Needlework Monday - My Newest Tool - Vintage Singer 201K2 Sewing Machine

I know it's not Monday, and the community is "Needlework Monday", but I have to admit to being a little bit excited.

I just got home with my new toy, bought on eBay as a "collection only" item from someone local to me - a vintage Singer 201K sewing machine.

About the Singer 201K2

For those who aren't sewing machine nerds, the 201K is recognised as probably the best thing Singer ever made. It has a reputation for being super-smooth, reliable, and just nice to use.

But the 201K isn't just a single sewing machine, it's a family built around the same chassis.

To dissect the model number....

201 is the base model of sewing machine. The inner workings are high quality carbon steel with the main gear mechanism not just matched, but tooth-matched to give a smooth and tight feel. Until 1954, the body was cast iron; after that, it was made in a new shape from high-grade aluminium to reduce the weight. The new shape was supposed to be more "modern", but I much prefer the heavier iron shape.

The "K" indicates that it was built at the Kilbowie factory in Scotland. Virtually identical machines built in the United States had no letter; "P" indicates ones assembled at Penrith in Australia, and "D" at Wittenberge in Germany.

A lot of people don't know that after the letter is another number (most websites just call it a 201K). What it indicates is the mechanism the machine was originally built with, although it is relatively easy to convert any of them from one to another if you can find the parts - to hand cranked is easy, for some of the others, not so much. The numbers are as follows;

• 201 K1 - Treadle operated via a long belt. Usually came fitted to a table with a cast iron Singer treadle built in.
• 202 K2 - what this one is, and why I told my wife I needed a second 201K. It's the rarest and most desirable, coming with what they call a "potted" motor, which gives a direct drive rather than using a belt. This gives it the power to sew through heavy canvas and light or even medium weight leather without the problems caused by a skidding belt.
• 201 K3 - possibly the most common, with an electric motor driving a short belt. Both K2 and K3 are electric machines, activated either by a foot pedal or (as this one is) by a knee lever.
• 201 K21, K23 and K24 - the same as the K1, K3 and K4 but with the newer aluminium body.
• 201 K29 - the same as the K23 but with a spoked balance wheel like the older K3.

First Inspection of My New Machine

This is just the first visual inspection I did, to find out what I actually had. I knew it was a K2 and that the electrics would need checking and possibly some work, but not much more than that.

It is in what they call a crocodile-skin case. It's never seen a real croc, of course, I think it's just textured fabric or paper. The case is in reasonable but not great condition, with scuffing on the edges and rust on the hinges and clasps. I'm okay with that, it's going to be a working machine not a museum piece !

First impression on opening the case is that there's a lovely oily smell. That's good news; although I could see from the eBay listing that there is some rust to deal with, it shows the machine has been properly oiled and looked after.

One unexpected bonus is that it comes with the tray that is almost always missing when you buy a 201K. Nice ! The knee pedal is present; it shows some wear to the paint, but nothing too bad.

The photo below shows the back of the machine (the one at the top of this post shows the front). The boxy thing on the left with a square S-decal is the potted motor.

By way of comparison, below is a photo of the back of my 201K3, showing the more common BRK motor and belt drive, as well as the spoked balance wheel. As you can see, the decals on my new machine are in far, far better condition !

Note also that on the one with the knee-lever, the useful compartment in the base has a metal cover hiding the switchgear, which is a bit sad because it's a very useful place to put spare needles, bobbins etc. Additionally, the light on my new machine is on the front, which is much more useful !

The photo below shows the serial number. There is a very useful website, ISMACS where you can look up Singer serial numbers to find out which model you have and when it was manufactured.

In this case, it was made between June 7th 1939 and March 6th 1940. It was a batch of 60,000 starting with serial number EC185039, which makes this machine one of the very first made in the batch. It makes it three years younger than my 1936 K3, which is close enough that most of the parts will be interchangeable.

The right hand end of the machine, showing the solid balance wheel common to the 201K2, although I've got a spare spoked one I could probably fit if I feel like it. The chrome centre plate and switchgear casing has some rust and marks, but it'll probably polish out and is pretty good for a machine that's nearly 90 years old.

The left hand end. Look at that beautiful end plate and the incredibly well-preserved decals !

Close up, the footplate shows quite a bit of rust, but they are relatively easy to find replacements for. There's no needle fitted, but it's a consumable part and I've got plenty of them in my box of bits.

Lifting the machine up on it's hinges to see the underside, there's plenty of evidence of regular oiling. But there is also quite a lot of surface rust on some of the parts. It's kind of inevitable if it has been stored for any length of time in a garage or loft, but I'll need to clean it up and take a couple of caps off to check that it is purely external.

This is the bobbin case, which is in excellent condition although three's quite a bit of lint in there. That's totally normal, but means I'll need to take it apart and give it a very thorough clean. The 201K takes the same bobbins as the 66K and 99K, and they are widely available.

So there it is - my new toy, the Rolls Royce of sewing machines !

It needs a good amount of cleaning (totally normal), and I haven't checked the electrics yet. I expect to have to take the motor apart to clean it up and recondition the brushes. But for 87 years young, she's in very good shape.

All photos by me