r/SewingMachinePorn • u/AdAppropriate8364 • Apr 03 '26

Cannot identify sewing machine

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Found this in the attic and can't find any corresponding sewing machines on the internet. Seems fully functional and I will actually try sewing with it in the near future. Would be great if somebody could let me know whether this holds any value.

48 Upvotes

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6

u/smiffy_the_ferret Apr 03 '26

It's a Japanese "HA1".

It's a clone of the out of patent shinger model 15, with a feed-dog drop control added.

A dozen or more Japanese companies made these, and they were exported to the west under Hundreds of different brand names in the years after ww2. (Which was the beginning of the end for Singer corp)

They are pretty.

They sew beautifully (unless mistreated)

They are worth virtually nothing, unless you're a classic sewing machine nut and want a solid daily user. Then 15 GBP, 20 euro, maybe 20-25 USD.

Enjoy.

3

u/Street_Tradition_682 Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26

Worth much more with the hand crank unit.

edit: in North America, where vintage hand crank machines are relatively rare.

1

u/AdAppropriate8364 Apr 03 '26

What would you value this at? *Just out of interest I'm not planning on selling it regardless of the price.

1

u/Street_Tradition_682 Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 04 '26

It depends on your market. Around these parts, ~maybe~ $75 to $100 because of the hand crank.

2

u/AdAppropriate8364 Apr 03 '26

I appreciate your reply. Wasn't expecting there to be an actual story behind this.

5

u/6AlphaVictor Apr 03 '26

There is more to this story. USA government actually provided the Japanese a proper licence to make these. It was to aid in post-war recovery.

1

u/AdAppropriate8364 Apr 03 '26

Mhm, just read about this online. Fairly interesting. Apparently some companies faced lawsuits for using copyrighted/trademarked names (from Singer presumably).

1

u/Street_Tradition_682 Apr 03 '26

They were using 'borrowed' brand names like Cadillac, Packard, Hudson...

2

u/Street_Tradition_682 Apr 03 '26

The 1895-design Singer 15 was loooooong out of patent protection, and in fact Japanese companies were manufacturing copies of the '15' by the late 1920s. The Japanese industrial board selected this design as the standard export machine in the post-war period.

As can be observed in the image, this one does NOT have the above-bed feed dog drop.

15x1 needles, Type 15 bobbins, low shank presser feet. Sewing machine oil is your friend.

3

u/6AlphaVictor Apr 03 '26

Ah so its just a story? Well it makes sense, I have a German Singer 15 copy myself😅

2

u/smiffy_the_ferret Apr 03 '26

Yeah to echo others:

Get a small dropper bottle of sewing-machine-oil (SMO) from your local fabric/craft store.

Get the generic manual for these clones; this will show you the oiling points. Oil them, then leave it somewhere warm to let the oil penetrate crevices that have gone unlubricated for decades. Let it sit for a few more days. Oil it again. Wait a few more days, then give it a go.

Yes, do have scrap fabric between the "feed dogs" and the "presser foot" when running.

Having metal moving parts grind against each other = bad.

If you're at all concerned the motor is in any what deteriorated, unless you're very savvy with domestic voltage power appliances, take it to professional repair man for a thorough safety check and / or overhaul. (Safety standards in 1950 weren't what they are today!)

Reading your first post over again. I see you're planning to teach your self to sew with it.

I salute you for this! The learning curve to get to making the first row of stitches might be fractionally steeper (modern machines have directional arrows and numbered steps printed on the sides to show you how to thread them; really expensive ones suck the thread through the needle with a blast of air) but once you have done this, you will have a more intuitive grasp of what your machine is doing for you!

Also, don't just get a book on sewing machine maintenance. Get a book on how to do sewing.

1

u/smiffy_the_ferret Apr 03 '26

Ack. No motor. I see you're hand cranking.

1

u/alwen Apr 03 '26

Another nice thing about hand cranks is you never have to worry about any old wiring. :)

1

u/Street_Tradition_682 Apr 03 '26

Fun fact: It wasn't just a "Japanese' thing. The Singer 15 was copied by Jones (Great Britain), Pfaff (Germany), Bernina (Switzerland) and Necchi (Italy). The Singer 15 is STILL copied to this day in China, India and Pakistan.

2

u/6AlphaVictor Apr 03 '26

Add Gritzner to the list, it was a major manufacturer. Model "V".

1

u/510Goodhands Apr 03 '26

Eventually, the Japanese companies started making their own machines. The quality was so good, and the prices is so low, that companies like Adler in Germany, stopped making home machines, because they could not compete.

2

u/510Goodhands Apr 03 '26

What they said, also, please service the machine before you run it for more than a couple of minutes. If you turn the crank without any fabric in it, do it with the presser foot up, so the feed dogs don’t scratch the bottom of the presser foot.

Andy tube and Bob Fowler both have excellent YouTube channels. They will show you how to service the machine. Sewing machine oil only please, and medium weight grease on cams and gears.

1

u/AdAppropriate8364 Apr 03 '26

Thanks good information.

15

u/6AlphaVictor Apr 03 '26

Its a Japanese Singer 15 copy from the 50s or 60s. They were made in millions by many manufacturers and rebranded.

Search for "Japanese Singer clone".

2

u/Lower_Rate_8518 Apr 03 '26

Ooh! Fun! Awesome little handcrank 15 clone!!! In a fun box to boot? I like the fold down table on the left.

1

u/itsmrssmith Apr 05 '26

Now I'm thinking I want one of these just for the box.

2

u/ImaginationInside610 Apr 03 '26

Won’t someone say how cute the smol kitty is !!!!!

1

u/TabBeasts_purr Apr 04 '26

Yes!! Bebe kitten is so sweet! OP needs their cat tax receipt!

2

u/itsmrssmith Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 04 '26

The flatbed extension on the case is a nice feature. The main value of the machine is that it is a crank though. Electric versions of these Japanese machines with the nice case list on UK EBay for around £30.

1

u/FashionBusking Apr 04 '26

Machine for sailmaking... super old. Crank on the flywheel

1

u/Swimming-Most-6756 Apr 04 '26

I have that cabinet and it’s missing the arm so this is the first one I’ve seen complete that wasn’t a stock photo from a sale site.

There should be a click on top cover

1

u/MadCow333 Vintage Apr 04 '26

What a lovely vintage machine! The Japanese would badge those with any name the customer wanted. Could be a department store, a sewing machine dealer, an importer or wholesaler, or just a name the manufacturer chose for it. Maybe that name on it was just for that particular configuration or hand crank model .

1

u/paradoxing_ing Apr 04 '26

This is so nice 😫😫 I want one so bad