it has been cared for and shows it.

Franklin treadle cabinet

Franklin treadle with fiddle base and transverse shuttle

 I swore I wasn't going to bring home another table model but it was a package deal and I think it might be worth it. Along with a few accessories it also had a print manual, something I will want to scan. It's also my first fiddle based sewing machine and I find it charming.

So who had these sewing machines? It was a previous sewing machine dealership who sold Pfaff but changed over to Janome and eventually retired as the shop is no longer in business.  Without asking outright, I suspect he had died or moved away since his garage was emptied out and these machines were the ones that were left. Always a bit sad to see things move out of a family's home but at least I know who might want them and I'm getting them ready for happy new homes.