Minnesota Model A
 

I got this Minnesota Model A from the thrift store for $10. It needs some love and a bobbin winder. Jon said he could tell me what needles it needed if I showed a picture. I also want to understand if it can be turned into a hand crank. I just figured that if it was a treadle, it could become a hand crank. Here's some pictures.

Annette,

You have a New Minnesota A by Davis. These were made from around 1909 to 1913. I could narrow it down a bit but couldn't make out the SN#. For needles look on the underside of the bed. If marked A9 it uses Davis Long or Boye 10. A10 uses regular 15x1. This is not easily turned into a handcrank as their is no motor boss like some of the Singers. Even with a Davis crank you'd need to modify the bed and belt pulley.

Jon

It has A9 on the bottom. So it could take the MTx190 needle, right? Serial number looks like D3522071, but I'm not certain.

I didn't realize that converting to a hand crank was that involved. Not like adding a suicide knob on a 65 Chevelle. Hey... could I just add a suicide knob onto it? LOL!

Thanks for your help, Jon!

Suicide knob and MTx190 needles will work. 3522071 serial number dates it to 1909. Nice buy for $10.

Jon

Car parts stores no longer Sell Suicide knobs. Farm supply stores do. You won't have the 3:1 ratio of handwheel to cranks that Singers give, nor the reversing. I ran a White rotary with one. Drove the GF crazy with the slowness.
Install it carefully and look for clearance issues that may occur.

You guys are awesome! I'll be heading to IFA to find a suicide knob.

If you go to a parts store ask for a "tractor steering wheel spinner knob". I've gotten them at NAPA and tractor supply. I got odd ones at other car parts stores and some of those fit better. You may find one on line. Some install on the spoked wheel better than others. I do not have pictures right now. I'm staying with 90 year old parents and do not have stuff like that over here. That said, on some machines you can drill a hole through the pillar and bolt (with a nut inside the pillar) the hand crank attachment. Not all machines will work for that. Some just won't line up either with the hand wheel and pillar or the hand wheel is the wrong depth. But who knows you might be lucky. Another possibility is to mount some kind of hand crank to a frame and seat the machine in the frame. It could be a motor or a hand crank mounted on a frame. It would have to be engineered just so to work on non Singer machines. I have a lot of decapitated machines... Who knows where the treadle bases went so I have had to give it a lot of thought.

I just bumped an old thread about hand cranks. You can also search steering wheel and some more old threads will come up.

I screen shot a pic of one of the types of spinner knob on a Singer 66. There are some that clamp right on to the rim of the hand wheel. This one works better clamped like this. Usually I pad things with an old inner tube piece.

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Looks like my usual problem with attachments on this board. That other thread has the photo I tried to screen shoot and failed to load. Link: http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...k-t183341.html

Thanks, Miriam! Now I understand what is meant by 3:1 ratio with a real hand crank. And how a suicide knob would be pretty rinky dink compared to a real hand crank. OK. I'll re-think the idea. Guess I could just get a treadle base to put it in.