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12 November 2007

SCORE! Here's what my husband found sitting in its wooden case by a garbage dumpster on his way home, this exact model, with exactly the same decals, etc., though not pristine as this one is. →[More:]

I'll take a photo later... but we're so chuffed! It's a 1919 handcrank, made in Scotland. I'm kind of surprised that anyone just threw it out, but the case was locked and there was no key, so maybe they were clearing out an apartment and just didn't feel like fucking with it. Yummy for us. Yummy for me, because it's just coooool; yummy for my husband because he loves fiddling around with anything mechanical, and fixing/restoring anything interesting... plus, he's the seamstress in the house.
post by: taz at: 14:48 | 30 comments
That's AWESOME. So pretty. Total find.
posted by jrossi4r 12 November | 14:51
Sew what?
posted by TheDonF 12 November | 14:59
:)

I can't find an image now, but it has two beautiful silver faceplates with an etched grapevine design - one on the front (needle end), and one on the opposite side of the view in the linked image. This seems so appropriate, since we're in Greece, and given my wine habit.
posted by taz 12 November | 15:04
That's great. What a find.
posted by arse_hat 12 November | 15:04
Woah. That is awesome.
posted by goo 12 November | 15:05
OH MY! That is so wonderful. It will be great - these things never wear out, they just need adjustment and away you go. I have an old foot-pedal one that I learned to sew on - it's the best! It will go through anything. It's not as pretty as that one by a long shot...

CONGRATS.
posted by mightshould 12 November | 15:08
Wow! That's awesome. Didn't it weigh a ton? Did he carry it home?!
posted by rainbaby 12 November | 15:08
Oh my! Wow! Lucky you.
posted by crush-onastick 12 November | 15:11
Why would someone throw that out? Did it smell like a dead body or something?
posted by puke & cry 12 November | 15:17
What an awesome find, taz!
posted by gaspode 12 November | 15:31
Wow! SCORE! However, it's troubling - people have lost the ability to even distinguish between dross & gold. It's all disposable now.

Although "it's only original once", there are folks who do reproduction Singer decals & other restoration bits. I can track down contact info if google can't; my aunt is hooked into the vintage Singer underground.
posted by Triode 12 November | 15:32
So nice, taz! What a lucky find!
posted by LoriFLA 12 November | 15:32
Why would someone throw that out?

MONKEY'S PAW!
posted by pokermonk 12 November | 15:34
Oh, that is too cool... CONGRATS!
posted by BoringPostcards 12 November | 15:50
How cool, taz! Christmas came early, huh?
posted by chewatadistance 12 November | 15:53
Oh my god, you are so lucky!!! I love the old handcranks!
posted by kellydamnit 12 November | 15:57
I was quite surprised that it was thrown out, but like I said, it was in a locked wooden case, and there was no key... so maybe whoever just didn't feel like dealing with it. Judging from the other stuff we found by the dumpster (because once we got it unlocked and saw what it was, we walked back and a had a look in case there was other neat-o old stuff), I expect whoever was doing the clearing didn't expect it to be anything worthwhile. My guess.
posted by taz 12 November | 16:01
Beautiful!
posted by mlis 12 November | 16:03
wow. Nice!
posted by MonkeyButter 12 November | 16:30
Cool, as a fan of things retro, I think that is pretty spiffy. Though I don't do much fabric welding on my own, I had heard something about sewing wild oats, but it was such a pain, I had to harvest them, and then they just jammed up the machine, didn't work at all.
posted by King of Prontopia 12 November | 16:30
Isn't he a seamster? (Isn't a unionized lady trucker in the U.S. a Teamstress?)
posted by ikkyu2 12 November | 17:00
We have an old treadle sewing machine like that-it was owned by my great grandmother. So cool!
posted by bunnyfire 12 November | 17:42
Gorgeous!
posted by theora55 12 November | 18:20
Awesome!
posted by rhapsodie 12 November | 18:38
Sweeeeet.
posted by casarkos 12 November | 19:19
Isn't he a seamster?

Or a sewer? :-)
posted by occhiblu 12 November | 19:38
Awesome! That's better than my VAG since it was cheaper.

(VAG update. I got it fixed, have a new ground glass viewing screen on order, and I need to find some film holders for it. The last is turning out to be more difficult than I thought.)
posted by eekacat 12 November | 20:09
WANT!!!!!!
posted by youngergirl44 12 November | 20:23
Tailor, man.
Seamstress, woman.
Tarzan, man.
Jane, woman.
Monkey, get away from bananas!
posted by plinth 13 November | 07:41
Cool find! And since no one else said it yet..
One man's trash is another man's treasure!
posted by redvixen 13 November | 10:57
← One of the least likely success stories of the 1960's. || Vandals! →

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