How old is my featherweight 221

We have a large clientele base and because of the fastidious process we take in selecting and servicing each Singer Featherweight that goes through our shop, our customers will wait - often months at a time - to purchase a machine from us. The Featherweight machines our customers buy from our shop are those that are loved, cherished and used to make many, many lovely quilts.

We have several customers who are even collecting Featherweights for their granddaughters to learn to sew on! Just remember that we are The Singer Featherweight Shop, so like most antique shops that buy items for their store, we have to purchase things at a price that still affords us to earn a living for our family.

This is why we use eBay for our pricing gauge for the current market price of the average Singer Featherweight. So, you can either sell it on eBay with their fee structure, and bidding process and take a chance as to the final price , or you can sell it directly to us with no eBay fees, feedback concerns, customer service issues, etc.

Your machine could be one of those that are passed down to the next generation as a very special memory and family heirloom! Please contact us if this is the avenue you would prefer to take to sell your Singer Featherweight machine.

Do you have the instruction manual for your machine? If not, you can download a free version here or order an exact replica from our shop. Reading through your operator's handbook is what we recommend first and foremost. There is some valuable information that will probably save you a lot of time and answer questions you may not realize you have yet.

Next, we recommend you clean the machine if needed , then oil and lubricate it properly as directed in your manual. In addition, start with a fresh, new Schmetz needle, making sure you insert it correctly into the shaft. Then thread the machine following each step and if you need an additional reference for this process, we also provide a photo tutorial for proper threading. Dust your machine with a dry or almost dry rag.

Use Kerosene to remove any grease or adhesive on the machine's surface. Polish your Featherweight using a high-quality carnauba car wax like Zymol or Meguiar's Gold.

You will want to start by dusting off your machine with a dry or an almost dry rag. Do not use household cleaners or soap and water to clean your machine. Many of these contain alcohol, or degreasers or even citrus that will harm the clearcoat of your Featherweight machine.

For adhesives or stubborn grime and dirt, we now recommend Kerosene because of its prevalent availability and ease of use.

For years, we always used and recommended Ronsonol lighter fluid a light petroleum distillate because you could obtain smaller, more manageable bottles at almost any hardware store. However, it has become increasingly difficult to find anymore. On the other hand, Kerosene, also a light petroleum distillate, can be found in smaller containers in the camping section of most Wal-Mart stores.

We carry empty oil bottles with a long directed spout that many of our customers fill with Kerosene to not only reach and clean in tight places but to have more control over how much is dripped out.

For further cleaning and polishing instruction, below is our video tutorial. The first thing to check is the felt drip pad underneath the machine. Unscrew the large nut on the bottom tray and if the felt drip pad is saturated with oil like the one shown above then it not only needs a new one, but it could be holding some of the musty odor being emitted by the case.

This may not alleviate the pungent odor entirely especially if your case has been exposed to moist climates , however, this is a good time to change the felt as part of the beginning maintenance. Now let's talk about that odoriferous case. We're not talking about an old-fashioned antique smell common with old things, but something much more putrid and intolerable.

Basements, damp garages or storage sheds can become a petri dish for Featherweight case mold, allowing the mold spores to multiply out of sight in the glue under the Tolex lining. The glue is a natural horse glue and prone to bacteria which causes an odor that is so strong it can permeate an entire room - it is really, really strong!

If you live in drier climates or if your case has been stored in climate controlled rooms where you would be most comfortable then this is not usually an issue at all. Hall closets and sewing or guest rooms are good places to keep your machine if you need to keep it tucked away. So, how do you rid your case of that awful smell? Well, there are lots of suggestions and opinions on the world wide web -- anywhere from lavender sachets, charcoal, baking soda, dryer sheets or soap shavings.

Most of these will just mask the problem and not eliminate the issue altogether. There is a fantastic home remedy that pretty much cures it but it takes some time and some old-fashioned ingenuity. Dave McCallum discovered this process and we have used it many times with great success -- and all without the odor returning. However, it is a home remedy, so proceed at your own risk. If the above process seems too involved and you want to opt for an easier alternative, then the next best thing is to use the all-natural case deodorizer found in our Shop.

Carmon is a former mortician and this product eliminates odors like nothing he has ever found and works well for a lot of mildew-smelling cases.

It is a highly concentrated spray and only takes a squirt or two in the Featherweight case. You can close the lid and repeat as needed.

Although often referred to as the machine's "birth date" it is more accurately the date the production run for that series of machines was assigned.

Although the basic design of the Singer sewing machine stayed the same over the years there were several variations in cosmetic appearance. Earlier machines had what collectors refer to as the Egyptian scrollwork pattern etched on the chrome plated endplate. Later machines had a striated or striped design faceplate. The pattern of the gold decal around the perimeter of the bed also went from a more circular scrollwork design to a more geometric linear pattern.

Machines that sew well but show loss to the gold decals, or scratches, or chipped paint sell at the lesser end of the range. It's all in the details of condition, and even minor blemishes makes a huge difference in price. Singer model s and machines that are unusual variations can sell for much, much more.

Most Featherweight buyers want to buy a machine from someone they trust, someone who has expertise, someone they can talk to before making the purchase, and someone who will stand behind the sale. Many potential buyers do not like the anonymity the internet venues like Ebay, and for good reason, and this can hold prices down. We service every Featherweight we sell and include a 1-year guarantee on every machine. When you partner up with us you get the benefit of our expertise, our reputation, and the benefits of dealing with a real person!

If you have a Featherweight or sewing machine in excellent condition, and most especially if you are looking to sell a Featherweight that is one of the desirable variationsthe Century of Progress, Texas Exposition, or San Francisco Golden Gate Exposition modelswe can achieve the highest value for your machine, and we make the entire process very easy for you.

In late , foot controller was changed to a solid bakelite - the most common type found with old Singers today. The faceplate was changed slightly in the scrollwork design.

Along the thread guides, it went from being shiny chrome to having scroll work added to match the rest of the faceplate. The bed decal that wrapped around the light switch corner was changed to stop at the bobbin winder tension bracket.

Original serial number block inside, under the drip pan tray was removed from the mold. Late , numbered dial tension units were issued with all Featherweights and continued as standard.

This took the guesswork out of tension adjustments. Around this era, there were a few Featherweights that had the Singer decal on the top of the machine instead of on the light housing. There is not a particular number or set of machines that were like this, which means that the different decal placement was probably a mistake.

Another Corduroy Case Lid insert was introduced. This one is referred to now as Type II. Compare this style with the earlier one from December - a very small handful of Featherweights were finished with a Wrinkle finish aka Crinkle , which included the matching wrinkle faceplate. The Stitch length indicator, which had always been chrome plated, was now painted black with silver-colored numbers.

The contrast made it a bit easier to read. August - a very small handful of Featherweights were finished with a Wrinkle finish aka Crinkle , however, the Wrinkle Featherweights in this batch were most likely put into storage and not distributed until , when they received the chromed, striated faceplate.