My singer Model 12 was produced in the year of 1881 the singer 12 needles are little hard to get. I do have 15 of them for this sewing machine. I was given a singer 12 mad in 1871 that had a broken neck on it but it could not fix to make it work. I have removed all the parts from that one for spare parts for this one. The major difference other than the way it has tension is that the needle bar of the later sewing machine will accept needles for a singer 31. And that's what I have in mine right now and it shows great. This was without making any modifications to the shank of the needle or the needle bar.
Thanks. That's a lovely old machine. It sounds like you might want to tighten up the treadle mechanism a bit, if it will allow it. Mine is quieter after I did & I think it treads a bit easier, too.
Just watched your video today. Was wanting to find out why mine wasn't working right. Thought it might have been something with the bobbin. What I watched your video I found out what was wrong because the instructions that I had we're not quite as clear on how to thread your bobbin properly. Thank you
@@SewMachines Threading it properly made all the difference in the world. Now all I have to do is build a top for an existing treadle base so that I can treadle with it.
thank you for this! it'll be helpful if I can get my machine sewing again. I finally got some needles for my 1880 12k - and then i immediately ran into a big problem. when the needle goes down, it hits the shuttle. no matter what height the needle is at or any of the other adjustable bits are at, the shuttle is hitting the needle and preventing me from turning the handcrank in a full revolution. you said in another comment that these old machines rarely have timing issues, but I can't see that this would be anything else. have you ever come across this problem? the timing marks on the bottom mechanisms seem to be all present and correct, so there must be some issue with the needle, possibly? there's no resources I can find for timing a 12k, so I'm at a total loss of what to do next.
I recommend checking in with some of the various face book groups dedicated to these old machines. It is better because you can post photos/videos of what is going on to get help to resolve your issue. Best of luck!
after extensive search finally found your video for my machine but having followed your instructions the needle doesn't pick up the bobbin thread. can you perhaps give any advice please ? thank you
Make sure the bobbin in placed correctly and the machine is threaded properly. Also make sure the needle is placed correctly, with the hole facing front to back and the groove in the needle should be facing front. Best of luck!
For my 1879 Singer, the line has worn from the needle bar. Do you know the distance between the top of the needle bar (not including the decorative part) and the line? I would like to engrave a new line. Thank you for your help!!
Hi Winfree LLC, my recommendation would be to set the needle as best you can without the line. Once you have it adjusted to allow for a good stitch, you can then put the eye of the needle at the opening to the needlehole in the plate and then make a mark. I would expect that all machines were marked individually and there wasn't a precise distance, as each machine was assembled individually. Best of luck!
Hello. I’m glad I’ve found you. Could you help guide me on why my thread is bunching underside the fabric? I have a New Family Model 12 Treadle Machine.
Hi Mary. It is difficult to diagnose problems with just a few words, but knowing these machines well, I would guess that the take up lever spring is broken. Does the take up arm "spring up" when pushed down? It is the little curved metal arm on the faceplate that the thread passes thru. If it doesn't spring back up, then it won't pull the thread taught when completing the stitch. The tiny spring that sits under it is most likely broken. Best of luck!
@@SewMachines late last night, everything in the front stopped working. The needle is stuck on the down position & nothing will budge. On the backend, the foot pedal & the wheel moves.
Hi Mary. I am not sure how to help without photos/videos. Perhaps you put a common needle in it and it is stuck in the needlehole in the plate. If so, try removing the needle or loosening the screw from the needle clamp. You may need to remove the faceplate. I suggest joining a couple of the antique/vintage sewing machine groups so you can have an idea how it goes back together once removed. You can also post photos and videos there to get assistance. I recommend "Vintage Sewing Machines for Beginners". It is a very helpful group.
I had recently bought my precious machine (wanted a treadle for 6 years) from a gentleman who had quite a few beautiful hand cranked & treadle sewing machines in his home & was selling the one I bought and another one. I know nothing about these , so your advice is very much appreciated by me. Thank you for your help.
What is the best way to remove your work after sewing a seam? With no tension release for the top thread I'm have to unscrew the thread tension screw each time i remove my work. This means trying to find the right thread tension each time i start to sew.
@@SewMachines Thanks for the reply.. By coincidence I just found a sewing machine nearly identical to the model 12. The badge on it reads "The louisville Singer, R.C. Whayne M.F.R. Louisville ky." I have posted pictures of it on Quiltingboard.com. Just search for "The Louisville Singer" at that site.
Thanks to you, it is sewing, I'm trying to figure out the two screws on top where mentioned the mark of where to set the needle, did they use heavier tread back then? Rick
The back screw is for the presser foot pressure and the front is for adjusting the tension. I believe that standard thread was equivalent to modern thread or perhaps a bit finer.
The back screw (right above the presser foot bar) adjusts the presser foot pressure. The front screw (at the top directly above the tension discs) is the one that adjusts the tension.
The best option for these are the old wooden tubes marked "Boye 23". You can often find them on online auction sites or antique shops. You might try the modern DBx1. They will sometimes fit the needle clamp. Good luck!
Hi Rick, if your machine is threaded properly with the thread passing front to back in the needle (long groove in front), it may be that the needle isn't dropped far enough in the clamp to make a loop for the shuttle to pass thru. Remove the shuttle and slowly turn the wheel and watch. The needle should drop and create a loop as it moves back up. Put the shuttle in and try again. The loop should be made just as the shuttle is moving from left to right so that the nose of the shuttle passes thru the loop. Very, very rarely do early machines have timing issues, only if they were dismantled at some point and not put back together properly.
Hi, I'm new to start sewing on the old machines, have several, your machine is very fancy with mother of pearl, mine doesn't have the pearl. I will try again, Thanks
i got one, but the thing is, i buyed the shuttle for it , but when i thread it , i i thread it the correct way , it thread is stuck ( even when i turn the tension screw) but when i pull on the thread the thread just breaks :/ i think that there on the shuttle is something sharp, idk how to fix that :( , no i have everything for my 12k but i cant sew with it :c
Hi GamerKind. I recommend joining one of the many face book groups on vintage sewing machines (for beginners) where you can post photos and ask your questions. Many helpful people there that can most likely assist you. Best of luck!
I am getting my model 12 tomorrow and this will be handy. Thank you.
Gorgeous inlays!
My singer Model 12 was produced in the year of 1881 the singer 12 needles are little hard to get. I do have 15 of them for this sewing machine. I was given a singer 12 mad in 1871 that had a broken neck on it but it could not fix to make it work. I have removed all the parts from that one for spare parts for this one. The major difference other than the way it has tension is that the needle bar of the later sewing machine will accept needles for a singer 31. And that's what I have in mine right now and it shows great. This was without making any modifications to the shank of the needle or the needle bar.
Enchanting.
Yes, it is!
Thanks. That's a lovely old machine. It sounds like you might want to tighten up the treadle mechanism a bit, if it will allow it. Mine is quieter after I did & I think it treads a bit easier, too.
Yes, the treadle mechanism probably needs a little bit of attention. Thanks! This lovely one is still a work in progress ;-).
Lovely explanation thank you very much
This is the machine I have. Your machine is in so much better condition! I'm jealous! Thank you for this video. It is very helpful.
Glad it helped! Happy stitching!
Just watched your video today. Was wanting to find out why mine wasn't working right. Thought it might have been something with the bobbin. What I watched your video I found out what was wrong because the instructions that I had we're not quite as clear on how to thread your bobbin properly. Thank you
Glad my video helped! Happy stitching!
@@SewMachines Threading it properly made all the difference in the world. Now all I have to do is build a top for an existing treadle base so that I can treadle with it.
Gracias
thank you for this! it'll be helpful if I can get my machine sewing again. I finally got some needles for my 1880 12k - and then i immediately ran into a big problem. when the needle goes down, it hits the shuttle. no matter what height the needle is at or any of the other adjustable bits are at, the shuttle is hitting the needle and preventing me from turning the handcrank in a full revolution. you said in another comment that these old machines rarely have timing issues, but I can't see that this would be anything else. have you ever come across this problem? the timing marks on the bottom mechanisms seem to be all present and correct, so there must be some issue with the needle, possibly? there's no resources I can find for timing a 12k, so I'm at a total loss of what to do next.
U should find me on face book then private message me then I'll help u make it work I betcha
I recommend checking in with some of the various face book groups dedicated to these old machines. It is better because you can post photos/videos of what is going on to get help to resolve your issue. Best of luck!
after extensive search finally found your video for my machine but having followed your instructions the needle doesn't pick up the bobbin thread. can you perhaps give any advice please ? thank you
Make sure the bobbin in placed correctly and the machine is threaded properly. Also make sure the needle is placed correctly, with the hole facing front to back and the groove in the needle should be facing front. Best of luck!
For my 1879 Singer, the line has worn from the needle bar. Do you know the distance between the top of the needle bar (not including the decorative part) and the line? I would like to engrave a new line. Thank you for your help!!
Hi Winfree LLC, my recommendation would be to set the needle as best you can without the line. Once you have it adjusted to allow for a good stitch, you can then put the eye of the needle at the opening to the needlehole in the plate and then make a mark. I would expect that all machines were marked individually and there wasn't a precise distance, as each machine was assembled individually. Best of luck!
Gracias señor
my 1881 wont pickup the bobbin tread? Any idea what could be wrong?
I replied on your other comment.
what size rubber tire for the bobbin winder? Do you know where to buy one?
Either a standard Singer size or the slightly larger, 2460 size.
Hello. I’m glad I’ve found you. Could you help guide me on why my thread is bunching underside the fabric?
I have a New Family Model 12 Treadle Machine.
Hi Mary. It is difficult to diagnose problems with just a few words, but knowing these machines well, I would guess that the take up lever spring is broken. Does the take up arm "spring up" when pushed down? It is the little curved metal arm on the faceplate that the thread passes thru. If it doesn't spring back up, then it won't pull the thread taught when completing the stitch. The tiny spring that sits under it is most likely broken. Best of luck!
@@SewMachines late last night, everything in the front stopped working. The needle is stuck on the down position & nothing will budge. On the backend, the foot pedal & the wheel moves.
Hi Mary. I am not sure how to help without photos/videos. Perhaps you put a common needle in it and it is stuck in the needlehole in the plate. If so, try removing the needle or loosening the screw from the needle clamp.
You may need to remove the faceplate. I suggest joining a couple of the antique/vintage sewing machine groups so you can have an idea how it goes back together once removed. You can also post photos and videos there to get assistance. I recommend "Vintage Sewing Machines for Beginners". It is a very helpful group.
SewMachines, thank you for your reply. Yes, it’s stuck in the downward motion inside the plate.
I had recently bought my precious machine (wanted a treadle for 6 years) from a gentleman who had quite a few beautiful hand cranked & treadle sewing machines in his home & was selling the one I bought and another one.
I know nothing about these , so your advice is very much appreciated by me. Thank you for your help.
What is the best way to remove your work after sewing a seam? With no tension release for the top thread I'm have to unscrew the thread tension screw each time i remove my work. This means trying to find the right thread tension each time i start to sew.
I generally just gently pull the thread above the needle to loosen it. Then remove normally. Less stress on the needle.
@@SewMachines Thanks for the reply.. By coincidence I just found a sewing machine nearly identical to the model 12. The badge on it reads "The louisville Singer, R.C. Whayne M.F.R. Louisville ky." I have posted pictures of it on Quiltingboard.com. Just search for "The Louisville Singer" at that site.
Thanks to you, it is sewing, I'm trying to figure out the two screws on top where mentioned the mark of where to set the needle, did they use heavier tread back then? Rick
The back screw is for the presser foot pressure and the front is for adjusting the tension. I believe that standard thread was equivalent to modern thread or perhaps a bit finer.
The two thumb screws at the top, do they adjust the tension?
The back screw (right above the presser foot bar) adjusts the presser foot pressure. The front screw (at the top directly above the tension discs) is the one that adjusts the tension.
Where I can buy the needles thanks
The best option for these are the old wooden tubes marked "Boye 23". You can often find them on online auction sites or antique shops. You might try the modern DBx1. They will sometimes fit the needle clamp. Good luck!
if the timing is off, w
how do you adjust?
Hi Rick, if your machine is threaded properly with the thread passing front to back in the needle (long groove in front), it may be that the needle isn't dropped far enough in the clamp to make a loop for the shuttle to pass thru. Remove the shuttle and slowly turn the wheel and watch. The needle should drop and create a loop as it moves back up. Put the shuttle in and try again. The loop should be made just as the shuttle is moving from left to right so that the nose of the shuttle passes thru the loop. Very, very rarely do early machines have timing issues, only if they were dismantled at some point and not put back together properly.
Hi, I'm new to start sewing on the old machines, have several, your machine is very fancy with mother of pearl, mine doesn't have the pearl. I will try again, Thanks
Best of luck! There are lots of resources available for these great old machines!
Would you be selling this machine? Thank you.
Not anytime soon, I believe.
i got one, but the thing is, i buyed the shuttle for it , but when i thread it , i i thread it the correct way , it thread is stuck ( even when i turn the tension screw) but when i pull on the thread the thread just breaks :/ i think that there on the shuttle is something sharp, idk how to fix that :( , no i have everything for my 12k but i cant sew with it :c
Hi GamerKind. I recommend joining one of the many face book groups on vintage sewing machines (for beginners) where you can post photos and ask your questions. Many helpful people there that can most likely assist you. Best of luck!
I can tell you know a lot about this machine, but it is blurry video hard to see
This said error culd not play video
Seems to be working fine. I hope you can get it to play for you. Good luck!
Gracias