Wheeler And Wilson 8 Sewing Machine

[Paciente Flynn]

WheelerWilson was an American company which produced sewing machines. The company was started as a partnership between Allen B. Wilson and Nathaniel Wheeler after Wheeler agreed to help Wilson mass-produce a sewing machine he designed.[1] The two launched their enterprise in the early 1850s, and quickly gained widespread acclamation for their machines' designs.[1] Both Wheeler and Wilson died in the late 19th century, resulting in the company's sale to the Singer Corporation.[1] Shortly after, the Singer Corporation phased out Wheeler & Wilson's designs.[1] The company sold a total of nearly 2,000,000 sewing machines during its existence.[1]

Throughout the late 1840s, Allen B. Wilson traveled throughout the United States as a journeyman, and conceived the idea for a sewing machine in 1847, unaware that it had already been invented.[2][3] By 1848, Wilson moved to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and began creating drawings for a sewing machine, before eventually beginning construction one on February 8, 1849.[2][3] By April 1, 1849, Wilson completed his prototype, which he sold for $200.[3] Using this money, Wilson acquired a patent for his sewing machine on November 12, 1850, which differed from existing models in that with each movement it inserted two stitches instead of one.[2][3]

Nathaniel Wheeler, who had previously met Wilson while on a business trip in 1849, met with Wilson again in August 1851.[1] Wheeler contracted Wilson to produce 500 sewing machines for Wheeler's existing business in Watertown, Connecticut: Warren, Wheeler & Woodruff.[1][4] During this time, Wilson filed a patent for his machines' rotating hook and its four-motion feed.[2] In October 1853, Wheeler and Wilson used $160,000 to officially relaunch their enterprise as the Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Co.[1][4] Wheeler incorporated the company with Alanson Warren, who served as its first president, and George P. Woodruff, who served as the company's first secretary and treasurer.[5] The other general offices of the company were held for many years by Isaac Holden as vice-president, William H. Perry as general superintendent, secretary and treasurer, and Frederick Hurd as secretary and treasurer.[5] Wheeler served as the company's General Manager, and became the company's President in 1855 following Warren's resignation.[4][5]

The company began producing these sewing machines in Watertown, producing 3,000 units before relocating to Bridgeport to take advantage of the city's superior transportation links, communication links, and a larger facility size.[1][3][4][6] Here, the firm occupied a facility which formerly belonged to the Jerome Clock Company.[4]

By 1859, the company had the most sewing machine sales in the United States.[2] The company's capital stock was increased in July, 1859, to $400,000, and June 29, 1864, the company was granted a special charter by the Connecticut state government, and the capital stock was further increased to $1.000,000.[5] During this time, the company's sales grew exponentially, from just over 21,000 units in 1859, to nearly 130,000 twelve years later.[2] Allen Wilson died in Woodmont, Connecticut on April 29, 1888.[1][3] Nathaniel Wheeler continued to serve as the company's General Manager and President until his death.[5] Wheeler died in Bridgeport on December 31, 1893.[1][4] After Nathaniel Wheeler's death, his son, Samuel Wheeler, succeeded to the presidency. His official associates were George M. Eames, vice-president, and Newton H. Hoyt. secretary and treasurer.[5]

By 1905, Wheeler & Wilson were employing about 2,000 hands at their facility in Bridgeport.[5] Singer Corporation took over the Wheeler and Wilson Manufacturing Company in 1905.[1][6] After the acquisition, Singer continued to promote Wheeler and Wilson machines for a number of years,[1] and continued producing their No. 9 model sewing machine under its own brand name until at least 1913.[6]

The company won a number of Prize Medals, including at the 1861 Industrial Exposition in Paris,[1][6] the 1862 International Exhibition of London,[1][6] the Exposition Universelle, Paris 1868, the 1878 Exposition Universelle,[6] and 1889 Exposition Universelle.[6]

According to advertisements run by the company, other awards they received include the Gold Medal of Honour of the American Institute of New York, in September 1873, the Gold Medal at Maryland Institute in October, and a Silver Medal (the highest premium for "Stitching Leather") at the Georgia State Fair in November 1873.[8][9]

In July 1874, the jury awarded the First Prize, a silver cup, on account of the "ease of working, the little noise, speed of executing work, and durability of the sewing machines made by the Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Company.", at the Bury Agricultural Show in August 1874 the first prize, at the Manchester and Liverpool Agricultural Show on September 10, 1874 the Society's Silver Medal for "excellence of manufacture, progress and novelty in mechanism, and superiority of work done by it." and at the Cheshire Agricultural Society's Show in Warrington on September 23, 1874 the first prize.[citation needed]

Allen B. Wilson filed two important patents for Wheeler & Wilson's sewing machines: the rotating hook and the four-motion feed.[2] His first machine formed a lock stitch by means of a curved needle on a vibrating arm above the cloth plate, and a reciprocating two-pointed shuttle traveling in a curved race below the plate. The feed motion was obtained by the two metal bars which are seen intersecting above the shuttle race. The lower bar, called the feed bar, had teeth on its upper face, and by means of a transverse sliding motion it moved the cloth, which was placed between the two bars, the desired distance, as each stitch was made.[2]

In 1851 Wilson patented the rotating hook, which performed the functions of a shuttle by seizing the upper thread and throwing its loop over a circular bobbin containing the under thread.[2] This simplified the construction of the machine by getting rid of the reciprocation motion of the ordinary shuttle, and contributed to make a light tool silent running machine, eminently adapted to domestic use.[2]

In 1852 Wilson patented his four-motion feed, which, as its name indicates, had four distinct motions: two vertical and two horizontal.[2] The machines' feed bar is first raised, then carried forward, then dropped, and finally gets drawn back by a spring to its original position.[2] This machine used the curved needle and embodies the rotating hook and the four-motion feed.[2]

Nathaniel Wheeler was born in Watertown on September 7, 1820. The son of a carriage maker, Wheeler took up the trade as a young man before moving into the manufacture of metal objects, such as buckles, and then indulging his fascination for machinery.

Allen Wilson was an inventor who spent his youth as a farmer, blacksmith, and cabinet maker, travelling from New York to Michigan, and eventually to Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Shortly after arriving in Massachusetts, Wilson went to work on a new sewing machine design and received a patent on it in 1850.

In October of 1853, Wheeler and Wilson officially relaunched their enterprise as the Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Co. With an initial capital of $160,000, the company proved capable of competing with some of the top sewing machine producers in the country.

By 1856, the company proved so successful that it outgrew its Watertown facilities and relocated to Bridgeport. There it took advantage of improvements in transatlantic communication and transportation to open an office and showrooms in London and ship its products around the world. The company won numerous awards for its design, including medals at the 1861 Industrial Exposition in Paris and the 1862 International Exhibition in London.

A young Allen B Wilson constructed his first practical sewing machine in 1850, using a rotary hook mechanism. Itworked very simply and very quietly. Turning the hand crank caused the bobbin to rotate in circles and during eachrevolution a hook picked up the top thread from the needle and twisted it with the thread from the bobbin to producea stitch.

The Wheeler and Wilson Company won several Prize Medals for their machines. These included the Industrial Expositionin Paris in 1861, the International Exhibition in London a year later and the Exposition Universalle in Paris in1868, 1878 and 1889.

There were 2 main variants of the Model 8's. The earlier machines utilised a large flat balance wheel, a gear drivenbobbin winder and a volute tension spring. Later Model 8's changed to a gear driven hand crank, a rubber tyre bobbinwinder and a beehive tension spring.

The Wheeler and Wilson domestic models 8, 9 and 9D used a unique 4 point case locking system, which was patented in1879. Either a key or cranked lever operated 4 metal bars which slide out from the ends of the base to engage withthe end plates of the case cover.

With the decline in machine productions numbers, the Wheeler and Wilson Company was taken over by the SingerManufacturing Company in 1905. Singer continued to manufacture the No.9 model, badging it as a Singer until after1912.

The W&W #3 is notable as it debuted in 1860 and was one of the first sewing machines to utilize a rotary hook and a four motion feed, which Wheeler and Wilson patented in 1851 and 1854. This hook and feed system is used to this day on many machines although the workings on modern machines are all hidden away.

This machine is a lockstitch machine, with a glass presser foot, made so that the sewist could see the stitches forming, and unlike a modern machine, it sews left to right instead of front to back. This was favoured by shirt makers and an industrial version was offered as well as the domestic model shown here. It also used a curved needle and replacements are available, but they are rare and very costly so this machine would not be one you would want to use daily.

Thank you for posting this!! My sister and I inherited this EXACT sewing machine (same table as yours too) from my great great grandparents. Everything seems workable, except that the belt is broken. I'm planning on using your suggestions for the new belt and teach myself and my daughter on how to sew using this. she kept all of the original pieces as well, just not he instructions. :)

3a8082e126