ndnchf

I have a 66 redeye, s/n G9736975. Looking at the online charts, I think it was made in 1923. Its electric and has a small, solid handwheel on it. I'm wondering if this is correct or should it have a spoked handwheel? For this vintage, I'm thinking it should be spoked. What do you think? If so, which spoked handwheel would be correct? I like the looks of the spoked wheel and would like to put it back that way, if it is correct. Thanks.

Glenn

Not all 66's of that time had spoked hand wheels. Yours is electric and could have come with a solid handwheel. So your hand wheel could be correct.

ndnchf

So if it came from the factory as an electric, a solid handwheel is correct. If it came from the factory as a treadle or hand crank, would it have had a spoked wheel? Just trying to understand the variations. Thanks.

Mickey2

Yes, threadle and hand crank always came with spoked hand wheel. That said, the solid wheel is correct either way. From about 1930 it became much more common to covert them to electrical, it still was way up into the 50s. Unless something is not working for me or not looking nice at all, I take any convertion as a part of a machines story and I haven't changed the wheels what ever they where. If an electrical machine has a spoked wheel you can be pretty sure it once was a hand crank or treadle. Some machines were given the small solid wheels at the time of the electical conversion, but they run well with either wheel. Some later zigzaggers have been put in threadle bases, and run fine with out any parts changed, but in general the larger hand wheel give the needle more punch, and with electrical machines the smaller wheel gives a slighly firmer start/stop.

ndnchf

Thanks for the replies, very helpful. Here are a couple photos of my 66. Does this motor look original from the period? Thanks.

Mickey2

Everything looks authentic, at least my 1934 machine has a very similar motor set up, mine has the black bakelite Singer lamp. I have seen older electric models than my 99 and they all have the shiny metal lamp, not the bakelite version (various 1920s machines). Even old 66 treadles often have the metal Singer lamp. According to some sources; by 1921 Singer offered an electrical version of all their models (though model 99 is often listed as Singers first electrical machine, also introduced in 1921, hard to pinpoint anything to a specific year). There were Singer machines fitted with electrical motor well before 1900 though. My 1934 99K is fitted with a B.U.K. II-E., a British made 220V motor. The motor pulley is often bakelite on modles dating closer 1950s and up. A bit more research might give a more precise dating of the motor.

ndnchf

Thank you Mickey, great information. I really like my red eye, but have wondered about the handwheel.

As luck would have it, I took a quick look at CL this afternoon and saw this 66 with spoked wheel pop up. For $20 I couldn't pass it up. I may swap the wheels just to see how I like it.

Mickey2

Clean and oil them both, then do a bit of test sewing and see if you notice much of a difference The chromed parts might polish up a bit better with the right stuff. It's an advantage to have two machines of the same model when you are fixing them up.

maviskw

I had a Singer Red Eye given to me, and I had my young sewing machine guy put a large spoked wheel and a hand crank on it. It will be donated to a third world country or area as soon as I get tired of looking at it and trying it out.

ndnchf

I swapped the spoked wheel onto the redeye and tried it out last night. It worked fine and I really like the feel of it. For my large and, it is much easier to grasp.