SteveH

Check your ground. Sounds like lowrpm/low voltage issue.

ThayerRags

Sounds like a good idea. I hadn’t thought about that, and we have had electrical connection problems with this bike before. I’ll get it back into the bikeshop as soon as I move the two treadles and 3 portables on out that I’ve picked up in the past couple of weeks. It’s getting to be my “Bikeshop” in name only since it’s the only space I have to triage my newest sewing machines when they come in.

Here’s a photo of the 1930s Singer 227M that is not that common, as far as I can tell, and also a photo of the 1889 Singer 28-1 in the “Convertible Case”. It can be set into an appropriate treadle stand for treadle use.

CD in Oklahoma

Mrs. SewNSew

Nice find CD! I hope you can get the bike problem figured out and have your wife riding safely again soon!

SteveH

LOVE the 28-1 very nice.

oldsewnsew

Nice indeed!! Would it be out of line to ask what the HC 28-1 went for?

ThayerRags

Not this particular time, since I don’t feel like a “stole it”.

This particular auction was an accumulation of several Estates that included a large amount of antiques, and nice ones at that. It has audience seating for about the first and last 3rds of the auction, the middle 3rd moves around with the Auctioneer to the items. The crowd included several dealers, plus there were online bids as well. The Victorian furniture sales took up a big share of the morning. The sales sequence around through the items made it to where the two treadles came up fairly soon in the auction, but I could tell that the 28-1 was going to be one of the very last items to sell. I got the high bids on the treadles and then hunkered down to wait.

Then I learned that the Auction House has a “dot system” that kicks in about midway through the sale. I’d never ran into this before, but a Buyer can put a colored sticky dot on an item waiting to sell late in the sale, with the Bidder’s number written on the dot, and when the auction action moves into each new area, all of the items with dots on them are sold first. It’s an effort to speed the auction up a bit.

The dots are red, white, and blue ($10, $25, $50). You can place your dot on an item and then go home if you want to. Kind of like a Silent Auction. You can also change your mind and remove your dot before they get to it. The bid on the item will start with the color amount (your bid) and call for higher bids. If you’re still there, and the item gets a second Bidder, you can bid again just like normal, except that the auction started with your opening bid (your dot). If you’re not there when it sells, and no one else raises the bid, your dot bid takes the item and they call you to come pay for it and pick it up.

I had gotten what I thought was a very good buy on both of the treadles, and I really liked the 28-1 HC, but I didn’t want to wait around the rest of the day, so I put a blue dot on it and started loading the treadles. I was figuring that I could finish loading, pay my bill, and could probably be home by the time they got to the 28-1. Well, my activities went slower than I had thought they would, and I was still there when they got to the 28-1. There were no additional bids, so I got it for $50. Who knows, I could have gotten it with a red dot for all I know. That’s just part of the fun, I guess.

Here are photos of the treadle cabinets.

CD in Oklahoma

ThayerRags

Here's a photo of the 28-1 with its case top on.

CD in Oklahoma

oldsewnsew

I paid 50 for a CL HC 128. Makes me think i shouldnt give more for thse unless they're in exc condition

Rodney

Nice gets CD. That 227 would be a keeper for me too. It looks like a 1950s machine to me given the styling. If that thing is from the 30s it was way ahead of it's time.
I'd keep the 128 too given it's in a different case than your other and that it's in such good shape. I think the $50 you paid for it was a bargain.
Rodney

ThayerRags

I’m going to have to agree with you on the vintage of the 227M. I think yes, it just might be too stylish for the 30s. The serial number on it is MB523759, and I don’t have any good information on the serial number. The MA-MY serial numbers began in 1934, but when they did this MB number I don’t have a clue. I’d say the 1950s would be more likely. I’m going to drop the 30s and go with the 50s, until I can get more information on it. Thanks.

CD in Oklahoma

ETA: I forgot to mention earlier, the bottom of the Singer 28-1 HC case (the base) has several of the original attachments tucked down in it, including an attachment User Manual.