Oh Sewing Heaven, How did you know that I was JUST researching Sew Classic a couple hours ago? Your 99 is gorgeous! I got a free 99 from a cousin and so want to convert it to hand crank! Now I am super excited! Thanks to all for the comments. That machine has a beautiful stitch.

Very nice!

Hand crank machines are a lot of fun, and so much more portable than electrics, especially if portable means outside of the building. Yours looks great, and I think you’ll really enjoy it. I have a 99K31 like yours waiting in the wings to be converted to HC someday. I already have 3 hand cranks in service (Singers 66, 221, 28k2), and I’m currently working up a 201K for my “herd”. I’ve had several hand cranks, but they seem to find new homes regularly.

The 201K will give me a machine with a back tack again (the other 3 don’t have it), which comes in handy for sewing things other than piecing quilt blocks. I like to sew heavy duty fabrics some of the time (tarps, awnings, and such), so the 201K gets fixed up before the 99K. I still need to come up with a good storage case for my 201K.

(My avatar shows me "hand cranking" one of my Singer 29K70 Boot Patcher machines, but they're actually considered "treadles".)

CD in Oklahoma

To answer your question, I have a hand crank machine. There is a handle attached to the wheel. And yes, you have to turn that in order for the needle to go up and down and create stitches. Since your turning the crank determines how fast the needle goes up and down, it isn't hard to crank with one hand and guide the fabric with the other. Truthfully, you don't have to do much guiding. It's not as hard as you think.

What is a tension take up spring? I recently bought one but the whole tension part seems to have been taken apart and probably not put back together properly. I haven't had time to take Eunice to a shop for a check up...Thanks

Here’s a tip for anyone using a Singer HC like QuiltingHaven’s converted 99K or my 201K machine. Her hand crank is after-market and mine is original, but this works for both of them.

It helps to coordinate the HC handle with the needlebar each time after winding a bobbin or disengaging the HC finger from the wheel, to make it easier to stop with the needle in the up or down position as needed. Most of these old machines turn so easily that the weight of the HC handle can be enough to allow the needle to begin moving after you have turned loose of the crank handle. That can be aggravating as heck.

So, after winding a bobbin, tighten the clutch knob and turn the wheel until the needle is in its furthest down position. Loosen the clutch knob and turn the wheel again until the crank handle is also at the bottom of its rotation (make sure the needlebar doesn’t move while you’re doing this), and then tighten the clutch knob to begin sewing.

Now, since this type of HC is at a 3:1 ratio with the needlebar, the needle will be down at three points of the crank revolution, one of them being when the crank handle is straight down. Same thing with the needle being up: there will be three points where the needle is up during a complete revolution of the crank handle, one of them being when the handle is straight up.

Now you will know that when you stop the crank handle at the bottom of the rotation, the needle will be down, and when you stop the handle at the top of the rotation, the needle will be up. Makes hand cranking a whole lot more fun!

CD in Oklahoma

Beautiful. Have fun.

They have quite a group of handcrankers at a nearby shop here in Michigan. The Hen House (http://www.thehenhousemi.com/) has a group that meets monthly to sew. I never knew there even was such a thing.

Sometimes I wish my featherweight had a handle on the wheel, for lifting the needle.

That's possible. Here’s one, but I can’t set it as I described for the other hand cranks.

CD in Oklahoma