KLO

Cathi, I am chuckling to myself and feel a bit stupid. Yes, mine looks to be a #14 when I look inside of the glass bottom. So funny!!!Good thing that I can laugh at myself ... for so many reasons, actually. So do you think the number on the bottom makes any difference? Do you know (as you may have more than one of these?) if the tops are specific to the bottoms and do the tops have some sort of number or letter to indicate this?

ManiacQuilter2, These ink wells are found in certain sewing desks (mine is a Singer #42) because the desks were touted as being able to be use as a regular desk (writing desk) and therefore multipurpose.

Macybaby

KLO, this is the only on that came with an inkwell. The other two similar desks I have don't have a spot for it - but have a bar to hold bobbins in that upper drawer.

I almost posted that I had one with a four on it too - and that I thought it was funny that it had that bar above the 4 . . . I even had part of it typed out - and then I took off the cap and looked inside.

KLO

Cathi, I did not realize that the #42 cabinet was the only one that had this distinct feature. Neat! It also of course has the pen/pencil tray next to the ink well and the spool/bobbin holder in one of the right hand drawers along with the oil can holder. Does your bakelite lid have any marks on it such as a number or letter or ??? Are these cabinets really that old that they should have an ink well in them? Well, they do so I guess they are!

Macybaby

My lid has no markings.

I have the round drawer cabinet in both styles, the one where the drawer fronts are rounded, and the one with a rounded front door that covers three square front drawers behind it. The inkwell is in the one with the rounded front drawers. Both of these came with a built in foot pedal, though we removed it from eh one DH uses as he did not like it (can easily put it back though) We kept it on the one I use, though we wired it up to a plug under the cabinet so I could use my newer White (japanese made) in it.

I have a very similar cabinet that has square front drawers, and it does not have the inkwell in the upper drawer - it's upper drawer is the same as the one with the rounded door front.

KLO

Yep, I have the one with the three rounded individual drawers. Mine did not come with the built in foot pedal. Are you referring to what I would call a knee paddle that some cabinets came with? It came with the 15-91 with the foot pedal but who knows if that was original to my cabinet. Although, the drawers were stuffed with attachments and a 15-91 book so maybe it did. The drawers have the little hole in the middle of them to facilitate taking them out. Someone on the board had to tell me how to do that .... it was either CD or SteveH, I think. I found old patterns, pins, and such smooshed back there. Love that little cabinet and machine. Just need to get my dh to take his small wine fridge off so I can use it again! Hope it doesn't leak as I will be very perturb. Downsizing is not fun!!!

chris_quilts

My lid has Bakelite No 60 on it.

amcatanzaro

Complete inkwell spotting.
http://www.aoauctions.net/lot/42151/

Macybaby

Oh - I so want to see what else is in those drawers!

BTW - since I realize I never answered this question - mine came with the pedal control mounted underneath the bottom of the drawer stack. There was a lever sticking out from under there that you could step on to control the machine as the wires ran behind the drawers to the machine - it was hardwired in. It can be pushed in or pulled out so it's not totally in the way when not in use.

sewbeadit

Could someone put a picture up of their cabinet with the ink well, I have never seen one before and find it interesting.

DonnaMiller

Singer was multitasking. You can use it as a writing, homework, desk when not sewing.