"Winthrop" VSM
 

Soooo, my DH and I were wandering through the antique mall this morning looking for hand woodworking tools for his wood shop that he is setting up to make guitars. And over in the corner I saw this lovely machine.

I thought I would research it first before I did something foolish. It does have a serial number. Tag says it runs great and of course I could plug it in and try it. It is in a table, only a couple of bobbins with it and no other attachments but its ready to sew. Higher price tag than the other two.

Did I mention that this was the third of three VSMs I saw today. The other two are Singers. One is a "27" and the other is either a 156 or 66. We forgot the sequence of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th numbers by the time we got to a pen and paper. Very reasonably priced, but not sure how much restoration I feel I could be able to do on either one of these.

The 27 is lovely. The decals are in good shape, but its just the machine and nothing else.

The 2nd one looks like it was splattered with paint, but the decals look good. When the wheel is turned, the needle does move with ease. The spool pin on top is bent too. It does come in a table, which also needs work and attachments that look like they've never been used.

I always thought these VSMs were beautiful, but now after reading on this board that they're wonderful machines to use, I've caught the bug to actually use one (or more) for sewing.

Don't know whether to thank you all or … :)

Anyway, I have not been able to find anything at all about the "Winthrop" name. I've looked at ISMACS but don't see this name. Tried to google it and only a picture of a circa 1960's machine comes up. Does anyone know where to look?

Thank you so much
Carol

We can be quite the enablers, thank you very much.

Many manufacturers would sell quantities to machines with a desired name if the buyer bought enough. If you send pics of them we may be able to help you better.

27s are vibrating shuttles and are a bit trickier than round bobbin machines. So make sure it has a shuttle and bobbins.

Round bobbin machines like 66, 99 or 15s are easier to find pieces for.

Leonf, I was hoping someone would get my humor!

I was wondering if this (manufacturers selling with a different name on it) was the case with the "Winthrop". I'm heading back to the antique mall tomorrow, already closed for the day, just to look at it. I'll try and get a picture of it.

I was thinking the same thing about the shuttles vs bobbins. Did I understand you correctly that most parts for the 66 and 15s are easier to find, not just the bobbins?

The 27 is such a lovely little thing, but it would be put on the shelf to look at. But for $30? It also has the Pheasant decal. I'll see if I can get a picture of her too.

I'm pretty sure the 3rd one is a 66 and not a 156. Right after I posted my initial question, I started reading Glenn's thread on cleaning the machines. Everything that he had on his table for cleaning and de-rusting, we have here at the house.

Now I'm itching to go get this one too. I think she could be cleaned up nicely and hopefully used. I also need to take a closer look to see what may be missing. Did I mention that she is only $20.

Leon, thank you so much for the information. And the encouragement? lol I'll see if I can get pictures and then try and post them.

Badging is the name for a name on a machine that was built by another.
Loading pics to this forum isn't easy and since the change a few days ago it is harder. They need to be pretty small.Thumbnail sized.

I was wondering what you were considering to be a 156. Not sure I've seen one of those. Yes many more sources for 66,99 and 15s than a 27 Since they are that cheap I'd recommend you get all three ( what else would I say?) YOu can learn on the 66 first and then with your newfound abilities take on the 27 and the Winthrop. keep water away from them and oil everything that moves, or should.. and sewing machine oil. 3 in 1 will lock these puppies up.

Have fun with your new addiction.

I thought the Winthrop was probably Badged. I just haven't been able to find anything about that name. I've learned so much from everyone on this board. That one is on sale for $120.00 Don't know if I can justify that one. It's in beautiful condition, though. So is the table. I'm going to take a photo of the different bobbins that I remember it could use, as well as the tension, etc. with me tomorrow, to see if it looks close to anything I've seen or read about and just to see if it's something easily gotten. I also want to give it a spin, so to speak. Don't know if I'd be able to talk them down on price a little bit.

I've noticed how difficult it is to load photos on this board. I tried when I first joined and just yesterday and had a dickens of time. I tried to resize them and that didn't work so I just gave up. I'll keep trying.

The only reason why I thought the one might be a 156 instead of a 66 is because I can't remember what the whole serial # is. I know it's AC6----, and then I forgot the sequence. My DH thought it was AC633---, I thought it was AC6603--. I didn't have anything to write the number down with. Us being people of a certain age, we should know better than trying to remember something.

My DH is upset with you because now he's excited and can't wait to go and pick up at least the 27 and the 66(?) and then look at the Winthrop again. We don't need very much encouragement. We need a chaperone!

At least with this addiction you can drive and operate heavy machinery! Thank you again!

The Pheasant decal is a desired decal. It seems most of the 27s were Sphinx decals. I have three of them. I actually learned to treadle on one, just a few years ago. I had tried when I was young and decided it wasn't for me. After refurbishing my sister's treadle and her telling me how much she enjoyed treadling, I decided I should try again. I really did have fun just playing on it.


I'm wondering if the Winthorp is a 15 clone like the one seen at https://www.ecrater.com/p/23903178/v...eluxe-winthrop The 15 clones are probably from the 1940s or 1950s. You can read about 15 clones at https://www.quiltingboard.com/pictur...p-t164361.html as well as many other threads here on QB.


The 66 is a good solid machine. There are several decal sets for these.


I think that the 15, 27 and 66 are the most common machines from the early 1900s. Each of those have different bobbins, so if you got all three ;) :sew: {smile & sew icon when they get fixed, maybe} - you could compare the differences.


Another good source for figuring out Singer machines can be found at https://www.sandman-collectibles.com...r-machines.htm


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

Not affiliated with off-site link

PatriceJ has posted a pdf on how to post pictures. She has posted several places, the last one is in the first post of https://www.quiltingboard.com/qb-hel...a-t309086.html Make sure you "Upload" which the button is way over on the far upper right of the page. I have to use Ctrl plus + to enlarge the font to be able to read the page, so I have to scroll quite a ways.

Actually, the pictures can be larger now (5MB), but I still use 640x480 (under 200kb) as I have that option in my picture editor. It is just that they show up as thumbnails. I usually right click on images to open in a new tab, so that I don't have to use the back arrow to go back to the thread, just click on the tab.

I personally think that $150 is very high for a 15 clone. Just because one cannot find the "badge" name in a google search, does not make it rare. They are basically the same machine just with different names.

Yes, Leon has a great sense of humor.

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

Janey, Thank you for the info. I thought the pheasant decal was lovely too. It would be something to have in my sewing area and smile when I looked at it and slowly worked on.

The 15 clone you shared a link for is similar to the one for sale, but this one had a larger decal in the center of the bed (?). I've read 1/3 of the clone 15 thread tonight, still haven't seen the name yet.

I'm thinking along the same lines of you and Leon, I need to get all three and compare :).
Thank you again, I'll keep you posted.

I just saw the post from PatriceJ about posting pictures. I saved that and will try tomorrow with your tips and suggestions.

My DH just made a point, just like the Singers, the older guitar amplifiers that he uses were also made by one or two companies, but Badged with other names.

I thought the price for the (maybe) 15 clone was too high as well. If they would come down on the price, I would definitely think about it. I like to have things around me that make me smile and giggle and/or that I use, not because they may be rare or worth something some day. That's just me.

Thank you again,
Carol

I'[d hesitate to pay over $50.00 for a 15 clone. Janey is one of the few on this forum to get doses of my humor face to face. Love her.