Just bought an old Singer sewing machine with a hand-crank

[Wallace]

It was only a fiver. Anyone know how to use it?

And is it possible to get in converted to electric, or is it easy enough to use a hand-crank?

Tis the 1953 99k model btw

We used hand crank ones at school and I preferred them unless you are doing long seams. Can't answer how to thread it though, but I think they are fairly standard.

Ah that's good, thanks. I think I will give it to my mum for Christmas. Hopefully she will know how to thread it etc

Stupid question, but do you have to crank it the whoole time? How do you manage to hold the materialetc with just one hand?

You do have to crank the whole time but I can't for the life of me think how I did it. I think it's just easy to hold the material with one hand because it's so slow and so easy to stop, basically And if you don't mind paying more for the manual than the sewing machine then you can buy your mum one here, apparently!

yes you have to turn the handle all the time

you put your thumb in front of the needle and the rest of your hand behind the needle to hold the material and turn the handle slowly - top tip: move your hand a lot

Hand sewing machines are great for fiddly sewing, but laborious for making curtains

thanks. My mum used to have a singer ages ago, so hopefully she won't nee a manual.. If she does she can buy it herself

I think she will mainly be making clothes for my kids so shopuld be perfect. I think she will ollove it.

my mum's sewing machine is exactly like this one even down to the wooden carrying case

that is beautiful!
It says on there that a lot have been converted to electricity, but going from what you say, it will be fine without.

Mine is like this apart from darker wood.

Ohhh I've got one in my attic my mum and dad bought for me when I was about 10, only prob I had was cos I'm left handed I founded it hard guiding my fabric with my right hand. Anyhoo have just got an ancient electric Singer from a v.nice lady off Freecycle so I'm very giddy. Have fun with it.

I have one like Iota's, but I knocked it onto the floor and snapped the handle - I ought to get it fixed.
My mum has a Jones which is even older, but you can't get the needles very easily and sooner or later she will snap her last one.

Come to think of it, they are our oldest family heirloom, because my mum's belonged to her grandmother and mine belonged to my great-great grandmother.

I've got one as well - inherited it from my grandmother. I think it says somewhere on it that it was made in 1896. I can't believe how cheap they are as they look like beautiful antiques that should be worth something.

I actually had mine serviced a few years ago (things kept snagging and it didn't run smoothly) and the guy said that you could get them converted but I like the fact that they don't whizz away out of control.