I have one, too! Only, mine is called "National" Two Spool. Macybaby also has one (her DH claims ownership of that one, though)! LOL

The spool canister for these machines is very expensive. Despite knowing that e-bay is way over-priced (INMHO), there was a listing for one of these canisters, with the bidding starting at $300.000. Now, that's way more than I would want to pay. I'm glad mine had the spool when I inherited it from my aunt! There are photos in the photo section for Vintage an Antique Machines!

Jeanette

Vintagemotif,

The canister for my machine is just like the one you have pictured on the bottom. We have cleaned the machine up and lubricated it thoroughy, but the cabinet desperately needs refinishing and we haven't gotten that done yet -- I cannot work on it now because of serious back problems -- just had a myelogram this morning -- I hope to get the cabinet work done soon so I can use the machine!

Jeanette

Miriam, The bobbin "can" or "canister" which came on my National Two Spool machine is the same as Vintagemotif shows in her photos. All I can say about the machine, in addition to it's beauty and functionality, is that it is one heavy beast!

Jeanette

Ladies, I have found that certain "plastic" spools (the small ones in mending kits -- not the tiny ones) The wooden spool that is in my canister measures 1" in diameter and 1-1/4" high. This spool fits pretty loosely in the canister, so the thread spool could be a tiny bit larger, bit not much larger.

Jeanette

Sounds like bobbin work where you sew upside down with the heavy decorative thread in the bobbin.
Be happy the machine has a winder. You're going to have to search a bit for some wooden spools to fit your can when you find one as well. Chances are the spools will need to be filled.
Rodney

A variable speed drill works in a pinch. I have a 12,000 yd spool of burgandy thread I wanted to use with the serge, so DH set up his drill, took four empty large spools and filled them up for me. We thought about doing it with the Two Spool, but ours is treadle so the drill was a better idea.

I don't really need to search far for #50 wood thread spools. I collect them like fabric and vintage sewing machines. As you can see in the first pic, the #50 fits perfectly in my spool can. Imagine, the cheapest price on my spools is 15 cents.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=492937&stc=1
http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=492938&stc=1

Caroline, I've got some of these spools you are welcome to have, will bring them to our next get together.

Cari

My cousin in Oklahoma has collected all kinds of wood spools over the years, so she is saving those for me. I do believe that the spools in that mending kit I previously mentioned will work, but haven't been able to try them yet!
Jeanette There are two "brands" of machines who use the two-spool technology, the Eldredge Two Spool and the National Two Spool (I think both are manufactured by the same company).
Jeanette

Yes- Eldredge and National are the same, The original company name was "Eldredge" and they merged with June and I believe one other, and the new company formed was named "National" however, they kept using the name "Eldredge" along with about 600 other names. National is one of the companies that would "badge" their machines with just about any name the buyer wanted. However Eldredge is a National company name, not a "badge" for a reseller.

The earliest were made before the merge, and are badged Eldredge, however Natioanl used the name at later dates, so having one with the Eldredge name does not indicate it's older. Mine is Eldredge and was bought new in the 30's (I have the original documentation).

The first use a different style of can, it's got "wings" on it. I acquired one like that, but it does not fit my machine. the later two styles don't have those wings and are very similar, and I believe are interchangeable.

Caroline, that's as good a reason for saving them as anything! LOL! MY cousin has a supply of them she's saved for many years, so the next time we go to Oklahoma, I'll get to bring a few of them home to use!

Jeanette

Cathy,

I think the patent date on my machine is 1913 or 1914, right now it's sitting on the floor waiting for its cabinet to be refinished and I can't get down on the floor -- If I did, I'd never be able to get up! LOL! Of course, the patent date doesn't mean the machine was manufactured on that date. All I know is that it belonged to my husband's great grandmother.

I went and looked - the most "recent" patent date on mine is 1913 - and I know it was bought brand new in the 30's. So I guess they just kept using the older design. This is what throws many people off on dating machines, expecially Willcox and Gibbs because they always put the patent dates on the machine, and at the last, the patent was about 50 years old.

The patent dates on mine are
8/8/11
10/31/11
11/28/11
9/16/13

If your machine is missing the 9/16/13 date, then it's probably safe to assume it was made before that date - otherwise you'll have to go by something else to date it.

This site has quite a bit of info

http://2spools.blogspot.com/

The first picture shows three machines of different ages - but they all look very similar on the outside. One thing to keep in mind, the very oldest will be Eldredge, however the very youngest can also be Eldredge (as mine is).

Some tidbits - this sight says all the machines have the same patent dates, early ones have a HXXXX serial number, mine is H61241. So if yours has a HXXXXX (five digit) number, it's not going to be from 1913, and if it's got a H5XXXX or later, it's one of the last made, in the 30's

I have a can for the oldest style, so I'm looking for a machine that it goes with. The most notable difference is that the slide plate does not "slide" but has a pivot point instead. So that's not too hard to look for in pictures.

Cathy,

I finally reached my National Two Spool Machine. It's serial No. is H35106 and the slide plate does have date of August 8, 1911 and September 6, 1913 as the patent dates. It really doesn't matter to me when -- it's the machine that belonged to my husband's great grandmother, my son's great, great grandmother. i really, really wish these machines could talk. I'm sure they'd have almost unbelievable stories to tell!

Jeanette

Don't have a camera or a way to put a pic on the computer,but have had a National 2 spool treadle SM for years. Just the couple of weeks ago I found some wooden thread spools so am looking forward to getting it going. Now I need a manual for it. Anyone know where I can find one??

The first picture you posted of the whole machine cracked me up. It's using a bobbin to wind thread onto a spool. Just my sense of humor I guess, just struck me funny for a two spool machine.
There is a beautiful electric two spool (National) on eBay right now.

I think I have what you are looking for...
I inherited an Eldredge Two Spool in excellent condition with serial number H9045. It is unique in that it is in a beautiful wooden case and has a swing around Hamilton Beach motor drive. It has some extras and it all works except it is missing the spool can (the older version). I was researching the history of the two spool when I came across this site. Would you be willing to sell your spool can or would you be interested purchasing the sewing machine? I will try to attach some pictures.

SAP,

I have a manual in pdf format. If you can get me a regular email address, I can send you the manual.

Jeanette

Jim, sorry, but I would never sell the can -- this machine belonged to my husband's great-grandmother, so it's a piece of my son's heritage. They are very expensive -- I've seen them listed for auction on ebay at a $300 reserve -- I would never pay that myself! I hope you can find a can!

Jeanette

Very nice Machine - Jim, I'll send you a PM later. I'm sure we can work a deal one way or the other.

it's my understanding that the limitation of this process is that like every machine, the loop has to go around the shuttle and since the shuttle contains the entire spool that's a huge loop that has to be created which makes the machine have certain limitations as far as speed and performance

Steve, my son pulled a video -- I really don't know where he got it but I will find out. The lady who was using the Two Spool was going very fast! It's amazing, really! He's searching for the video now, so I'll post the link to the site when he finds it!

Jeanette

Okay, I apologize for posting on this again, but I promised I would post where the videos were on the internet -- you might have guessed: YouTube.com, and they're listed (a number of them) as: National Two Spool FiddlyBits.

Jeanette

The number on my Two Spool is H37578. The picture posted above is exactly what mine looks like. And thanks again Jeanette for the manual. I have it all printed out.