Jabatrom

I found the actual serial number under the motor LN606744 if that helps anyone. Also, in another blog, someone thought the crinkle finish wasn't original. Anyway to know for sure? It looks like it is.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]589537[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]589536[/ATTACH]

Jabatrom

What does yours look like? Is it black or have a crinkle finish? I'm looking for a manual as I don't know how to use mine. The one I have uses the long shuttle rather than the rotary bobbin.

Mickey2

I have noticed crinkle finish machines from the 40s and well into the 50s, and according to ismacs an early Kenmore / White model had the crinkle finish by 1933. That's roughly the time frame this type of finish was common. It was popular enough to be used when older machines were refurbished and that's part of the reason why some suspect yours might be.

If you can detect traces of previous decals under the crinkle finish it's not the original. You can usually find traces of the original finish by taking a closer look behind the faceplate and under the base, the overlapping of paint and bare cast iron usually reveals something. If you see anything black it's probably shellac; some primers can be grey of course. Yours looks very nice either original or refurbished. Refinished machines were probably never sanded down to bare metal.

Straight stitchers were made up until the early 1960s, as well as vibrating shuttle models (long bobbin) model. (15 clones for even longer) They could be very simple with clasic looks like yours, and with out other factors narrowing down the time frame it's hard to rule out anything for sure.

Cari-in-Oly

Mickey straight stitch machines have never stopped being produced. They are still being made today, modern straight stitch machines for quilting, and 15 clones are still being made in several countries such as India and China.

Cari

Mickey2

I know, but generally a straight stitcher is usually a specialty machines with a specific purpose these days. High speed industrials are often straight stitch only, and a new model 15 is an oddity these days. I was thinking of the average domestic machine.

Stefan

Hi,

According to the Janome database your machine was made between 1949 and 1952. Call it four years. They made 539,370 LN machine during that period. So, they made just over 100,000 per year. 875,198-606744 = 268452. 875198-335828 = 539370 That's about 50% or an interpolation of 1.99 years. So, your machine was probably made in late 1950.

Crinkle finish in the 1960s was known as WWII wrinkle finish paint, usually black. In was very durable but it held the dirt in the cracks. So, it went out of favor by the late 1960 because it was so hard to clean. My dad used to sell old WWII equipment and I saw plenty of WWII wrinkle finish items.

Your machine is likely a real crinkle finish brown LN machine made in late 1950. If it was re-coated, plenty of us would like to know how to reproduce the exact "particle size" of the small island of wrinkles and that small spacing.

Stefan