Here is an interesting tidbit for you vintage sewing machine people. Taken from the International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society, the "first Singer machine was $125," which was a year's salary for some people. They were "expensive to repair, not very reliable and not available in large quantities." "Each one was fitted up by hand and the parts were not interchangeable." It was during, because of, the Civil War that the interchangeable manufacture really began with the arms industry, thus new production facilities became available and "in the 1870's, the average production cost of a machine dropped to $12, though it still sold for $60." Again, so we will not be accused of plagiarism, this is information from ISMACS International!
So you guys that are lucky enough to own a pre-1900 machine may have a machine that was hand fitted because those machines were fitted "at the bench," which means fitted by filing to jigs and templates by hand and parts were not interchangeable.
I am on a quest now in our estate and yard sale hunts to find one of these vintage pre 1900 machines.
Nancy