Which Singer 201

[Puffin10032]

Interesting about the needles. I use "standard" everyday needles in it with no problem that I'm aware of. Just purchased some schmetz jeans needles with a flat on the shank that look the same as all the other needles that I have used over the years.

I wonder whether the machine was altered years ago for the universal needles ?

Interesting. Maybe the difference between a 15x1 and 206x1 is small enough to not be an issue? Or, as you suggest, maybe it's been tweaked. On many machines the needle bar height can be altered so that may have been done. I too use Shmetz jeans needles quite a bit although I must confess that I've never done an A-B test against standard needles to see how much better, if at all, they are at heavy work.

 

[geem]

Yawn. Sorry but you have been CONNED. There is not and never has been such a thing as a "semi-industrial" sewing machine - it's just an internet scam. Singer only ever sold the 201 as a domestic machine. That it will beat the crap out of any modern piece of plastic junk is irrelevant - any of the old machines will do that. If anything deserves the moniker of "semi-industrial" it's probably something something like the 20U which was designed for light, high speed work in industries such as the garment industry. Compared to the sorts of machines you'll find in most sail lofts it's a toy. I'm well aware of RR using the 201 back in the day. They chose the 201 because it produced neater stitching than anything else available at the time (remember that the 201 started in production in the mid 1930s). The thin, soft leather used on car seats is easy to sew on just about any machine; even a modern piece of plastic junk could sew it. We're not talking saddlery here.

Thr point about the semi industrial title isn't strength, it's durability since it was used every day in a commercial application. Our 201k is 70 years old and still going strong. What more proof do you need
Singer 201, 201K, 201D, 201P Sewing Machines

 

[Neeves]

Slight thread drift - just an academic query

We have been using my Mother's domestic machine (and using it for shade covers, boom cover, spin repairs - nothing very arduous, double thickness of Dacron but not much more. (I recall dated September 1939). It was bought in the UK. It has no pretensions at being an 'industrial' machine. Needles are easy to source (try Temu or Aliexpress), for leather or jeans. I believe we could have converted to electric - but its perfectly adequate for what we need by hand and came with a whole host of options and an industrial manual.

It easily sews upholstery leather, but I suspect not 'hide'. It definitely does not sew the head of a mainsail (that would need to be done by hand with a sailmakers palm ).

It has a unique manufacturing number in the casting at the front of the machine, in front of the 'main' leg.

I note the preference (or not) for a 201 machine (on this thread) and wonder where the reference number is hidden defining ours as 'not a 201' in fact not defined as any specific model apart from its manufacturing number. I did check - the manufacturing number defines when it was made - but does not appear to designate a model number.

We have an electric Singer, maybe 1980s - bought before we inherited my Mother's - the newer one is rubbish compared with the old model

We also have Josephine's mother's treadle Seagull, I think a Chinese copy of Singer, of a similar (but probably a bit younger - 1950s?) vintage. It came held in a sort of formica table top and cast frame. The table top was falling apart, the formica was peeling off, and I made a new table top from African ash. We have never invested the time to use it - its simply a family heirloom. We also have a Vicker's treadle machine, in pieces - the intention was to build a new table - I never got round to it.

Jonathan

 

[Puffin10032]

Slight thread drift - just an academic query

We have been using my Mother's domestic machine (and using it for shade covers, boom cover, spin repairs - nothing very arduous, double thickness of Dacron but not much more. (I recall dated September 1939). It was bought in the UK. It has no pretensions at being an 'industrial' machine. Needles are easy to source (try Temu or Aliexpress), for leather or jeans. I believe we could have converted to electric - but its perfectly adequate for what we need by hand and came with a whole host of options and an industrial manual.

It easily sews upholstery leather, but I suspect not 'hide'. It definitely does not sew the head of a mainsail (that would need to be done by hand with a sailmakers palm ).

It has a unique manufacturing number in the casting at the front of the machine, in front of the 'main' leg.

I note the preference (or not) for a 201 machine (on this thread) and wonder where the reference number is hidden defining ours as 'not a 201' in fact not defined as any specific model apart from its manufacturing number. I did check - the manufacturing number defines when it was made - but does not appear to designate a model number.

We have an electric Singer, maybe 1980s - bought before we inherited my Mother's - the newer one is rubbish compared with the old model

We also have Josephine's mother's treadle Seagull, I think a Chinese copy of Singer, of a similar (but probably a bit younger - 1950s?) vintage. It came held in a sort of formica table top and cast frame. The table top was falling apart, the formica was peeling off, and I made a new table top from African ash. We have never invested the time to use it - its simply a family heirloom. We also have a Vicker's treadle machine, in pieces - the intention was to build a new table - I never got round to it.

Jonathan

I assume it's a Singer (you didn't say). If it is then this web page might help you identify the model

Find Sewing Machine Model Number From Serial Number

BTW if it turns out to be a 221 or 222 they're very collectable in good condition.

 

[Neeves]

Sorry, but the thread was about Singer machines, specifically the 201 and I omitted to mention it was a Singer. The thread prompted me to have a look and I rechecked the serial number but it did not define the machine - so I was none the wiser as to whether it was a 201 - except that it was obviously a Singer. I find it odd, given the reputation of the 201 that which model; the machines are, is not so easy to define. Its easy to define when kit was made but not which model it is.

In my search, not very exhaustive, I found a list of sewing machine makers in the UK - it was seriously big business! Workshops scattered over the UK all able to cast and machine.....

Jonathan

 

[Puffin10032]

Sorry, but the thread was about Singer machines, specifically the 201 and I omitted to mention it was a Singer. The thread prompted me to have a look and I rechecked the serial number but it did not define the machine - so I was none the wiser as to whether it was a 201 - except that it was obviously a Singer. I find it odd, given the reputation of the 201 that which model; the machines are, is not so easy to define. Its easy to define when kit was made but not which model it is.

In my search, not very exhaustive, I found a list of sewing machine makers in the UK - it was seriously big business! Workshops scattered over the UK all able to cast and machine.....

Jonathan

Annoyingly Singer never recorded the model number alongside the serial number but the link I posted has photos and descriptions of the most popular (and so likely) models of that era. If that's proven to be insufficient then I can only suggest you send some photos of the machine to an expert on Singers.