Singer Model 27 and 127

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. (The 27 and the 127 were full-size versions of the Singer 28 and later model 128 which were three-quarter size). 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 (VS-1, VS-2, VS-3, 27, 28, 127, and 128) have the following distinguishing characteristics that can be used to differentiate them from other Singer machines:
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.
In the decade that followed, another gentleman applied his mind to advancing the state of the art. Scottish immigrant Robert Whitehill (1 June 1845 – 24 November 1903), 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.
He took his prototype to the Singer head office and showed it to the office manager James Bolton (1832–1916). 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 (USD 212,000 adjusted), 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 (one a chain stitcher, the other an oscillating shuttle) 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.
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, its light, and its 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. (Today's laptop computers typically weigh .) This quickly led Singer to produce a 3/4ths size version intended for portability, exactly as the White Sewing Machine Company was doing with its new 3/4ths size 'Peerless' machine.
Singer's portable version evolved thus:
Modernization.
Models 127 and 128 are the 'modernized' versions of the 27 and 28, and carry the following improvements:
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 (except for the K designation) 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.
Knock-offs.
At about USD100 apiece (about USD2500 adjusted), Singer sewing machines were pricey, even considering the payment plans and trade-in allowances that were offered. The high prices created a demand for knock-offs made by bargain competitors. The main competitors were Sears Roebuck & Co and Montgomery Wards & Co, who sold copied Singer models made by a variety of manufacturers:
Power.
The 27 model series had three options for power: foot treadle, hand crank, and external electric motor.
Treadle.
A treadle obtains power from the user's legs. Early treadles were for just one foot making a heel-toe rocking motion, but all later treadles, including those offered with 27-series machines, were for two feet making a left-heel-right-toe (or vice versa) motion. The treadle provided with 27-series machines has a negative mechanical advantage: one complete down-up motion produces exactly four stitches.
As a foot treadle, the machine mounts in a cabinet about the size of an adult schooldesk. The treadle pad is built into the cabinet's base right at the user's feet. A round leather "treadle belt" passes up from the treadle, up through the cabinet, over the handwheel by following the belt groove, back down through the cabinet again, and then back to the treadle.
The belt is joined end-to-end with a clip to make a loop, and can be shortened and reclipped (using special "treadle belt pliers") as needed to keep proper tension. The treadle belt is tanned leather, 3/16" in diameter, and is normally sold in 72" lengths.
Hand crank.
Hand cranks provide greater portability at the cost of greater exertion. A hand crank machine fit in a small case, making it a piece of luggage rather than a piece of furniture. It also cost significantly less than a full treadle. Indeed, the 3/4th size model 28/128 derivative was specifically intended for this end.
The crank is geared to give a negative mechanical advantage so that it can crank the machine at high speed. Each rotation of the crank handle produces three rotations of the handwheel, and hence three stitches.
External electric motor.
Electric motors were offered (by Singer and others) to retrofit these and other treadle machines with electric power.
Cabinet-mount.
Early electric conversions consisted of mounting a motor in the treadle cabinet. The treadle belt was shortened to run only from the motor's pulley to the handwheel. The treadle pad was then given a mechanism for controlling the motor's speed in the manner of a modern car gas pedal.
These conversions were invented and developed by Philip Diehl, an inventor under contract with Singer. His efforts bore fruit in 1884, before the first VS-1 was even built and fully five years before Singer's first natively electrified model. He continued to make improvements for many years thereafter.
Pillar-mount.
Later motor kits dispensed entirely with the treadle, treadle belt, and cabinet. The motor bolted right to the machine's pillar, where—thanks to its compact size—it could remain even when the machine was tilted into its cabinet or enclosed within its cover. This was an improvement over earlier pivoting-motor designs, large offset belt-drive motors, and the many schemes for entirely replacing the handwheel with a motor. Credit for the original idea may belong to George F. Green, who proposed it back in 1879 but was probably unable to build or obtain the sufficiently compact motor required by his design. It was Frederick Diehl and Martin Hemler, Singer employees, who finally developed the idea in 1921.
Speed is controlled by a rheostat, originally mounted on the treadle pad but later as an independent pedal for foot or knee control. The kit includes a dual electrical outlet that mounts alongside the machine in its case: one outlet is for the motor and is controlled by the foot pedal; the other is for a sewing lamp (see below) and is always energized. A sewing machine thus electrified now fit entirely inside a woman-portable carrying case.
Electric motors became so common that Singer made provision for them: the model 127/128 'modernized' versions included mounting lugs for a motor, whereas earlier models had to be drilled and tapped. Some 127/128 machines were even given motors right at the factory, and of those, a few models used a smaller lighter solid handwheel instead of the larger heavier spoked handwheel used on machines sold as treadles. The spoked handwheel is better for treadles because its larger inertia keeps it spinning longer, whereas the lighter solid handwheel is better for motors because its smaller inertia causes it to start and stop more quickly.
A few older 27 and 28 machines have also shown up with solid handwheels, which they must have received retrofit during the addition of their electric motor.
Belts.
The add-on motor drives the handwheel by means of a rubber belt. Meanwhile the bobbin winder has a separate belt: the models 27 and 28 drive the bobbin winder using a long round or V belt to the motor, whereas the 'modernized' models 127 and 128 drive the bobbin winder directly off the handwheel by means of a small "ring belt" or "bobbin belt" acting as a tire.
Difficulties with 27/28 bobbin winder belt.
Models 27 and 28 were designed before electrified sewing machines were common, and the location of the bobbin winder reflects this. It is positioned to intercept the "treadle" belt as it passes back down into the cabinet. Motorization removes the treadle belt and so opens the question of how to drive the bobbin winder.
To answer this, the modernized models 127 and 128 moved the bobbin winder up several inches where, with a suitable tire, it can run directly off the handwheel. The older 27 and 28, on the other hand, require a dedicated belt to drive the bobbin winder, but the motor kit only has one pulley, resulting in problems:
One solution to the problem has been spotted in a wild: tack-weld a second pulley onto the motor pulley, as shown in the picture.
Sewing lamp.
Motor kits usually included a sewing lamp. Singer's motor kits and factory motorizations each included one of two different sorts of lamp:
As there were many clones of the add-on motor, so also were there many clones of the Singerlight. Mercury Electric Products Manufacturing Company, aka MEPM, was one of the third-party vendors of such products.
Finish and decals.
Most machines in this model series are painted in Japan black lacquer, but some of the later variants (127-12, 127-14, 127-23, 128-8, 128-12, 128-14, and 128-18) were instead finished in the newly fashionable, low-glare "black wrinkle" (aka "Godzilla" or "black crinkle") finish. They were all then 'ornamented' with extensive eye-catching decals. Common decal sets have names and are shown below; alternatively, many machines carry nondescript floral patterns.
Accessories.
27-series machines have a standard "low shank" and so are compatible with all ordinary low-shank attachments.
Singer also produced many attachments specifically for their own machines "which will enable you to accomplish a great variety of work with a minimum of time and effort... attachments which can give your home sewing that smart professional look."
'Style' boxes.
Singer accessory kits were sold in fold-out 'Style' boxes, numbered consecutively as newer versions evolved from older ones. The numbers begin at 1 ("Style No. 1") and culminate at 14 during the era of the 27 model series. The boxes included accessory attachments for hemming, braiding, underbraiding, tucking, shirring, binding, quilting, and ruffling, plus spare needles, bobbins, screws, and screwdrivers.
Today such a box is called a "puzzle box", but this is a recent term: it is not mentioned in the original Style manuals.
Hemstitcher.
Singer separately sold a hemstitching attachment that is compatible with 27-series machines. The original version is a passive device, Singer part number 28915. Later, a more sophisticated needle-clamp-powered attachment was offered—Singer part number 121387.
Buttonholer.
Because 27-series machines cannot natively sew a zigzag stitch, they cannot feasibly sew a buttonhole. To rectify this, Singer produced an evolving line of buttonholer attachments that mount on the machine's shank and provide the missing functionality.
Zigzagger.
Singer made an attachment similar to its buttonholer, and using a similar needle-clamp-powered locomotion, in order to confer some zigzagging ability on its straight-stitch machines.
Of the variety of "Singer Automatic Zigzagger" attachments produced over the years, two are compatible with 27-series machines: Singer part numbers 160985 and 161102.
Blind stitcher.
The blind stitcher is yet another needle-clamp-powered attachment designed to ease a specific sewing task. Singer part number 160616 is compatible with 27-series machines.
External links.
Singer online manuals: