toogie

Can anyone tell me any information on this machine? I bought it maybe 10 years ago from an elderly lady (80 ? Year old) after I had bought an embroidery machine from her months before. I love my embroidery machine and still use it. Going back to this old machine after I got home I called her and said the bobbin case must have fallen out because it wasn’t in the machine and she had told me she actually sewed on it. She told me she had taken it out and it was in one of the drawers. I told her what all was in the drawer and a bullet looking thing. She said that was the bobbin case!-lol I did get a belt for it and tried to sew but it makes tight stitches. I haven’t ‘played’ with it since but was wondering if anybody knows anything about how old it is, etc
Here are pictures. The cabinet has been well preserved but the decals on machine is hard to read. How do you clean the head or machine itself?
more photos below

toogie

Here are more photos

OurWorkbench

I believe it to be a National Vindex Type 2 as seen at http://needlebar.org/nbwiki/index.ph...atvindexc1.jpg
I haven't seen any way to date National sewing machines, unless it came with paper work.
I'm not sure which needles it uses. It is quite possible that it uses 20x1 needles. Another possibility would be an even rarer CC1221. If it uses the 20x1, some have been able to use 15x1 by dropping it a bit or putting a sheet magnet cut to size to drop it the right length.

As for cleaning there are a couple of stickies at How to Clean Up and use a vintage sewing machine - videos by Muv and Fav and Cleaning and repairing the Shellac clear coat on Vintage sewing machine heads Most will use sewing machine oil on cotton rags for the head. The metal pieces that can be removed can be cleaned and polished with metal polish.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
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1.41

It may be that the plate has the needle size engraved on it. Can't see from the picture.

Assuming that the needle that's in the machine works to make a stitch or even pick up the thread, you can measure it and determine what type of needle this machine needs.

Congrats on a vintage cast-iron machine with all steel mechanisms which was made in the United States by a leading manufacturer.

Once the mechanisms are freed up of old oil, I'm willing to bet you'll get perfect stitches without having to do any adjustments.

leonf

YOu probably know that the bobbin c ase is commonly called a shuttle since it carries the bobbins along. And you got three bobbins. wonderful

toogie

I oiled her up and here’s the stitching she’s making. Not bad, but I wasn’t sure how to thread her. Might still not be right but she sewed this strip for practice. I probably sound dumb but where do you get metal cleaner Ourworkbench? I did rub some oil on the black head and I can see a decal peeking through barely. I wish I could clean it up good so I’ll keep watching videos. The one I was watching wasn’t a treadle or like mine. I really appreciate your help and anymore advice ask for or not. Thanks Leon for reminding me about calling the ‘bullet bobbin case’ the shuttle. My grandmother sewed all her quilt tops on a treadle and then hand quilted them. I wish I had hers but it’s long gone. My uncle saw $ signs and not sentimental attachment.

OurWorkbench

I think you are close. I'm not quite sure how the spring works on that machine, but it needs threaded through the hook before going to the take-up lever. I don't know if this picture will help or not.

As for the metal polish, you should be able to get it at a hardware store or auto parts store. I have used Simichrome. The first time I had to go to a Porsche dealer to get it. Then I found it in a hardware store or auto parts store. The last time I needed it, I had to order from Amazon, as I couldn't find it locally. Flitz, Maas or Brasso have been mentioned as well as some others. I like Simichrome, as it will work on plastic and bakelite. I even took a black magic marker price mark from a white plastic sewing machine off with it.

Also see PM.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
Not affiliated with off-site link(s)

1.41

All good suggestions. Speaking for myself I really like Maas for the metal parts. Careful: metal polish is to be used only on the shiny parts.

The black "japanned" parts need a very different approach. Lots of people recommend cleaning with sewing machine oil, others with something like GOJO make sure you don't use anything with pumice to clean

toogie

Ourworkbench , here is a photo of the bobbin winder in the Manuel we spoke of in PM. The round silver disc shown ( I really don’t know what it’s called) is kind of heart shaped on mine. The rest of it looks like mine though. Maybe you can zoom in on the pink bobbin I’m winding.

1.41

I believe that the heart shaped gizmos on this type of bobbin winder are "cams". A rotating piece in a mechanical linkage that transforms rotary motion into linear motion. Love Wikepedia. It makes me sound like I actually know stuff.