Confirming a Singer 15-30 street find
07-03-2020, 10:39 AM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 1
Confirming a Singer 15-30 street find
Hello everyone!
Found this lady on the street in NYC -- she had been discarded by a tenant and the building owner was excited to know she was going to a good home.
Images are in a google drive here -- if it's better for me to add them specifically let me know! Singer Images
I'm not a collector, and I know this one is in very poor condition, but I am already in love and trying to figure out a bit more. My google-fu indicates that it's a Singer 15-30, with what remains of a trefoil decal kit (there's one picture where you can *barely* see what's left of the S, and then the decal around the edges; nothing in the center), and it *looks* like crinkle finish, but I didn't think that was common with 15s? It's got a G series serial number, but seems to be short one number (G81836 - maybe from the G040000-090000 batch issued in 1910, but no idea what the production time would have been).
It's missing a nameplate, and I *suspect* that's because it was refubished at some point mid-century. (Perhaps that's when the crinkle finish was applied?) The decals are extremely worn, and the lamp looks like it may be one of the earlier styles. The motor is named " For Singer and other machines", so that again makes me think that some aftermarket elements have been added when it was installed into this cabinet (it does NOT appear to match the Queen Anne cabinet that the 15s came with).
No way I'm plugging it in, but the wheel moves the needle freely. I'd love to know if anyone knows anything further about what she may be.
Thanks so much!
Found this lady on the street in NYC -- she had been discarded by a tenant and the building owner was excited to know she was going to a good home.
Images are in a google drive here -- if it's better for me to add them specifically let me know! Singer Images
I'm not a collector, and I know this one is in very poor condition, but I am already in love and trying to figure out a bit more. My google-fu indicates that it's a Singer 15-30, with what remains of a trefoil decal kit (there's one picture where you can *barely* see what's left of the S, and then the decal around the edges; nothing in the center), and it *looks* like crinkle finish, but I didn't think that was common with 15s? It's got a G series serial number, but seems to be short one number (G81836 - maybe from the G040000-090000 batch issued in 1910, but no idea what the production time would have been).
It's missing a nameplate, and I *suspect* that's because it was refubished at some point mid-century. (Perhaps that's when the crinkle finish was applied?) The decals are extremely worn, and the lamp looks like it may be one of the earlier styles. The motor is named " For Singer and other machines", so that again makes me think that some aftermarket elements have been added when it was installed into this cabinet (it does NOT appear to match the Queen Anne cabinet that the 15s came with).
No way I'm plugging it in, but the wheel moves the needle freely. I'd love to know if anyone knows anything further about what she may be.
Thanks so much!
07-03-2020, 03:42 PM
#2
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 2,826
Welcome, Cowboy. You're right. Its a refurb. I had one similar, only it was a 66. From what I've read and heard, metal and manufacturing capacity was in short supply during WWII, but there was a demand for electrified sewing machines. So, a secondary market sprung up making treadle machines into electric machines. Singer was very jealous of it's name, so the rules were that the singer name and anything thing that identified it as a Singer had to be erased/covered. The refurb people used the crinkle paint to cover the Singer name and everything else. Of course, you can see it was a Singer. The 66 I had was previously a "Red Eye". The refurb folks changed out the hand wheel and installed a motor and a new bobbin filling mechanism that would work with the new hand wheel. .
Enjoy! It should work perfectly once it's cleaned and oiled. They just don't die unless they rust to death.
bkay
Enjoy! It should work perfectly once it's cleaned and oiled. They just don't die unless they rust to death.
bkay
Last edited by bkay; 07-03-2020 at 03:48 PM.
