J Miller

I've recently acquired a Singer 66-16 in a cabinet. { http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...e-t232243.html }.

Day before yesterday I was cleaning the surface with oil and cotton balls and had the slide plate extended.
I got distracted and forgot to close the slide plate when I rotated the machine into the cabinet. When the plate hit the top of the cabinet it popped off the machine with a resounding "PING". I looked at it and thought ..... I wonder if that is why so many machines are missing their slide plates?

Just a thought.

Joe

profannie

I was asking myself the same question... thanks for sharing this possible answer.
If many women were using their sewing machine in the middle of the house, surrounded by kids... then I can confirm it`s very possible they got distracted
By the way... nice find, this Singer looks pristine.

Macybaby

I think that the get in the hands of non sewers. Those plates come off way easier than they go bsck on.


They get removed from curiosity, and then set aside when they don't pop back on as easily.

manicmike

I had an idea about this a few months ago Joe (can't find the reference) where people remove them with great force trying to see how they come off, but yours seems more likely.
The 66 and 99 slide plates are not intuitive in having to be slid in from what looks to be the wrong way. People would just leave them out or assume they're broken and throw them in the rubbish bin, particularly if the instruction manual is missing. If the manual isn't missing it's still easier to assume it's broken than to actually look something up

What annoys me is that most of my 201s are missing their slide plates too, and they go back in easily, so they have almost certainly been PINGed as you described. Your idea seems most likely.

J Miller

Mike,

Well, that takes care of the treadles and cabinet machines. Now, how do we figure those on the portables get missing?
I figure those have much more human help.

Joe

Monroe

I bought a vintage portable sewing machine on EBAY a while back and the seller was a bit of a pain. The attachment tin was crushed in transit by the machine and the clip on slide plate was missing when received. She eventually did "find" it- supposedly hiding in a plant by the front door. I was unable to make it jump off, esp all the way from the dining room to the doorway at my house. I find it suspicious when so many machines have missing cords- a way to avoid testing them? Some folks overtly sell them separately.

manicmike

Now that you mention it, the only portable 201s I've seen have been are the aluminium ones and they've never been minus their plates. The treadles have been the only ones! This also supports your hypothesis Joe.

So yes, if you see a portable with a missing slide plate there would have to be an idiot somewhere nearby, possibly holding a screwdriver

I think that about wraps it up, Holmes. Well done.

jlm5419

One day not too long ago, I had been fooling around with my 1902 Singer 27 treadle, opening the slide plates, etc., when I decided to look underneath. Couldn't figure out why the darn thing wouldn't open up until I discovered the back slider (which I had forgotten to close) was bent. Not only do I feel really stupid, but now I don't know how to fix it. Maybe I'll get DH to take it to work with him and see if one of the guys can straighten it, IF I can get it off the machine.

J Miller

I've got several shuttle machines that have loose slide plates. On a couple of them I've noticed there is a slight kink in the plate. My theory is someone deliberately bent them so they'd stay put. I've had to unbend one so I could open it, and I've put a slight bend in a rear one so it would stay put. I never mess with the back plates other than when I clean the machines.

Joe