Dantanamo

Stein, yes, that is the same group that I joined in order to get ideas for whom to service the machine. There are repairmen, then there are repairmen. Based upon their list of recommendations, I ended up having a wonderful gentleman named Dave Luedke fix everything up: broken cam stack, broken take up lever linkage, hardened lubricants throughout. He's been in business since 1961, and I was very satisfied with his knowledge, ability and pricing.

Sewnoma

That's a really nice looking machine! It does look new. I've never sewn on a Viking/Husq (of any age) but this one piques my interest - that free arm looks very small! I've been on the lookout for a vintage machine with a small (circumference-wise) free arm - now I'm going to have to keep my eyes open for one of these!

Free arm machines seem a little bit rare in the vintage world. So far all but one of the oldies I've brought home have been flat bed.

SteveH

I have a Viking 10 30 (Zig Zag only, no cams) I hunted it down specifically because with the 5:1 reduction gearing and not extra mechanisms for the cams, this thing is a tiny little beast. I have done flat felled seams on bison hide with it. I used it for hemming and sewing the leather for body armor in my medieval group. Now that I have the Victorian collection, it sits alone in a plastic crate as trade bait (along with manual and extension table...) hehe

canuckninepatch

Hello, I live in Ontario, Canada for three seasons of the year, and spend Jan. - March in Fort Myers, Florida. My ancestors have been in the Niagara area of Canada since the late 1700's, and my nephew has recently acquired the 200 year old home of our ancestors, John and Magdalena Brown, through a non-profit, family foundation here in St. Catharines, Ontario. See the website www.jbhf.ca. There is a LOT of work to be done on the house before we get to the point of furnishing it, but, being a quilter, I am on the look out for a vintage sewing machine from the 1800's, if possible, to find a home in one of the rooms. We have about 4 beautiful old quilts that we are in the process of having appraised, which will be displayed somewhere in the house, and there is a broken down weaving loom in the house at present, which they will have restored as well. I want to be on the look out for an appropriate sewing machine, but don't know where to start, what kind to look for, where to look. Would a hand crank have preceded the treadle? Help me, please! There's no rush, as the house has just been secured "as is" for winter, and there is lots of work ahead before it will be ready for "furnishing".

SteveH

Well, I would suggest considering a Raymond brand as they were a Canadian maker in that time period.

Handcranks and treadles were available from 1856 (first handcrank) till today.

Good luck with your search!

canuckninepatch

Thanks, Steve!

SteveH

Well folks, It is not as complete as I was hoping. but with the number of requests that I have been receiving lately to get my collection online has spurred me into a form of action.

the site http://www.victoriansweatshop.com is now up and running.


I had not realized how bad some of the photos that I have in the collection are. I will work on getting better shots ASAP.


Right now the site is just the core stuff with 12 pictures of each of the machines.


I will be sorting out all of the 1800's documentation and trade cards this weekend and getting them scanned and posed as well.


The next phase is to add a "info" box for each picture, so I can share more of the fascinating history of some of these machines.


Then we will be adding the ability for me to be able to add machines "on the fly", once that is done I will modify the site to allow other to post their collections in a "Friend of the VSS" portion.


The final phase is to add a chat function.

Steve
The Victorian Sweatshop

KingersGirl

I am new to quilting. Research into my family heritage following a traumatic brain injury has sparked my interest in carrying on a family tradition, even if I will be skipping a generation or two. My grandmother (1913-1996) gave me an old trunk that once belonged to her grandfather (1840-1925) that contained her handmade baby quilt sewn by grandmother. Another treasure was her mother's, my great-grand mother's 1927 Singer sewing machine. I remember my grandmother teaching me how to change the "feet" and "bobbins" which I still have all of the original parts. I even have the original leather strap, but it appears to have been repaired by two pieces of metal? Might anyone know where I could find an owner's manual? Would it be good for quilting? (Don't remember that part) Any help would be appreciated.

SteveH

Welcome to the board!

Just about any Singer from the 20's would be a great machine to quilt on. Singer has a lot of their manuals online and available for free download.

If you can post a picture of your machine, we can identify it and help provide more accurate info

ThayerRags

Great!! I have been dropping by the site from time to time over the past few months, just hoping.....and waiting........

CD in Oklahoma