csharp

Found this at an antique mall, but nothing on it I could identify, but I am a novice at this.
Here are pictures. Price was $195.00...way too much for me with no decals on it.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]470834[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]470835[/ATTACH]
any input???

soman2

Colleen,

It looks like a New Home from around 1900-1920. The triple spring top tension and the rectangular needle bar holder is pretty convincing.

Rodney in Ponchaoula,La.

Macybaby

I don't think New Home ever had front inspection plates. I know National (and Eldredge before them) did.

I have many with the rectangular bar - more indicative of age than manufacturer, I'd say. However it looks more to me like it's a round needle bar . . .

This looks similar . . . but National has a lot of variations over the years.

http://needlebar.org/cm/displayimage..._display_media

J Miller

I lightened the picture up a bit, hope it helps.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]470850[/ATTACH]

I've seen that cross on the round inspection plate near the hand wheel before, but I can't remember what name was associated with it.
It's also missing the front slide plate, hopefully it's in one of the drawers.


Joe

Macybaby

it also looks like it's missing one of the two plates for the top tension to work. It's hard to tell in the picture if it's there or not. The middle knob turns to pinch the two metal plates together to hold the thread. Then you can push on the one end and it will "release" the tension so you can pull the thread.

If this is a National (and I'm very sure it is) - getting both of those parts (and shuttle ) are not that difficult. I'd never pay anywhere near $195 for it though.

soman2

Cathy & Colleen,

Cathy,

Do you have a Minnesota machine in your collection. I just saw that cover plate on an antique/vintage Minnesota.

Rodney in Ponchatoula, La

soman2

Check this one out.

Rodney in Ponchatoula, La.

Macybaby

That is another "National" made machine. You can't reliably go by the badged name for most, I've read that National put between 600- 1,000 different names on their machines.

Sear's used the "Minnesota" name and at least five different manufactures made machines with that "badge" on them for Sears over the years.

This is another what is refereed to as the "Vindex Top Tension" on the Needlebar site. I think there were 4-5 variations of this machine. This one has the tension on the base (not pillar) and has a square bottom to the pillar. You can see the two plates on the top tension on this one -

the intersting part - the easiest way to tell for sure if the machine is a National - is to see what feet and slide plate fit.

Macybaby

I've learned a lot about what to watch for when trying to figure out the MFG of a machine. I went about my collection backwards - I decided I wanted to find a machine that fit each of the 12 shuttle types that Boye sold.

So far, all of the National made VS machines take the same shuttle, no matter what they look like or if they are from the 1910's or the 1940's, for the most part the same feet too. The true early Eldrege machines (before the name change) are different, and I'm still looking for one of them.

So when I see an old machine, I really look and look to determine what it is - in case it's one of the few I'm still looking for. And once is a while I find one I'm not looking for - that I decide to get anyway.

SteveH

it also appears that the foot and attachment method are different between those two. But it sure looks like they bought the "cross" from the same source..