Rose_P

I thought of one more question for all you clever minds. The belt on this one is external, and I wondered if it would be possible to operate it from a treadle base. If so, I have to say it never occurred to me that a zigzag/cam machine could be run that way, but I don't really know why not. I can't carry this thing, and I won't ask my DH because he pulled a hamstring in December. I have a Singer 66 treadle, but it's upstairs and the "new" machine is down and will stay there. So this is an academic question. Just curious.

bkay

Yes. Most machines with an external motor can be treadled. This one would be especially easy, as the base on the handwheel side of the machine is short. (You won't even have to drill holes for the belt.) So, it easily be set up that way.

bkay

Rose_P

Thanks, bkay! I like knowing that.

Cari-in-Oly

[ATTACH=CONFIG]591822[/ATTACH]
It's not showing up on the N. American Singer site, but there's your model number right there.

Cari

Sandra in Minnesota

Bent seam ripper?? Someone must have really gotten mad!! lol

Rose_P

Cari, I found one listed on ISMACS comprehensive model list, but it does not mention cams and gave the color as tan. Today I did a little more searching, and an image search on Google turned up a machine that looks somewhat similar and uses flat cams, though it's 19 years older and a different model. It's a 316G made in Germany in 1954. The person selling it on Etsy believes it has somewhat surprising value, but they have completely reconditioned it, and I have to admit it's a beaut: https://www.etsy.com/search?q=Singer%20316G Anyone who happens to live in Greece can save a bundle on the shipping.

I'm beginning to understand why one of my German cousins was argumentative when I told her Singer was an American company. She just knew they were made in Germany and the name "Singer" is of German origin. It's a tale of the blind men and the elephant.

ISMAC lists the 316G, and the fact that it had flat cams, but they have no date or picture. The 319's are somewhat similar in overall shape to my machine, too. I'm struck by the fact that by 1973 someone decided they'd better build a housing for the cam area. I wonder if that was mostly a matter of style or if they had reports of people getting their hair caught in the cams, or possibly having curious kiddo's fingers caught.

leonf

Rose p,

Before you drag your head upstairs, pull out a how longer ( tape measure) and measure the size of the cutout that your 66head is in and the distance between the pins that hold it in place. Then check the new head and see if they match.


I love the quote in your signature line. It can be about life also..

bkay

That makes me wish I had kept my 327. It was the first sewing machine I worked on. It was really nasty. It was covered in nicotine oil and dust. It came out really nice and worked well. I gave the machine to a neighbor. I had planned to give her another one, but her other son came over to get it. He's one of my favorite people, so I ended up giving that one to him.

I have almost a full set of the flat cams that I spotted in a lot of sewing machine accessories on a GW auction. I kept them.

bkay

Cari-in-Oly

Rose there are several models that take the flat cams, and not just the German models. Singer is(was) an American company but at one time there were factories all over the world.

Cari

Quilterman

I have a Singer 223 which looks real close to this but doesn't use cams. About the same color and shape but just
zigzag and straight stitch.