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Singer Treadle machines are passing 100 years old!

 
steward & bricolagier
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It occurs to me that the most common years for Singer Treadle sewing machines that a lot of us have are right around 100 years old!
Mine is a 1926, so it's 98, two more years before it's a century old.
My sister just got one that is a 1922, hers is 102 years old.

Has your machine passed 100?
We need to have a birthday party for them all  :D
 
Rusticator
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One of my Singers is either 1903 or 1906, the other is a 1953.
 
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My uncle Ken was the travelling Singer repair man for much of the state. He used to call in on us occasionally and always gave my mothers treadle machine a service when he did, so it always ran like new. Mum made all our clothes when we were kids and made wedding dresses and stuff for free for other poor people around us. I had a Singer industrial free arm machine for sewing leather. I sold it for two hundred dollars- and later found out what it was actually worth. 'Scuse me while I wipe away this little tear.
 
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The machine I use when I visit my sister was bought around 1955, so it's just a young'un. It is not treadle either, so it doesn't count! Sews just fine, although I haven't used it this trip.
 
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I believe ours is around 1912 ! Defiitely well past a century,  definitely still sewing along...

My mother irked museum staff recently when she admired their singer (younger than ours), and suggested they oil it and put a belt on it to get it running, because it was seizing from lack of use in an unclimate controlled museum building. The lady would only touch it with cotton gloves, and looked horrified by the suggestion someone might USE an antique.

We'll see whose is in better shape, 20 years from now...
 
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My main treadle that I still do all my sewing on, turned 100 on oct 28th, 2019.

I ate cake and gave it a deep clean.
 
Carla Burke
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Carla Burke wrote:One of my Singers is either 1903 or 1906, the other is a 1953.



The 1953 one is electric, but is convertible, between treadle & electric. My great aunt & mom both said that it doesn't work right, in either capacity - I've never tried it. The older one... I apparently didn't stretch the belt enough, so it slips, so badly, it won't run. My son & two of his stepkids (teens) are coming in a couple weeks, so I think I'll task them with stretching it for me.
 
r ranson
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The belt is usually quite sloppy to prevent stess on the machine.    Maybe something on the wheel or machine is making it slippery?  Eventually the belt wears smooth and needs replacing.   I got a few more years out of my old one by roughing it up with 100ish grit sandpaper.

Other option is to clean where the belt goes with some degreaser (i used clay on one machine) and then wipe off the degreeser.

If your railer works, use this to put the belt on and off instead of hands.
 
Jay Wright
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You can buy a spray for belts to stop them slipping- makes them tacky to touch. Works really well but does collect dust over time.
 
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The one in mum and dad’s attic is 1898 from what I remember. Converted to electric, it’s great for heavier fabrics.

At some point I’d like to find a treadle for it but I’ll need to be in a different housing situation for that.
 
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Where do you find the date of manufacture?
And is this a singer or just the treadle is singer?
sewingmachine by vwfatmobile, on Flickr
 
Carla Burke
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The serial# should be found in that pink box I've added. Once you locate it, you can go online, and type into the search 'singer sewing machine serial ___________', and it will offer you a site with a chart of lots and lots of tiny numbers(ok, they may just be tiny on my phone & tablet). It's fairly intuitive, and finding your serial# in the chart will give you the exact day it was made, how many were made that day, the model, type, annnnd... ugh. I can't remember what else.
Screenshot_20241217_015312_DuckDuckGo.jpg
What's in the BOX???🤣
What's in the BOX???🤣
 
craig howard
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Thanks.
My old treadle does have a serial number there, under the paint.
3134643

This site: https://singeroutlet.co.uk/pages/singer-sewing-machine-historic-age-guide
shows that as being made in 1879, with a little math,... nearly 146 years old?

It also has a brass plate with 31-15.
I figure that was the factory inventory number or something.
Since it has the knee lever for the presser foot I've always considered it an industrial treadle.
I've imagined rows of them being used to stitch together textiles.
 
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My dad was retired from Singer,  He had a shop for 20 plus years in Kalispell Montana.  When he retired he became the Sewing Machine Doctor.  Repaired all types of sewing machines for over 30 years until his passing a little over a year ago.
His favorite was working on old treadle machines.
 
Pearl Sutton
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Craig Howard: Wow, I think you win the prize for oldest!  What a neat machine!!!
And yeah, it probably did sew in rows with lots of it's brothers.

NEAT!!! :D
 
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I have one that I inherited from my mom, who said it was her mom's.
Using this site,Collector's I get 1938

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