Singer Model 27 and 127

type	home
manufacturer	Singer Manufacturing Company
material	fabric
stitch	lockstitch
power	treadle, handcrank, add-on electric
feed	drop
needle	one 15x1

The Singer Model 27 and later model 127 were a series of lockstitch sewing machines produced by the Singer Manufacturing Company from the 1880s to the 1960s. . They were Singer's first sewing machines to make use of "vibrating shuttle" technology. Millions were produced. They are all steel and cast iron, and were built before the advent of planned obsolescence, and so they were designed to be repaired rather than replaced. Consequently many remain today, some in collections and others still in service. In company literature they were called "the woman's faithful friend the world over".

Identifying characteristics

The many Vintage Singer sewing machine models look very similar. All machines in the 27 series have the following distinguishing characteristics that can be used to differentiate them from other Singer machines:

Split slide plates running the entire depth of bed
Flat face plate, most are ornamented with grapevines but very early examples have a plain shiny finish.

Within the 27 series are seen the following differences between versions:

Vibrating shuttle

The 27 series was Singer's first use of a vibrating shuttle as a bobbin driver, instead of the transverse shuttle design used in the older 'New Family' machine.

History

The design of the model 27 series began with Allen B. Wilson, who invented the vibrating shuttle in 1850 and sold machines built around it. Two decades later, when the patents had expired and the Sewing Machine Combination patent pool had dispersed, White Sewing Machine Company employees D'Arcy Porter and George W. Baker built a new machine that made successful use of it. The "White Sewing Machine", as it was first named, entered production in 1876. It was popular in its time, and some of them remain.
Image:Patent326821.Drawing.1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Figure 1 from Whitehill's patent 326821
In the decade that followed, another gentleman applied his mind to advancing the state of the art. Scottish immigrant Robert Whitehill, founder of the Whitehill Manufacturing Company, became interested in sewing machines and subsequently patented an improvement to the take-up arm. He proceeded to manufacture his own machines from about 1875 until 1883. He then designed the sewing machine which would shortly become Singer's answer to the White machine. He applied for patent on 1 July 1884 and received US patent 326821 on 22 September 1885.
In his design Whitehill retained the White machine's dimensions and most aspects of its exterior; his contribution mainly consists of the new interior. That is, he rethought the entire powertrain—the mechanism that carries energy from the handwheel to the needlebar, to the bobbin driver, and to the feed dogs. He also conceived the bullet-shaped shuttle, which the White machine promptly adopted over its more traditional boat shuttle.
Image:Singer.1920sAdvertisingFolder.back.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Model 27 advertising card: "This machine is unequaled"
He took his prototype to the Singer head office and showed it to the office manager James Bolton. Bolton was thrilled with the machine and suggested a sewing competition against the best Singer models on-hand at the factory. Whitehill's prototype prevailed, and he sold the rights to it for USD 8,000, with USD 1,000 held in reserve until he had perfected it for them.
At the time, Singer was already selling two "high arm" models which represented a new break from the company's established history of "low arm" machines. The Whitehill design became the third Singer machine with a high arm, and quickly eclipsed the other two—neither of which Bolton liked anyway. The Whitehill machine took the name "Vibrating Shuttle 1" when, two years later, it evolved into the improved "Vibrating Shuttle 2".
Within a couple of years Scientific American took notice, and printed the following praise for Whitehill's design, especially for its powertrain:

Production

The 27 series had a long production run, including improved versions and many variants tailored to customer needs.
Image:Singer.Model27Series.Evolution.jpg|center|thumb|480px|Pedigree of the model 27 series

Versions

The model series evolved over time through these versions:

Portable versions

A model 27/127 coincidentally weighs, plus the weight of its motor; treadle or hand crank; light; and case or cabinet. Such a weight strains the meaning of the term "portable", even when fitted with only a hand crank and minimal wood case. By comparison, today's laptop computers typically weigh.) The weight of the 27/127 led Singer to produce a 3/4 size version intended for portability, just as the White Sewing Machine Company was doing with its new 3/4 size "Peerless" machine.
Singer's portable version evolved thus:

Year	Original name	Currently AKA	Notes
~1886-~1890	Vibrating Shuttle 3, V.S. No. 3	Model 28-1	evolved from the VS-2; bed changed to rectangular
~1890-1918	Model 28	Model 28-2
~1910-1962	Model 128		a 'modernized' 28—see 'Modernization' below

Modernization

Models 127 and 128 are the "modernized" versions of the 27 and 28, and carry the following improvements:

A new shuttle ejector button, invented in 1910, eases removal of the shuttle for rethreading. The button is located on the improved shuttle frame, Singer part number 54507, which can be retrofitted onto older model 27 and 28 machines.
The bobbin winder is mounted high on the pedestal, where a small rubber tire occupying its pulley makes contact with the motor belt. The new mounting position solves the bobbin winder belt problem discussed later.
Dedicated motor mounting lugs, cast into the rear of the pillar, standardize the position of the motor bracket. A decade later, motor designs will settle down into a side-mounted motor that attaches to these lugs using an L-shaped bracket.
Automatic tension release when the presser bar is lifted, replacing the manual tension release achieved by pressing a spoon shaped device just below the tension regulator in the earlier machines. This device is no longer present in the 127 and 128.
The shuttle was modified again—see below.
Shuttle changes

With each major new version came changes in the shuttle:
None of the four shuttle models can be substituted for each other; if they even fit at all, they will cause skipped stitches. However, there was once an aftermarket of replacement shuttles, and the replacements were sometimes contrived to be compatible with both the 27/28 and 127/128 models. Consequently there are extant shuttles which have no stamped part number and which bear the features of both the 8301 and 54504.

Variations

Once production settled down into the model 27 and 28 versions, Singer produced many variants that were intended for different cabinets and power sources. The variant number was listed after the version number and a dash; for example, the model 27 standard treadle variant is "27-3".

Production records

Many records from the era of the 27/127 are missing, so the production timeline is spotty. The following is the best information available from the Singer archives.

Machine	First surviving record	Last surviving record	Notes
Vibrating Shuttle 1
Vibrating Shuttle 2
Vibrating Shuttle 3
Model 27		St. Jean factory batch G2584401-G2609400, allocated 6 January 1913
Model 28		Elizabethport factory batch G6463896-G6488895, allocated 9 October 1918
Model 127	Kilbowie factory batch F3018545-F3093544, allocated July 1912	Elizabethport factory batch AF948851-AF953850, allocated 28 May 1941	Many records lost during World War II.
Model 128	Kilbowie factory batch F2612805-F2613304, allocated January 1912	Kilbowie factory batch ET613325-ET638324, allocated 17 July 1962

Competitors

At about USD100 apiece, Singer sewing machines were pricey, even considering the payment plans and trade-in allowances that were offered. The high prices created a demand for similar machines made by competitors. The main sales outlets were Sears Roebuck & Co and Montgomery Wards & Co, who sold badged models made by a variety of manufacturers:

Manufacturer	Singer model	Knock-off name
Goodrich Machine Sewing Company	VS-1?	Minnesota
The Free Sewing Machine Company	VS-2	ACME
The Davis Sewing Machine Company	VS-2	Minnesota-B, Burdick
Illinois Sewing Machine Company	27	New Royal
White Sewing Machine Company	27	Franklin, "Long Shuttle"
White Sewing Machine Company	127	Number 8
Domestic Sewing Machine Company	27	Franklin
Domestic Sewing Machine Company	127	Minnesota-A, Minnesota New Model A, Minnesota-H
Standard Sewing Machine Company	VS-2?	Minnesota-L

Power

The 27 model series had three options for power: foot treadle, hand crank, and external electric motor.