29K museum piece

[BrendaP]

Yesterday morning I had a wander around the Somerset Rural Life Museum where they have a 29K leather patcher which came from the Clarks shoe factory in Street.  The musuem had dated it as 1909.

It's definitely a 29K, it says so on the badge!
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But if I've read the serial number correctly, F4990809 then according to the ISMACS website it's one of 130,000  28Ks from 1910. 
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It's clearly been well used, and although the belt is missing, and there's no needle in it, the fly wheel turned easily moving the needle bar and foot.  I wonder how many shoes were sewed with it?

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[Renegade Sewist]

I would consider killing for a machine like that.    I'm drooling on my keyboard now.

[LeilaMay]

Yesterday morning I had a wander around the Somerset Rural Life Museum where they have a 29K leather patcher which came from the Clarks shoe factory in Street.  The musuem had dated it as 1909.

It's definitely a 29K, it says so on the badge!
  [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]  
But if I've read the serial number correctly, F4990809 then according to the ISMACS website it's one of 130,000  28Ks from 1910. 
  [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]  

It's clearly been well used, and although the belt is missing, and there's no needle in it, the fly wheel turned easily moving the needle bar and foot.  I wonder how many shoes were sewed with it?

   [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It is lovely isn't it Brenda?
if you're in the area again do give a shout out - I live about 500 yards from the Rural Life Museum and would happily have joined you in the tea shop there to share a pot and a natter 

[Roger]

29ks are lovely - Id like to try one sometime, but the needles for them are an extinct variety - I had a box full once and didnt realised what I had...

[LeilaMay]

There are some other vintage industrial machines to be sen in Glastonbury.
If you go up towards the Chalice Well and Tor footpath, you pass a factory on the RHS called Drapers - you can park in their car park for a fee. You go inside the factory to pay your car park ticket - and behold, you'll see a number of specialist machines ranged on their windowsill 

here's the link to their 'about us' page
https://www.draper-of-glastonbury.com/about-draper

[BrendaP]

Ooh!  If I'd known that I would definitely have given you a shout for a guided tour, and a shared cuppa!