very sad Singer 99 |
very sad photo of a very sad singer 99. Photo from the original eBay listing |
I bought this machine
for parts over the weekend. I needed a ¾ sized base and cover. I am
in the middle of a mass maintenance of a bunch of my machines. One of
them is a little ¾ sized Japanese 15 clone.
They were made in
hundreds of factories in Japan after the war in any colour you
wanted. These were sent all over the world to have a locally made
motor bolted on and badges added.
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a singer 15 with RAF decals. I really want one of these one day. |
Some people call them
15 clones because they use almost the same mechanisms and are roughly
the same shape as a Singer 15. But don't be surprised if you get an
ear bashing if you say "15 clone" to the wrong person. A
lot of sewing machine people take offence. They are not exact
copies. The Japanese made a few improvements. The bobbin case's are not
always the same. Some of them have a feed dog drop switch on the bed
of the machine. But as a general term I think it's a good one and I
use it.
machines made in Japan usually have JA punched with the serial number |
My little 15 clone is
smaller then most. In fact it is a bit rare. I wouldn't want to
declare that it is worth lots and lots of money, I bought it from a
very nice man for $16, but you don't see them as often as the full
size. It didn't come with a base or box so I bought this very sad
looking 99 for the box. Now even though my little Chevret is not a clone of the 99 it did fit. I am very thankful that those Japanese factory workers 50 years ago copied singer with so much dedication and detail. Unfortunately the base and box is very sad as
well. It's coming apart and the veneer is coming off in parts. Some
bright spark painted the lid with some watered down brown purple
paint which has been coming off on my hands and all over my sewing
room. I don't think I will be able to save it.
The listing and the
pick up was very typical for an eBay purchase. The sellers had no
idea what it was. The 99 in bentwood box was designed with a knee
lever mechanism. There wasn't a knee lever in the box which happens
a lot. They go missing. People think it is just a random piece of
metal and throw it away. But the seller had packed an extra foot
peddle and cable. No matter that this plug wouldn't fit. When I got
there the machine was set on top of a magnificent industrial treadle
machine with gold decals. I do not know much about industrials so
could not tell them much about it other then it was industrial. The
sellers then told me it was a family heirloom and they bought the 99
to replace the huge machine sitting in the industrial table. That
would be like putting a very small peg in a very large hole. Or
driving a Cadillac and replacing it with a smart car. I told them if
they sew they should use it. Maybe they will maybe they won't.
And then they mistook
my brother for my boyfriend so I said good day.
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