Restoring a Singer 29 4 and Making a Foraging Bag

From dumpster to sewing, this video is a glimpse of the restoration and use of this sewing machine build in 1908.

[@peterbryenton]

Thank you for your helpful video. I am restoring a similar machine. I plan to make a table.

[@larrywydra]

You are welcome.

[@debgamble8368]

That was amazing Larry…

[@larrywydra]

Thank you

[@waynebast4009]

I have one and I love it. Have fun with it cause they work great.

[@MrMuscle-yy9pv]

Great video

[@larrywydra]

thank you

[@flamenco1961]

I recognize a talented engineer when I see one.

[@larrywydra]

You got me. The tee-shirt must have given it away.

[@jodiepotter6029]

I’ve always wondered how machines like this worked. What a wonderful restoration and an awesome way to turn back time. Thank you so much!!

[@larrywydra]

You are welcome.

[@jenkins1979]

Glad to see you fixing the Singer up...I have that exact same model machine

[@larrywydra]

Where do you find parts for it when it breaks down?

[@jenkins1979]

Mostly eBay but it almost never breaks down...but if you Google there are companies that have or manufacture the parts...it takes a little looking but possible

[@larrywydra]

@@jenkins1979I bought most of my parts through AliExpress. They had the best prices but it can take a month to get parts.

[@Wookiemonsterfreak]

I have a 29k and I will be attempting to repair a leg too. I will have to watch that part again. I will probably just weld, fill and grind, as I don’t plan to paint quite yet.

[@larrywydra]

Welding cast iron can be tricky. What I did was to make a quick tack weld, let it cool down slowly, and then repeat. It takes a lot of patience and time but reduces the threat of cast iron cracking from thermal expansion and contraction.

[@bruxulaandrews5369]

Congratulions! You restored a excellent machine and a piece of history.

[@larrywydra]

Thank you. This project ended up being more taxing than most. After fixing a problem, I didn't know what other issues would surface and if they could be solved with my limited resources.

[@kevinorr6880]

I am SO VERY happy that you rescued that patch machine!! I hate when people just throw stuff away that has value.

[@larrywydra]

Agree. i believe in 4 R's in this order, reuse, repair, recycle, rubbish.

[@Saint.Monica]

Inspiring

[@larrywydra]

Thank you

[@wolf001cmd]

Caretakers, I like that

[@larrywydra]

Someone else claimed to be the caretaker of one these before me and I couldn't agree more.

[@1954evelyn]

I just got one of these machines I would love to have a table to use. Would you make a video on how you did that please.

[@larrywydra]

Your request has been granted. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZStpXV5ebqKZ9k

[@djdutch87]

I don't get people are trowing this away in the first place, eventually this is how most of this beautiful machines Dissappear in the first place

[@larrywydra]

In this case, my neighbor got this and many other items from his father's house after his dad died. They were stored unused in my neighbors basement for many years rusting away. One day my neighbor decided to sell his house and move so he got some helpers and threw out a lot a lot of junk. This sewing machine was one of 4 things I rescued. A lot of the other things really were junk. A lot of beautiful machines were melted down to reclaim the metal during WWII as part of the war effort.

[@djdutch87]

@@larrywydra I have a few of these machines, I try to care for some of these, I have a Barnes No.4 treadle lathe and also a normal singer sewing machine and a bunch of others.

[@larrywydra]

@@djdutch87I have always wanted a lathe. 40 years ago I started to build a treadle wood lathe but life got in the way with 2 babies. I only got as far as making a flywheel. Glad you are keeping these alive.

[@igerce]

I just got a machine like this today. It's INOP, but looks like all parts are there. I restored a similar one many years ago, so I have a limited experience. My questions: how did you determined its 1908? Who sells parts and decals?

[@larrywydra]

My reply is based on what little I learned researching this. This is the only time I restored one. If I am wrong about something, or if someone has more resources, please chime in. First the age. Singer used to assign a block of serial numbers to be used. When they needed more they would assign a new block. My serial number was part of a block assigned early 2008. That summer they issued a new block of numbers so I assumed it was made between or around those dates. If you search online for singer machines, year made, and serial number you should find it. There are a lot of singer enthusiasts. There is at least one online store that sells used parts for that model. Amazon has some parts but they are parts made in China for the model 29K. Some fit and some fit after drilling and filing the parts. You can find parts on eBay. They may be used genuine parts or cheap Chinese parts for the 29K. I was not confident that I could restore this so I did not want to put a lot of money into it. I bought cheap parts directly from China through AliExpress. Some parts came in a few weeks and others took a month to get here. Download a parts manual for the machine. There are free ones out there. Use the part numbers to search for what you need. There are several forums online for singer machines and for leather working. You can find them by searching for your machine model. It is on the forums that I found someone that sells parts, the company that sells decals, and the plans for building the table top. If you go to a modern sewing machine store in a mall, you are not going to find parts or supplies other than oil and maybe thread if you are lucky. I bought needles (leather and cloth), thread, threading tool, bobbins, and leather belting from either AliExpress or Amazon all of which worked. Good luck with your project and please post a picture when you finish.

[@igerce]

@larrywydra thank you for your reply. I'm on the very first stage of research, since I got my machine on ebay, I picked it up yesterday. I restored a similar one some 30 years ago, but at that time i was more interested in its functionality, and less in its historic value or origins (it was in 1993, so it was a pre-internet era for many, me included). I used it for 2 years while fixing footwear as my main source of my income, and for some 5 years as an extra income while I studied in university. I had to leave that machine in my home country, I hope somebody is using it now. As for this machine, since it looks like it has all parts, and nothing is visibly broken, I decided to restore it to full functionality. However, I'm not sure about paint job, as far as I know, the paint job done wrong can negatively impact the value of such device. I'm not selling it, but still, I want to do things right way. So, I thing I'm on my "trip of thousand miles", and I made the first step yesterday.

[@larrywydra]

@@igerce I just got my machine to work and did not plan to restore it to its original condition. Restoration, especially painting it, is a level of complexity beyond what I wanted to do. Good luck fixing it and I hope you find success in your new business. I gave business to a local cobbler 3 times several years ago. I was so glad he was here.

[@larrywydra]

This place advertises decals for the 29 but I don't know if it is for the 29-4 or the 29-K www.singerdecals.com/model-29/

[@simonmiranda7999]

Que presio tiene

[@larrywydra]

I'm sorry, translators translate this question differently. This translate says you are asking how much pressure the machine has. All I can say is it easily sews through 1/4 inch of leather (6.3 mm). Another translation says you are asking how much it costs. It is not for sale. If you mean how much I spent to restore it, I did not keep records but it was probably about $100 US for all of the materials and supplies.