05/06/2023
Been a while since I’ve made a new post, ‘deed it has, but I am emerging from beneath my enormous pile of service calls, stragglers, and works in progress, but I wanted to share this recent project that I’m pretty proud of, and give a little bit of a boost to the fundraiser it’s supporting.
My brother and sister-in-law over at Maynard Studios are hosting a dinner, with silent auction and raffle, to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on behalf of Sondra Stallings, whose husband “Moonshine Mike” Stallings succumbed to leukemia last autumn.
I’ve donated this refurbished vintage sewing machine and buttonhole attachment to the auction.
The auction is an in-person event, and you must be present to win, but I’ll include a donation link in the comments if you’d like to support the cause.
The machine is a Singer 99K, serial number EK946883, allocated November 23, 1955, as part of a production run of 50,000 units at Singer’s famous Kilbowie plant in Clydebank, Scotland. I acquired it from a customer in Jessamine County, Kentucky, who bought it new in 1956, along with the buttonholer. It has been well-maintained, with good decals, and some minor degradation of the clear coat and blemishes on the cabinet, but is in excellent working condition. It’s mounted in the relatively uncommon #72 Cadet cabinet, with the opening sized specifically for the 3/4 size Model 99.
All the electrical cords have been replaced with new 18-gauge lamp cord, including the lead for the Bakelite spotlight fixture. The light fixture still has its heavy glass lens, and has a new LED bulb mounted. I inspected the motor brushes, and found them to be clean, with plenty of wear left in them.
The machine was originally fitted with Singer’s stamped metal foot control; I swapped that out with a vintage original rectangular Bakelite foot control. The foot control is in excellent condition, with precise response across its range, and the motor is winding up to full speed, with good torque.
The machine has been fully cleaned, lubed, adjusted, and sewn out, with a new bobbin winder tire mounted and adjusted. I sewed it out satisfactorily on stabilized muslin and 10-oz. denim, up to six layers of each. It’s a gorgeous collectible, but also a practical sewing machine, and I very much hope that it will go to someone who will use it for its intended purpose!
