Oh Yes, Sorry. It is a class 15 I am pretty sure. Could be an Improved Family. But the knee lifter for the presser foot makes me think it is definitely for factory work and the odd presser foot is for a specific purpose.
The rolling foot can be used for leather. I would say it is an Improved Family due to the fiddle base. Singer made quite a lot of them and eventually they became the Class 16.
No answers here, but can't resist to specualte.. I am with WisePati on this one. Singer had the I.F.C.B designations.. Improved Family Commercial ..Branch? Does anyone know what the B stands for in this acronym? Check Smithsonian Collection for a number of viewable booklets pertaining to these class of machines. Anyways, roller foot, an unusually beefy looking feed dog, knee lifter..would guess soft leather or some other textural equivalent. It is tough to pigeon hole these very early models to an exact submodel..like a 31-15 , 31-22 etc., because when you see the variety of parts, accessories available in the aforementioned catalogs you can tailor these machines to a certain degree for a specific task. Gaze deeply into those pages and imagine your dream machine come true if you could still order up these parts! My best guess as to what this machine specifically was designed to sew was find out about that feed dog. Kind of unusual looking, isn't it? Can you find a stamped number on it? I assume those are patent dates on the bobbin access plate.. any numbers on the needle plate other than dates? But since you do not own it, yet, that will have to wait.
The feed dogs don't have sharp teeth. It looks like they were designed so that they wouldn't bite into the underside. And the roller wheel foot appears to be used for "unstraight" sewing, perhaps over rough terrain. I vote with DreinPA that it was used for sewing hats - wool or straw, or maybe gloves. All of which would need Free motion steering from the roller foot and soft teeth feed dogs on the underside.
I've never seen a fiddlebase 15 before. How cool! No clue about that foot. Maybe someone on the vintage singer attachments group will know. I'm curious now, too.
Haven't found a site that describes a 15 model before 1874. Maybe the actual patent was earlier, but I haven't found a reference. But at any rate it must be one of the earliest 15's. I vote you go back and get this machine - it is too unique.
Now you also have me guessing about that roller attachment foot. Also it might be interesting to know when the first knee lifter was invented.
That is a leather roller foot. Elizabeth, you got one with the 31-15 I sold you. You can check out the Bernina website for a short video on using it. It can also be used for quilting, FM style.
I will wager a guess that it is industrial and used in millinery likely for straw hats. It's not just a specialty foot but specialty feed dogs as well.
Oh my gosh! What a find! I'm sure that this machine would have come home with me, right then and there! I have too much curiosity about these unusual machines. I could not bear to take the chance that it might be gone upon my return! Perhaps it was designed for making fine leather gloves. Or perhaps upholstery? Thanks for sharing with us. :)
From the Netherlands, I remember having seen such a presserfoot in use for real. It was used to stitch the outside seams on fine nappa and kidsleather glovesfingers. (I still use such fingertops, cut of as long as possibe for stitching with very fine needles by hand, as kind of a thimble). The wheel made it possible to hold a very fine seam in its place and stitch at the same time and stitch round seams without tucking. If you look at such seams you will immediately see what I mean. Reina (BTW I love making old metal handcranck sewingmachines work again too. My new to me machine I bouht a month ago a Singer 99, it will stay with me, it is still in working ordre and after oiling it all over it hums like a hummingbird - or bee).
Looks like a round bobbin machine, is it? I want to buy a treadle, but not sure about long bobbin machines. Any opinions? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteOh Yes, Sorry. It is a class 15 I am pretty sure. Could be an Improved Family. But the knee lifter for the presser foot makes me think it is definitely for factory work and the odd presser foot is for a specific purpose.
DeleteThe rolling foot can be used for leather. I would say it is an Improved Family due to the fiddle base. Singer made quite a lot of them and eventually they became the Class 16.
DeleteNo answers here, but can't resist to specualte.. I am with WisePati on this one. Singer had the I.F.C.B designations.. Improved Family Commercial ..Branch? Does anyone know what the B stands for in this acronym? Check Smithsonian Collection for a number of viewable booklets pertaining to these class of machines. Anyways, roller foot, an unusually beefy looking feed dog, knee lifter..would guess soft leather or some other textural equivalent. It is tough to pigeon hole these very early models to an exact submodel..like a 31-15 , 31-22 etc., because when you see the variety of parts, accessories available in the aforementioned catalogs you can tailor these machines to a certain degree for a specific task. Gaze deeply into those pages and imagine your dream machine come true if you could still order up these parts! My best guess as to what this machine specifically was designed to sew was find out about that feed dog. Kind of unusual looking, isn't it? Can you find a stamped number on it? I assume those are patent dates on the bobbin access plate.. any numbers on the needle plate other than dates? But since you do not own it, yet, that will have to wait.
DeleteThe feed dogs don't have sharp teeth. It looks like they were designed so that they wouldn't bite into the underside. And the roller wheel foot appears to be used for "unstraight" sewing, perhaps over rough terrain. I vote with DreinPA that it was used for sewing hats - wool or straw, or maybe gloves. All of which would need Free motion steering from the roller foot and soft teeth feed dogs on the underside.
DeleteI've never seen a fiddlebase 15 before. How cool! No clue about that foot. Maybe someone on the vintage singer attachments group will know. I'm curious now, too.
ReplyDeleteHaven't found a site that describes a 15 model before 1874. Maybe the actual patent was earlier, but I haven't found a reference. But at any rate it must be one of the earliest 15's. I vote you go back and get this machine - it is too unique.
ReplyDeleteNow you also have me guessing about that roller attachment foot. Also it might be interesting to know when the first knee lifter was invented.
Could this be what it is? Check out this ebay ad. I wondered if it was for sewing leather.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ebay.com/itm/ROLLER-FOOT-LARGE-PLATE-FEED-SEWING-SINGER-JUKI-12267-/300720915929
That is a leather roller foot. Elizabeth, you got one with the 31-15 I sold you. You can check out the Bernina website for a short video on using it. It can also be used for quilting, FM style.
ReplyDeleteWell, clearly I need to get out the feet and look at them. gonna use that 31-15 starting tomorrow, Chris, to make some new slip covers.
DeleteI will wager a guess that it is industrial and used in millinery likely for straw hats. It's not just a specialty foot but specialty feed dogs as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd the fly wheel is very large. Also points to hi speed operation.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! What a find! I'm sure that this machine would have come home with me, right then and there! I have too much curiosity about these unusual machines. I could not bear to take the chance that it might be gone upon my return!
ReplyDeletePerhaps it was designed for making fine leather gloves. Or perhaps upholstery? Thanks for sharing with us. :)
Don't the Improved Family have "IF" cast on the underside of the machine? It sure looks like an improved family to me.
ReplyDeleteHere's the Bernina leather roller foot and video of it..............
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bernina.com/en-US/Products-us/BERNINA-products-us/BERNINA-Accessories-us/Presser-feet-us/Leather-roller-foot-en
Wow - I can honestly say I've never seen anything like this before!!
ReplyDeleteFrom the Netherlands, I remember having seen such a presserfoot in use for real. It was used to stitch the outside seams on fine nappa and kidsleather glovesfingers. (I still use such fingertops, cut of as long as possibe for stitching with very fine needles by hand, as kind of a thimble). The wheel made it possible to hold a very fine seam in its place and stitch at the same time and stitch round seams without tucking. If you look at such seams you will immediately see what I mean. Reina (BTW I love making old metal handcranck sewingmachines work again too. My new to me machine I bouht a month ago a Singer 99, it will stay with me, it is still in working ordre and after oiling it all over it hums like a hummingbird - or bee).
ReplyDelete