Singer 27 Treadle to Electric Conversion
 

I have a Singer 27 Treadle and was wondering if anyone has converted to electric. I know most of you are probably not in favor of a conversion. But, I really want a machine with a larger throat for quilting. I haven't cleaned her up yet but all the parts move freely. Her looks are worn but her mechanics seem good and she does have a factory motor mount. Any thoughts on a conversion? Thank you.

I have one somebody converted. I don't know why but I don't like it. I do like the ones I have that are treadle or HC. I think they just have to move so far... I D K.

I have my grandma's redeye that was converted from treadle to electric I sewed on it as a child when learning to treadle was a challenge. I am sorry to see it be electric and hope someday to be able to convert it back. But I am so glad it was gifted to me!

It just kind of seems like if they were made treadle or hand crank they should stay that way, just a feeling I have. Not to say I wouldn't change one if I wanted to, just my feeling is it is like cheating them or something.lol There are so many electric's available today, I just don't see why I would change an oldie to electric if it wasn't done already.:) Other than my feeling go with what you want to do, it is your machine and you know what your needs are.

If the treadling irons are in poor shape, I say go for it. Otherwise, I like the idea of having a machine that doesn't require electricity.

Mounting a motor and light on the 27 will not ruin it, and you can keep the treadle part. The treadle part has it's advantages, you can get a fantastic feeling for the rythm of stitching and movment of the material on a treadle. Have you had the chance to use your 27 as it is? All my machines are electrical, my 201 probably was converted from treadle to electrical early on in it's life. I wish they left the treadle parts on the cabinet, even though they are a very heavy.

On the other hand it might be just as easy to get a full size machine like the 27, 127 (or other full size model) already with an electrical setup. The smaller solid hand wheel might be an advantage with an electrical setup compared to the spoked hand wheel. I have a spoked hand wheel on my electrical 201 and I am thinking of getting another one which was originally set up with motor and light from the start. Some of the small cabinets for electrical machines are very nice too.

If you had as many power failures as we do here, you would definitely keep it as is for treadling.

I'll regard your question as a totally practical one. Like Mickey said, putting a motor on is not burning any bridges, it's a reversible action. Unscrewing the motor and slipping the belt back on takes 5 minutes. Things get a little more complicated if you want the light.

Mickey also mentioned the heavier flywheel as a small issue, but Singer supplied motorized units for a long time before the smaller flywheel (hand wheel, then) was developed. The only difference is abrupt starts and stops being a little less abrupt with more inertia. Another issue is you may not be able to fold the head fully into the table with the motor on.

I collected 5 Husqvarnas in different condition, and assembled these three from the lot. I needed them for a charity project. The one to the right was hand cranked, motorized with a Singer motor, you can see the 3 prong connector. The one to the left is fitted with the smaller hand wheel, easy to see what Mickey is talking about.
I guess the point is, it's not hard.
But unless you have a motor lying about, it's likely to cost as much as a good condition motorized machine.