Introduction
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Hello all, I am a new member and was asked to send an introduction. I have just one Wheeler & Wilson, #8 rescued from a thrift shop auction for very little money. She was in tough shape. I have been able to give her a basic cleaning, and with much patience and oiling according to the PDF of the manual I found, have managed to get her moving smoothly. I am missing pieces, including almost all of the accessories listed in the manual as coming with the machine, and have no table for her, but I love that something as old and neglected can still be made usable today. I have a small collection of old machines, mostly Singer, and I am very new to these old beauties (though I sew frequently on my modern Viking). From what I can glean from the manual and online sources, I am missing both slide plates (#22 and 23) and hence have no serial number. I am also missing the bobbin winder assembly (#31). She had a broken needle in place, has her original glass presser foot, and a brass ruffler marked "Johnston Ruffler Co, Ottumwa Iowa" attached to the base via a screw through a replacement slide plate. She also have 1 bobbin in the bobbin case, all of which seems intact and working. Her band wheel has a flat, not rounded surface. Some traces of original decoration remain. I have noticed that parts are hard to run across for the 8's. I see many more for the #9. It appears the 8s were designed as a treadle table machine but without a serial number or date I cannot determine which style of table this model would have come in.
So, as a librarian I love the hunt for information, and some of the best sources of information are people, so here I am! I am also a member of ISMACS email group, an amazing group of knowledgeable enthusiasts who I am very grateful to as well. Here is a link to my Flickr account with pictures of her. I would love to hear from anyone who has any more information about this quirky little gem, or sources for parts. Thank you for accepting me into the group! Lisa from Weymouth Massachusetts, USA Sent from Xfinity Connect Application |
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Hi Lisa and welcome to the group.? You have a very nice machine and it shouldn't be too had for you find the few items you're looking for.? The bonus for you is that the bobbin and holder where with the machine when you received it.??
Now for a bit of good news.? The serial number is stamped on the bed of the machine.? If you'll remove what you are using as the right hand plate and look at the front edge of the bed you will see the s/n stamped there.? The numbers are turned sideways as in a column reading top to bottom. One of my #8's had a pretty rough life and was missing both also.? I made 2 from plexiglass as I wanted to be able to see the parts in operation. I hope the little bit of info helps and I'm sure others will be along shortly with more info. Kindest regards,? Dan |
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I absolutely love my Wheeler&Wilson 8 s!!! ?I have three heads and one cabinet. ?One of
mine is an older one, I think. ? The back is quite different. Pictures: ?
Mary T
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A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy?
enough people to make it worth the effort.
Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)?
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Hi all, yes Kelly found my SN. Very tiny and hard to read but it is 311528. The gold medallion on the bed says "Wheeler and Wilson Manufacturing Co. New York Union Square". Does that help date it? Someone said that the bobbin winders were on the tables, not the machine itself. Anyone know if this is the case? The only online manual I could find is marked Bridgeport CT so it must be for the later models, as it shows a bobbin winder attached to the front of the machine itself and the band wheel is rounded in the pictures, where mine is flat.
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Any clues as to how to date this machine would be very helpful! All of the online information I can find has some confusing and/or contradictory information as to what model was made when/where and when modifications came into play. Her decorations consist of some swirly gold lines with flourishes on the bed around the medallion (very faded and hard to see), and on the front and back flat surfaces and around the gold "8." Here are the pictures I have taken so far, including one of the serial number. https://www.flickr.com/gp/142371257@N02/DJPToD Thanks Lisa Sent froqe3pm Xfinity Connect Application -----Original Message-----
From: kndpakes@... To: [email protected] Sent: 2021-03-05 11:19:34 AM Subject: Re: [Wheeler_and_Wilson-Sewing-Machines] Introduction Mary T, my machine looks like yours with that metal bar with thumbscrew across the back. I'm thinking it is control for presser foot pressure? My SN is 19903. Lisa, did you find your SN? I am curious to see if it is super low since you don't have that metal bar and it looks like your casting doesn't have a spot for it. D Page, that makes sense. I looked at my machines and they match what you said. Kelly |
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Thanks Dan! Every bit of information helps! I'm a newbie to these machines, no such thing as too much information!
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?Lisa Sent from Xfinity Connect Application -----Original Message-----
From: dlparks71@... To: [email protected] Sent: 2021-03-06 2:54:48 PM Subject: Re: [Wheeler_and_Wilson-Sewing-Machines] Introduction Hi Lisa, from what I've seen and have the bobbin winder runs off the band wheel of the treadle and off the hand wheel on my hand crank.?? Hope that helps. Regards, Dan |
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Kelly, thank you so much! I hope I am reading that serial number correctly, weird little place to put it on a machine! I did add a link to my Flickr account where you can see all the pictures if anyone wanted to look themselves and double check me. I should make an album here, not used to a group where I can do that. Until then, thanks to any and all that can help with a ballpark date-I did see some online dating information but some sources differ from others and I have low confidence in my ability to weed through all the online stuff to figure out what is accurate.
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Thanks again all! Lisa Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/gp/142371257@N02/60s7D4 Sent from Xfinity Connect Application -----Original Message-----
From: kndpakes@... To: [email protected] Sent: 2021-03-06 6:59:06 PM Subject: Re: [Wheeler_and_Wilson-Sewing-Machines] Introduction Mary T, yes my plate says exactly what your does. Lisa, yes the SN should help with dating, but I don't have that info. Hopefully somebody else will chime in. As D Page said, early machines had the winder on the irons and later machines had it on the machine. I'm not sure if that change happened when the wheel change happened. It seems likely, but I don't know. Your machine is different that Mary T's and mine, and has a much higher SN than mine. I found an auction photo, not mine so I can't share it, that shows a machine like yours in the X brace older treadle with with the winder on the irons. It has a higher SN than yours, so I think it is safe to say you are not missing your winder, it was on the irons. Kelly |
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Great machines, Paul! ? Wonderful Wheeler&Wilson #3!! ? Mary T
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A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy?
enough people to make it worth the effort.
Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)?
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On Sun, Mar 7, 2021 at 08:32 AM, paul fox wrote:
've never uploaded pictures of my W&Ws to the group page -- I suppose |
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Paul I also have been very confused about dating the 8. I saw the chart on fiddlebase, but it seems to imply that there were 8s already being made prior to 1876, when a new series of numbers was started.
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Looking through the Smithsonian libraries digital collection, I found a document with serial numbers for WW 8s from a book in the digital collection: This is the specific page from the book pg 131 and a later edition of the book Looks like the same dates as Fiddlebase's list Anyone have any other sources? Lisa Sent from Xfinity Connect Application -----Original Message-----
From: pgf@... To: [email protected] Sent: 2021-03-07 11:32:16 AM Subject: Re: [Wheeler_and_Wilson-Sewing-Machines] Introduction This thread has made me realize that I think I've never had the right hand slide plate off of my #8 -- it's jammed, and i've never taken the time to remove it. I should do that, just to see if the s/n under there matches that on my slide plate: 265383. Those two numbers don't match on my #9, so I guess I shouldn't assume then match on my #8! There's a chart on fiddlebase that purports to date W&W #8 machines, but when I raised it on this list several years ago, Miller, and others, questioned it -- it's not at all clear where it came from. The chart is here: Interestingly, I just noticed that on another W&W page at fiddlebase, there's this disclaimer, under the heading "New Series of Serial Numbers". It seems that even fiddlebase itself is conflicted on the topic: "In 1876, the new No. 8 machine was introduced and a new series of serial numbers was initiated. Records of the second series of serial numbers dating from 1876 are not available." Using that chart, I refer to mine as "circa 1880", but that may well be too early. I've never uploaded pictures of my W&Ws to the group page -- I suppose I should. In the meantime, my #8 is here: (And my #3 and #9 are here: ) paul a wrote: > Kelly, thank you so much! I hope I am reading that serial number > correctly, weird little place to put it on a machine! I did add a link to > my Flickr account where you can see all the pictures if anyone wanted to > look themselves and double check me. I should make an album here, not used > to a group where I can do that. Until then, thanks to any and all that can > help with a ballpark date-I did see some online dating information but > some sources differ from others and I have low confidence in my ability to > weed through all the online stuff to figure out what is accurate. > Thanks again all! > Lisa > Flickr: > > > > Sent from Xfinity Connect Application > > -----Original Message----- > > From: kndpakes@... > To: [email protected] > Sent: 2021-03-06 6:59:06 PM > Subject: Re: [Wheeler_and_Wilson-Sewing-Machines] Introduction > > Mary T, yes my plate says exactly what your does. > > Lisa, yes the SN should help with dating, but I don't have that info. > Hopefully somebody else will chime in. As D Page said, early machines had > the winder on the irons and later machines had it on the machine. I'm not > sure if that change happened when the wheel change happened. It seems > likely, but I don't know. Your machine is different that Mary T's and > mine, and has a much higher SN than mine. I found an auction photo, not > mine so I can't share it, that shows a machine like yours in the X brace > older treadle with with the winder on the irons. It has a higher SN than > yours, so I think it is safe to say you are not missing your winder, it > was on the irons. > > Kelly > > > > References > > Visible links > 1. /g/Wheeler_and_Wilson-Sewing-Machines/message/4009 > 2. mailto:[email protected]?subject=Re:%20Re%3A%20%5BWheeler_and_Wilson-Sewing-Machines%5D%20Introduction > 3. mailto:Wiklundfamily@...?subject=Private:%20Re:%20Re%3A%20%5BWheeler_and_Wilson-Sewing-Machines%5D%20Introduction > 4. /mt/81076510/1007597 > 5. /g/Wheeler_and_Wilson-Sewing-Machines/post > 6. /g/Wheeler_and_Wilson-Sewing-Machines/photos > 7. /g/Wheeler_and_Wilson-Sewing-Machines/editsub/1007597 > 8. mailto:[email protected] > 9. /g/Wheeler_and_Wilson-Sewing-Machines/leave/2527678/1007597/960271039/xyzzy =---------------------- paul fox, pgf@... (arlington, ma, where it's 29.5 degrees) |
LISA A
Dan Parks
Mary T