Hand cranked, 1940 Singer 201K.

This is my newley acquired 1940, Singer 201K with hand crank which I collected on Saturday.

It came complete with a bentwood case and two boxes of accessories (most of which are duplicated).

The machine had been idle for almost 10 years, except for one sewing session in late 2016. It was surface clean other than old oil residue on the needle bar and presser foot bar, and in very good physical condition for a machine that is 77 years old!

Inside was a little different. In parts, it was pretty mucky from old dried out and discoloured oil, a sure sign the machine had been idle for a long time. Everything was moving fairly freely but the stitches left a lot to be desired. Some investigation was needed, mainly as part of my normal clean down regime.

Removing the faceplate revealed needle bar and presser foot mechanisms that were sorely in need of some TLC. Everything was working fine behind the faceplate, it was just covered in a fairly thick brown residue from old oil. An hour later after cleaning with white spirit soaked cloths and cotton pads, things were looking remarkably clean.

Tipping the machine back and looking underneath revealed an identical issue. Lots and lots of old oil residue on every joint. At least this showed that the machine had been oiled regularly when in use, and I don't have any issue with that. The same treatment was needed as under the faceplate and a similar timescale to get things looking pretty good. There was, however, one small issue that needed resolving. The knurled bolt that releases the feed dog mechanism to allow for darning and free motion embroidery was jammed solid and resisting all attempts to shift it. Forcing a 77-year-old machine does not seem like a good idea with the tools I have. A squirt of WD40 (yes I know it is not recommended for sewing machines by some, but when needs must .....) and about 15 minutes soaking and it began to turn, reluctantly. This one sticky (literally) issue took almost 30 minutes to free up and clean of brown sludge. So far, so good though. Patience is a virtue, or so I am told.

Next, on to the bobbin case. This was where I thought I might cure the stitching issues. The bobbin holder was remarkably clean, almost pristine, but it took me a while and a YouTube video from Archaic Arcane to remove the bobbin case from its housing. A small build-up of old fluff and lint was all there was, but the feed dogs were surrounded by what was more akin to compacted carpet underfelt and lots of it too. After a thorough clean and a frugal application of oil to the bobbin case, it was time to try stitching.

Errrr... bad idea. Birds nests, missed stitches was all I could get initially. It was a total mess, but on inspection, I suspected tension issues upstairs and downstairs. Downstairs, the bobbin thread was at times tight, other times easy to pull which made me think that the bobbin was poorly wound. I wound a new bobbin, adjusted the tension on the bobbin case to just brake the fall of a 1oz weight on the thread. The top tension was a similar issue, but this time constant high tension that I could not adjust with the tension setting dial. The only thing for it was to strip, clean and reassemble the upper tension mechanism and keep my fingers crossed, but it did the trick. I have no idea what was wrong, but it worked. The first stitch test was moderately successful. Some adjustments to the top tension setting start position soon had the machine creating a very good stitch.

The hand Crank of this machine is in excellent order, there is no tinging as the works turn. The crank finger is a good fit into the spokes of the machine's handwheel. All that was needed was a couple of drops of oil and everything was silky smooth.

With everything now working reasonably well, oiling at every recommended point was the next order of the day. When I clean a machine I set it down in its base, lined with an absorbent cloth, just in case I overdo it with the oil. I like to oil machines that I have removed old residue with solvent, crank for 5 minutes then re-oil. I continue this every few hours over a couple of days, making sure to wipe all excess, surface oil, on the presser foot and needle bar mechanisms where oil might contaminate any future work.

After a couple of days, the machine is now running very quietly with the most noticeable sound being the ticking of the tension spring as the machine forms a stitch. A final polish and the machine will be fit for many years work. I have added a 30 LED goose-neck lamp with a magnetized base to the machine too.

All together I estimate that I have spent around 8 hours cleaning off compacted fluff and oil residue, stripping and adjusting the bobbin case and upper tension units, testing giving the machine a final clean and shine.

It is a beautiful machine, with a lot of attachments, all in pristine condition. What makes it really special find is that amongst the attachments, there was a  third part zigzagger. It works really well with plenty of width adjustment on the attachment. The machine's stitch length is used to control the length of the zig-zag down as tight as a very good satin stitch.

I have now had the machine three days. Everything has been running very smoothly so I spent much of today sewing a few different materials to get used to how it behaves. It is very smooth, very quiet and a joy to use. I can see why the Singer 201K is to sewing machines what the Flying Scotsman is to steam trains.

Now, I have seen more than one Singer 201K advertised as "heavy duty", "semi-industrial" on online auction and advertising site. Singer clearly describes their 201K machine as a "family" machine, and in no way should anybody consider the 201K an industrial machine. They are a completely different animal, often single purpose, with huge motors and stitching speeds of several thousand stitches per minute. Heavy duty and semi-industrial are outright lies to raise the price for the vendor and con the unsuspecting. Nothing else.

However, you will see the 201K in commercial settings, especially those of professional tailors and seamstress's where an immaculate and well-formed stitch is a must, day in, day out without fuss. This is where the 201K often steps out of the domestic setting into the commercial world. It is a straight stitch machine capable of reaching the highest standards of stitch for the seamstress and tailor as well as the family user.

Finally, I have a 201K in great condition, with a "Black Box" of accessories and a zig-zag attachment. Time to start reducing the size of the fabric stash!