My Singer Upright Before/After pics!!

[kirbymodel2c]

True.

Hi Charlie.

Its true the logo is on the wrong side but is the only way the bag will fit on to the vacuum its self.

I was going to try to change the bag around but I didn't want to talk it off the metal bag collar as I might not have been able to have got it back on again in one piece.

Any ideas??

JB

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

wow!

That is a beautiful machine, and you did a great job on it!

 

[charles~richard]

James, if the bag was attached to the metal collar that way, then, yes, you're right not to mess with it. You'd probably tear the fabric trying to get the retaining wire off. It's not a major thing, at least it is the original bag!

 

[normvac]

What a neat restoration. I have to say, the sister model to that Singer was the very first one I ever collected. Thanks to
my dad. He bought it an aution for dollar or two back in the 50's when I was 8 or 9 to clean a rug in the base ment. It
was the one with OUT the cord rewind and minus the top part of the handle. It had a red bag on it, ran on one speed as
I recall. I remember the patch on that red bag but not for
sure. I think it was on the back too. As I always wanted to
change it around. Went to the trash at some point!
Norm

 

[aeoliandave]

Stunning and sensual.

A superb piece of functional Metallurgical ART!.

Yer a lucky duck, James.

Dave

 

[hygiene903]

Beautiful Restoration, James!

You did an excellent job! And did you dye the bag or replace it? It looks different between the before and after photos.
Jeff

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Thanks for the advice charlie.

Thanks for the advice charlie.
I was tempted to try to turn it around but I had images of it not coming off properly or just tearing.

Hi Jeff,
The bag was re dyied back to its original color.
I had to unpick the logo which took ages.
I was then going to put it back on the right side but the patch where it was originally was darker then the rest so it that to go back over where it was before.
Oh well I tried!!!

It still has the original light bulb in it still working!!

JB

 

[charles~richard]

Some Singer Miscellany

Here's a Singer R1, the older sister of James' refurbished lovely lady!

 

[charles~richard]

And the ad for the R1 (note logo is facing frontward):

 

[charles~richard]

And here is an R3, also a slightly older model than James' machine. There were two versions of the R3. Both had the same red bag, the only difference was that one had a cord winder and one did not. Mine was the "without" model. (I sold it some time ago to another collector.)

There obviously also must have been an R2 but I have never seen one. The R4 is James' machine, and then the last of that series, the R5, was the same as James' but it was painted in grayish-brown wrinkle finish paint and nowhere nearly as beautiful as the earlier machines.

 

[charles~richard]

Then there was the low-profile "S" series. This type was made for quite a few years and in several diffenent two-tone color schemes including two-tone gray, tan and pink.

 

[charles~richard]

 

[charles~richard]

The first upright Singers were straight-suction machines. There were two of them, A1 and A2. Here is a brochure for one or the other of them (can't remember the differences between them).

 

[charles~richard]

And here's a fun photo from a 1920s Singer trade show exhibit. The bag lettering states "Singer Two-Speed" so one would assume this is the A2. Note the hand vac and attachments in a little pile there.

 

[charles~richard]

And, last but not least...

 

[vintagehoover]

Beautiful!

I remember seeing that on eBay, and feeling very tempted to bid, but I think it was on at the same time as the all-original Hoover Baby 103 I was after. I couldn't have afforded both machines, and both the shipping fees, so I didn't bid. As it happens, I didn't end up with either of them, so I'm glad to see that the Singer's gone to such a good home!

The restoration you've done on it is superb! I'd love to see a video of it in action, if you had the facilities?

 

[charles~richard]

Hi, which machine are you referring to? The only one that I now have is the R1, which I have had for many years. It was a surprise Christmas gift one year from Stan Kann. I do have an A1 or A2 in unrestored condition, but don't have any other R models and none of the S models. I would love to have the two-tone pink S model as it's really pretty. But they're hard to find anymore.

 

[vintagehoover]

Do you mean me, CRL?

I was referring to James' new addition, but your machines are beautiful as well, of course! I'm sure Stan Kann must have the complete early Singer line-up - I've seen quite a few of the models you've mentioned in pictures of his collection.

I'd love one of the R models, it's on my dream machine list along with the Kenmore 'bugeye' Imperial, and several other machines from that era.

Did I read that the Singer S models the work of Raymond Loewy?

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Hi Jack

Hi Jack, Sorry I don't have the facilities to make a video.
Have thought about making video of my collections before but don't have the facilities or time at the mo.

May be at some point you might get to see it in person.

Oh Charlie does the R series Singers Have attachment sets for them??

JB

 

[charles~richard]

Oh sorry, heheh, your message came right after I posted mine so I thot you were talking to me. Stan has all the Singer models up thru the R4 but none after that. He did not like the painted R5 and the Later S versions were too modern for him.

And yes, Loewy did design the S series. I have a feeling he, or some other noted designer, Dreyfuss perhaps, also did the R series -- they are just too beautiful not to have conceptualized by a high-end industrial designer. In-house artists just don't come up with stuff like that!