dominicv

Hello again,

Has singer made production models with just a hand crank? As opposed to a treadle and/or a motor? And is it fairly straightforward to convert a motor unit into a hand crank unit? Does singer make its own hand crank?

After watching this video, I really want to get a hand crank machine.
https://youtu.be/ajhk84KcEeA?si=QODK_I-uNGBiuguT
I think it is super cool to be able to sew like this. It is plenty fast enough. Especially if you are just doing stuff around the house, and basically for fun and practical purposes.

Yesterday I did my first ever machine sewing repair. On a pair of jeans that had a big rip in the rear. It is a pair that I use for yard work and in the old days I would have just reluctantly pitched them. I have been known to pull out a needle and thread in the past, but it is just a big hassle for a big rip and I’m not very good at it. But I feel like a pro after doing this. hahaha. It was actually fun and a little bit challenging and strangely satisfying. The stitches are actually beautiful. hahaha.

So . . . I would like to set up a hand crank unit. I would like to have my little grandson turn the crank and show him how we can complete a little repair or just make something. I know he would be fascinated.

I had been looking on eBay and found it a couple of sellers in Canada that have some really nice units, including a couple of hand cranks. They both have 100% ratings, and you can tell that they are really into what they do. But the descriptions usually say something like “retrofitted with a crank.“ It is never clear to me that there is such a thing as an original Singer hand crank unit, straight from the factory.

I was ready to pull the trigger on one of the Canadian machines, but I just looked at a local one today. It’s a 1955 99k in a really nice cabinet. It has a belt drive motor. I plugged it in an it works. So now I’m torn between buying that one for $90 and adding a crank or buying one of the much more expensive units from Canada, sight unseen and without a cabinet.

Sorry for the long post, but I truly do appreciate any advice from people here with experience.

Dominic

bkay

Good work on that repair.

I'm sure Singer made hand crank machines. I'm a very long way from "personal knowledge" about converting to a hand crank. I know it's possible, but I've never done it.

If someone with more knowledge than me doesn't come along, I'll see what I can find.

bkay

toverly

I converted a 99 to a hand crank. I found it while thrifting and it had a European style plug. I purchased a replacement crank online. It was simple to replace. The crank turned out not to be a true Singer replacement, but it does work and is fun to play with. No, I have never actually sewn anything substantial with it. I call it my hurricane machine.

dominicv

Thanks. I need to do more research on the topic.

dominicv

Thanks for the reply. I'm definitely going to do a little bit more digging into this interesting conversion. After further thought, I don't want to do it to a motored machine that is in otherwise working order. Maybe I'll stumble upon one with bad electrics and go from there . . . .

Iceblossom

I found an antique hand crank at an auction and wrote about it (with pictures) in this thread:
https://www.quiltingboard.com/vbulle...r-t316010.html

I need to find some needles that can be used, but when I recently moved I "only" moved 3 machines passing on more than that -- but I kept the hand crank!

JoeJr

Not every machine can be set up with a hand crank. And you need a 9 spoke hand wheel. Singer made/sold machines with just hand cranks. The rail to which the crank was mounted was later used to mount a motor. I have never seen an original Singer hand crank in person, but the ones I've seen for sale (e.g. on ebay) are expensive. The reproduction hand cranks are all about the same, but they can be improved somewhat, i.e. opened up and greased.

Here are some threads on hand cranks:

Question about Bobbin Winder on Singer 99-13? - Quiltingboard Forums
Aftermarket Handcranks - Quiltingboard Forums
Hand Crank for Singer 27 - Quiltingboard Forums
Singer Model 99, Conversion to Hand Crank - Quiltingboard Forums

Peckish

Yes, they made hand crank machines.

I had a friend whose mom died about 5-6 years ago, she had a hand-crank Singer that he inherited. He was going to take it to the dump because he could not imagine anyone in their right mind would want something like that, he assumed everyone wants all the bells and whistles. I about came unglued, I told him lots of people want them for their RVs or remote, off-the-grid cabins! I rescued it from him, took it home, gave it a good cleaning, made sure it worked, and loaded pictures of it on the internet. Within hours I had 3 offers. I sold it the next day and gave my friend the $250 I had sold it for. He was blown away.

That Singer was interesting in that it had a shuttle-type bobbin. I'd never seen one before.