Singer Class 66 and 99 Machines

Today I want to talk to you about Singer Class 66 and 99 sewing machines.  

First I want to let you know how to find out what year your sewing machine was born in.  You need to go to ISMACS to get that information.  Here is the link.    It stands for International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society.  All you need is the serial number on your machine.

My first machine pictured here is the Singer class 66 treadle with Lotus decals.

This was a machine I wanted for a long time!  I looked up the serial number and it is a 66K born in 1910 in Clydebank, Scotland.  From what I understand, most of the Lotus decals were manufactured at the Scotland plant although some were made in America.  They made 6500 of these machines that year,  She is 107 years old and works great!  These machines were made as treadles, handcranks, and later motors were added.  I wonder how my Scottish machine ended up in America?

closeup of the Lotus decals

My next machine is also a Singer Class 66.  The decals on this machine are called Red-Eye or Redhead.  It is more commonly called Red-Eye because the decals look like a big red eye.  The proper term to use is a heated discussion among collectors.
My machine was born in 1918 here in America.  All of the machines with this decal were made in America.  She will be 100 years old next year and I still use her all the time.  I put her in an old sewing machine cabinet since she did not have a base.
Not all Class 66 machines have these pretty decals on them.

She was not an original hand crank, she was converted.  I have an interesting piece of information I just learned.  The way you can tell an original hand crank from a reproduction hand crank is by looking at the handle.  It will be either wood or ceramic.  The one below is wood.

If it is a reproduction, it is plastic, like the one below.

This hand crank is on my Singer Class 99.  A 99 is exactly the same as a 66 except that it is 3/4 of the size.  These are excellent machines and I highly recommend buying one if you come across one.  They make perfect stitches and will sew through just about anything.  I converted her from an electric machine because her knee bar was missing.  A knee bar does the same thing a foot pedal does except you press with your knee.  See that little hole on the right of the base?  That is where the knee bar goes.  

My machine was born in 1925, she is 92 years old!  Since she is in a base and smaller than my other machines, I use her as my "travelling" machine.  She has some beautiful decals also.

Please excuse the basket of clean laundry that needs to be folded!

Class 66 and Class 99 machines will use a class 66 bobbin.  You can see what a class 66 bobbin looks like here.  A class 15 bobbin is the most common bobbin used nowadays.  They have a lot of little holes around the outside.

You can see the inside of a class 66 machine here.

You can get more information about these machines from Alex Askaroff here. 

If you have any information to share, please feel free to!
Missy