Craigslist find - Singer 99 and a bonus!
I hate it when an ad on Craigslist says, "Email for photos." If they're going to take photos, why not put them in the ad where they can attract people, instead of sending the pictures out individually to every yahoo who emails?
Well, in this case, it worked out for me. I guess it was the recent snowstorm that had me thinking about a handcrank machine. So I was looking on Craigslist for an old black Singer I could convert to a crank. I saw the aforementioned ad, which said "old Singer with case - $40." I took a chance and wrote. Here are the photos I received.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]541397[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]541398[/ATTACH]
Yep, that's a 99K from 1938 and a bentwood case. Both for just $40. Who's saying "Yahoo!" now? The machine didn't have a motor on it, but that's okay, since I'm going to put a crank on it. By the way, if anyone here has one of the Chinese handcranks, please post what you think of it.
Both the machine and case are in great shape. The machine moves smoothly and the case has no cracks or separating veneer, just a few dents. I did have to replace the missing needle clamp and dry bobbin wheel. (A shout-out to Archie Johnson & Son in Raleigh - a great old-time sewing repair shop.) After I put the needle clamp on, I cleaned out the bobbin area, threaded it up, and tentatively tested it. It sews!!! Now I need to give both the machine and case a good cleaning, oiling, and waxing.
Tate