Totally OT - weird machine.

zorba

If you think guns can get weird, I just purchased an apparent unicorn of an antique sewing machine. Its such a unicorn that a net friend who is a co-collector of this brand (National Sewing Machine Co, "NSMCo") cannot find it in any of his literature - real dealer's catalogs, promo materials and parts books from this company dating back to the 1920s at least. We only have pictures of 2 other examples, and one of those has a different casting. Like antique gun archeology, antique sewing machine archeology can be an interesting puzzle.

We're pretty sure this one dates from the 1930s.

In any event, just about everything with this machine is weird, the motor is on the frontside instead of the back, the thread holder is downright bizarre, etc, etc.

Yea, I'm easily amused...

earlyagain

Shouldn't the cord have cloth insulation?

If old Sears catalogs can be accessed on line. They might provide additional clues to model origins and features etc..

Its in excellent shape. So much the better if you have the cover.

ilove22s

to me it looks like a clone/rip off of a singer.

My mom had several sewing machines in the house and the 1 cool one i learned how to sew on was mounted in a table.

It looked like that with the motor in front.  forward only, no reverse.

But the cabinet was cool  the top flipped open for table space and there was a mechanism to lift the sewing machine into place.

But where i differs is that it was knee operated.  not foot.

I was able to build my 1st pack with that machine too. It did struggle going over the corners of COrdura 1000, but i was able to make it work

One other odd one i had bought for myself was a Singer 241?  It had an oil sump and sight glass showing the oil dripping/circulating in the machine.  IT was a "high" speed machine too.  But the funny thing was that after time on it, it was too slow.

zorba

I've never seen cloth insulation on a National, but anything's possible. The foot pedal isn't original, that I can tell you. "Ripoff of a Singer"? Most likely. Apparently, this machine is aluminum - which probably means it was supposed to compete with the famous Singer "Featherweight". There is another aluminum machine, the "G.E. SewHandy" that apparently came just before the Featherweight. Common lore about that machine is that Singer stole that idea - and that machine is collectible in its own right.

I might be able to figure out a bit more about this one when it gets here, and I have my feelers out to attempt to find more info on it - but its pretty scarce. NSMCo info isn't readily available like it is for Singers, or even Whites, Wilcox & Gibbs, etc.

ETA: I do not know if there was a cover for it or not. We only have 3 pictures of this model, and none of them show a cover. If there was one, I'd expect to see latches on the ends:

This base isn't a typical National base either.

zorba

More info. Almost certainly a Featherweight competitor - it came in a black, top opening carry case that you lifted the machine out of. Just like a featherweight.

earlyagain

Definitely a cool hobby!

Sewing machines for sure are a big historical part of families and households.

Reminds me I need thread. Im still in the archaic habit of repairing garments.

Make_My_Day

My wife has an industrial Singer that she still uses regularly that was built in 1914.

CaliFFL

My son uses a machine like this for sewing fur garments. No motor, pedal driven. 

Gene L

My mom had, and used, a foot-powered Singer most of her life.  Interestingly, I was at the Singer store in Athens about ten years ago and saw one on display.  I asked about it and was told Singer still makes them for use in places that don't have electricity.  Can't remember the price, but it was pretty reasonable.

zorba

CaliFFL said:

My son uses a machine like this for sewing fur garments. No motor, pedal driven. 

Model 29, probably 29K4 as that's the most common of the 29s. Made for leather boots, but will do all sorts of things.