This is a Singer Featherweight Model number 221. Her Serial Number is AL204996. She was part of a 50,000 unit lot commissioned December 12th, 1952 and built at the Elizabethport factory in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA.
As part of her restoration, she was fully cleaned; most of her parts have been removed, polished, and treated for rust as necessary.
The motor was disassembled, cleaned and the brushes checked for wear. The commutator was polished carefully. The grease wicks were replaced, their ports completely cleaned and new grease added. Old wiring was removed and new wires spliced on.
Her light and switch were removed and rewired - removing the lead sheath and abating old lead. A new LED light bulb has been added.
Her spool pin was extracted and repaired with a new drive in pin. The felt drip pan liner and nut felt were replaced - as were all bed cushions, and spool felt.
Her foot pedal was cleaned and rewired with a new plug and cushions. The foot petal was tested for proper conductivity and functionality.
The case has been cleaned up as much as possible with rusted elements cleaned and exterior polished.
She has been waxed, oiled and re-greased. A new super belt was installed. Finally, her tension was tested, and adjusted as needed using 50 wt Cotton & Steel thread and a 80/12 Microtex needle.
This machine comes with the original presser foot, new 1/4” quilting foot, a box of assorted vintage attachments, 5 new bobbins, bobbin tension meter, & a vintage 221-K Featherweight manual.
All Singer Featherweight 221’s sewing machines are antiques. Each has had a long story of their own that has come with scratches, scuffs and sometimes missing paint. Please understand that because of this, all machines are being offered ‘as is’ with no warranties or refunds. I encourage you to spend some time with your machine of choice before you purchase it to give it a try! Most of my machines have been purchased from Ebay then undergone whatever was needed to restore them to their best possible selves. Sometimes this includes replacing missing or broken parts. I hope you enjoy your machine and wish you the best of luck and many years of creativity to come!
Even though your case was cleaned - it is not recommended that you carry it solely by the handle. It is possible for the glue that attaches the bottom of your case to fail.
See how far she's come!
This machine was purchased on Ebay with a great big "AS IS" all over the listing and a video showing that the machine moved... but only just. I can attest to that fact!
When I checked her in, the light flickered on then stopped working. I found they had packed the machine incorrectly and punctured the case lid with the thread spool pin, loosening it at the same time.
Then there was the gooey stuff inside. It felt like glue or old honey.
If you know me, you know I love a challenge and she really did give me one! I'm happy to announce that her restoration is complete and she's gone from not moving to purring along like a kitten.
To learn more about her transformation click 'Read More' below.
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