I agree, sort of, with those commenting above about not making a vsm model your first vintage/antique machine; I use a very similar Singer 28 powered by a hand crank made in 1910 as my "go to" travel straight stitch machine.
I take it with me to repair dgds' clothing, dolls, etc. The hand crank aspect allows my young granddaughters to "help" me sew. I will admit I already had a ton of experience with more modern vintage Singers that take traditional round bobbins before buying a vsm model with a hand crank. Dealing with barbell-shaped bobbins and bullet-shaped bobbin cases might have been "above my pay grade" when I first started out with vintage sm's.
See if you can find a vintage Singer 99 you like to get started.
John Thomas in NC
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 11-05-2019 at 03:11 PM.
Reason: shouting/all caps