Glossy Vintage Singer 99 for sale

Once again I am using the blog to provide information to anyone interested is buying a machine that I am selling on CraigsList.  Because I am selling more than one straight-stitch-only machine, some of the text has been cut and pasted from other posts. All of the photos, including of the test stitches, are of this machine.  So regular readers are encouraged just to look at the photos of this lovely machine!

The pandemic porch pickup plan has been working very well for sewing machine sales.  The machine will be on a small desk on my front porch, plugged in, threaded, and all ready for you to test.  Stitch samples and accessories will be laid out on a table.  I will be able to see you and talk to you through my video doorbell, so you do not have to worry about personal contact during a global pandemic!  You can leave the money on a table on the porch, cash only please.  The price is listed in the CraigsList ad (which will disappear once the machine has been sold).

This machine has a glossy black paint job with gold decals in excellent condition.  It is an all-metal straight-stitch-only machine manufactured in Great Britain in 1953 during the golden age of sewing machines.  It is a Singer Model 99, which is a 3/4 size machine.  That means it only weighs 30 pounds instead of the hefty 40 pounds that a full size vintage all-metal machine weighs.

Just look at that shine!

Don't let the smaller size fool you into thinking that this is for light duty work though--it can handle anything a full size vintage machine can handle, as you can see in the stitch sample below.  Singer marketed these as being "portable".  30 pounds is still quite a lift though when compared with modern plastic machines.

It has been thoroughly cleaned and tested and is in excellent working condition. One of the ways I test a machine is to see how well it will stitch through multiple layers.  I take a long length of fabric and fold it in half.  I stitch a few inches down the length through 2 layers.  I fold it in half and stitch through four layers.  Fold it in half again and stitch through eight layers.  For this machine I was able to fold it in half again and stitch through sixteen layers, with perfect stitches and no problems with the tension (perfect stitches top and bottom).

A mirror-like glossy finish is showing the reflection of the light on the back of the machine

This machine should be able to handle anything that will fit under the presser foot.  I used a size 14 needle and quilting cotton weight fabric for the test.  For denim or canvas I would use a larger size 16 or 18 needle.

I also tested the bobbin winder.

It filled the bobbin smoothly and tightly (which is important).  It began by filling it evenly side to side but about half way through started loading it a bit more to one side.  Gently guiding the thread with my finger solved this.  It is always my policy to give complete information about any machine that I sell.

Several things lead me to believe that this machine was not used very much.  First of all, the extremely glossy paint job.  There are a few scratches in the finish, but none of the wear patterns that develop when machines are used extensively over a period of years.

This Singer decal style is known as "paperclip"

 Perhaps the most convincing piece of evidence that this was very lightly used is the condition of the motor controller (foot pedal).  It looks almost new.

 The 67 year old case is also in very good (although not perfect) condition.

This style of Singer case is known as "grasscloth" and as you can imagine  can get pretty grubby over the years.  This one is remarkably clean.

 Not perfect though, as the photo below will show. Along this corner the glue has failed.  You can also see some wear and discoloration along the bottom edge.

Also included in this sale is a vintage Singer accessories case, although it is not as old as the machine.

Inside the case you will find tools and accessories and an original manual.

The manual includes detailed directions for the operation of the machine.

It also includes detailed directions for the use of several attachments.  All of the vintage attachments described in the manual are included with this machine.

Attachments, top row from left to right:  ruffler, binder, adjustable hemmer.

Bottom row, left to right:  adjustable zipper foot, narrow hemmer, shirring foot, edge stitcher

The ruffler makes tiny pleats as you sew and has settings that allow you to vary the spacing of the pleats as shown in the photo below.  "1" makes a pleat with every stitch, "6" makes one pleat in every six stitches, and "12" makes one pleat in every twelve stitches.  There is another setting shown on the rufller as a star which makes no pleats at all, which means that you can go back and forth between regular stitching and straight stitching without having to remove the ruffler from the machine.

 

This machine has a standard low shank attachment for presser feet, which is still the most common configuration with today's modern machines.  This means that you can buy additional modern presser feet that will fit this machine, such as a Teflon foot or a roller foot.

And although I love having all the vintage attachments and presser feet, you will find that the straight stitch foot and the zipper foot will meet 99.9% of your needs with this machine.  So don't feel that you will need to master all of these!  

Tools and accessories shown below are also included:  Tri-Flow sewing machine oil, vintage Singer lint brush, needle threader, nine sewing machine needles in three sizes, set of two sewing machine screw drivers, four new class 66 metal bobbins and one plastic class 66 bobbin.  Another plastic bobbin is in the machine.

 All of the tools, accessories, and manual will fit into the vintage Singer accessories case.

Also available, upon request and for an additional charge:  a vintage Singer zigzager which will fit this machine.  It will allow you to create a zigzag stitch, a blind hem stitch, and a couple of purely decorative stitches.

Contact me through the CraigsList ad if you are interested in seeing this machine.

Local sales only, I do not ship.

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For my regular readers:  I have read that the powerful torque of this particular model makes it a favorite among leather workers.  Obviously a leather needle and roller foot would be called for.  Can any of you confirm it's popularity among leather workers?  I have certainly experienced that it has the torque to sew through several layers of upholstery fabric and webbing straps when making tote bags.

(and yes, this is a not-so-thinly disguised attempt to plug the power of this machine.  But I really do want to know about the leather workers.)