BarbaraSue

And I've been bragging about my $10 find of a Red Eye. Her wires are disastrous though.
Great find, and a beautiful machine. Congrats!

J Miller

Wiring is easy. Just follow the pattern of the originals and replace them one at a time.
I've lost count of how many I've re-wired.

Joe

irishrose

Joe, I knew you's show up when there's a 66 involved.

Mike, that date makes more sense - so I still don't a machine over 100 years old. Should have hung onto the New Home Ruby. The wiring is in great shape on this one. I was aware that the back clampers could be switched out but didn't know how to check. I seem to favor 1920s machine - my Leader, White family and now this Redeye.

I'm thinking this one might want be a hand crank machine, if possible.

deplaylady

Beautiful machine and fantastic price. I was thinking that it would make a perfect hand crank!

manicmike

You *could* just wait 10 years I'd avoid back clamp 66s so this one you can actually use properly. I've had 3 back clamps and if it doesn't come with a full set of accessories there's not much you can do. None of mine did.
Such lovely decals on it. I've never had one that nice.
If you're after an antique, the Singer 15 is most "modern" but were first made in 1895. All Singers with no letter prefix in the serial are 19th century. Just had a disturbing thought: Would *I* be able to not buy a pre-1900 Singer 15? Better stop thinking about it, since the answer appears to be no.

irishrose

5 years on my other Redeye. It's a 1918. The decals are in pretty much the same shape as this one. Probably pretty good for a machine that has seen heavy use.

Macybaby

I looked through my manuals. The one from 1929 shows an older style light, the one from 1941 shows this style - so that light came out in the 30's. I have a manual from 1924 that shows how to covert a treadle machine to electric - and even shows how to switch the motor between AC and DC current. It shows a very different looking foot pedal then we are use to seeing - and no light. The 1924 side clamp red eye I bought came with that motor/footpedal conversion kit. I switched it to hand crank.

Anyway - I found I have two extra 66 manuals from 1924 for the Red Eye side clamp machine (treadle) the covers are in poor shape on both of them, so if you need one, send me a PM. If you look at manuals - the side clamp is attachment set 120360, so you want to make sure it says "with attachments 120360" on the front. The back clamp is set 35920. I'm watching for a 1922-1923 back clamp manual, but so far the ones offered on Ebay are spendy!

When I first started collecting manuals, I didn't know to watch the dates, so I ended up with some that don't go with the machines I have. And I've gotten several machines with manuals for different model machines.

The interesting part - the manual showing the conversion shows a Red Eye 66, but all of the Red Eye manuals I have are for treadles.

Sheluma

But doesn't that make sense? They didn't re-issue the manual with pictures of converted treadles, and the electric models weren't red eyes. Or am I missing something?

If you're patient you'll eventually find a good buy. I bought one with crappy covers for $5. If you want one in better condition, you'll eventually find a reasonably priced buy-it-now if you check often enough. This one was up for several days before someone bought it. Not perfect though. If I see another I'll PM you.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Instructions...-/271280698329

Macybaby

It's a separate manual. It only covers how to convert a treadle to electric

On that manual you listed. It is from 1916. I am looking for one closer to the date of the machine. I hate to admit it, but I check ebay daily. I have several searches set up. I check what is ending in the next 2t4 hours and everything newly listed in the last 24 hours.

I've been doing this since I got addicted to attachments in June.

Sheluma

I meant the part about "but all of the Red Eye manuals I have are for treadles." I think the red eyes were only treadles or hand cranks. By the time electric machines came along Singer had retired the red eye decal set.

I figure that as long as the manual pre-dates my machine it is theoretically possible that the manual could have come with the machine. If a dealer didn't have any of the newer manuals, he would have given out old ones. Of course I could be wrong, but this is the scenario I invent to keep my expenses down! To be honest I don't really care -- I mostly just want the instructions because I love the illustrations and the online versions are usually bad copies.