Nontraveling Hand cranks

Some of these are just too finicky to take on the road and get used by unknowing hands.. Other don't work but look pretty interesting.

This one came from Mexico.  We have no idea who built it. ( Do any readers know?) The crank mechanism would need parts made for it to get it to work.  The pawfoot base is fun and Leon loves the way the back opens up. He also likes the visible planetary gears.  It is a vibrating shuttle machine with leaf tension.

This is a Singer 28  made in 1910.

Another pawfood. This one appears to be a Davis.  I thought the blue tape on the bobbin winding wheel was a hoot.

This hand crank hinge was repaired somewhere in it's history.

What Machine IS That?

Careful eyes may have seen that we use several machines at our events,  If is is a huge event we usually take 4 Singer 99s. They are 3/4 sized machine. That makes them more portable. We like to use their bentwood cases too because they add a bit of class.

The Singer 66 is a full sized machine that is very similar to the 99.


At historical event sometimes we bring out our vibrating shuttle machines. It is an older style, but Singer still made the machines until the 1960s.

We got invited to a hot rod show so we took a cool looking Brother Wizard.  It turns out there was a pin up girl wearing the same colors as the machine.  The Brother was not designed to be a hand crank, but Leon was able to coax it into service.

This is a black slide vibrating shuttle  28 in a 3/4 cabinet.

This Bel Air is a Japanese Clone of a Singer 99

The Singer Spartan used the plastic case that this 99 is in.  We don't use this case for travel. The plastic in all of them is brittle and  brakes easily. This handcrank is  a modern reproduction from China.

We buy sewing machine oil by the gallon and pour it into bottles with extended spouts.  This machine can sew in reverse.  Most of ours don't.

Demonstrating at Living History Events

 One of the things we do as Merry Cranks is demonstrate the pennyfarthing bicycle and hand  crank sewing machines at living history events. We particularly enjoy demonstrating at events like Topeka's Apple Fest and the Cottonwood Falls' Flint Hills Folk Life Festival. When we are at events like this we get to have one on one visits with the festival goers and we let them try out our machines.


Kids really enjoy the pennyfarthing. They are far braver about getting on it to have their pictures taken than their parents are. We began demonstrating with the big penny. The one in the photos has a 48" wheel. Later we acquired a 38" pennyfarthing that fits the back of the car easier. It is also less intimidating for beginners.

While Leon is showing off the high-wheeled bicycle, Iris demonstrates the sewing machine. Each person gets a rectangle of fabric and is taught to sew it into a Treasure Pocket. We have children who visit us every year to report that they have still got their Pockets.  The hand cranks are so easy to use, that many children tell their parents, "If I had one like this, I'd learn to sew!" 

Parents and grandparents also enjoy using the hand cranks. They often tell us about using a treadle that belonged to an older family member. Iris was amazed to hear about the home ec. class in the 1960s that was fully stocked with only treadle machines! Those girls must have felt like they were in a time warp.

Other exhibitors sometimes come by to play and we learn from them. Because we don't need electricity we can set up almost anywhere. One place was on a hill and that was really tricky though.

She is enjoying making a treasure pouch.

What do the Merry Cranks crank?

We are the Merry Cranks. We demonstrate  (foot cranked) bicycles, particularly the

replica pennyfarthing,  and hand crank sewing machines. We keep our eyes open for other low-tech materials that we might like to demonstrate. I found a popcorn popper at at  thrift shop the other day and Leon immediately went, "It's a hand crank!"

Our adventures began with bicycles. Leon is an avid collector of older bikes. Two of his prizes are the replica pennyfarthing and an 1890s lady's bike with wooden rims and wooden hand grips. We call her the Grand Dame. We enjoyed taking the pennyfarthing to living history events where children could see it, and maybe get their pictures taken sitting on it. Parents ask questions about why the bike had the big wheel and how it was used. Leon hasn't been stumped by a question yet!

Living history events mean period garb. That is no problem. I like to to sew. Sewing brought a maintenance problem. The Singer Featherweight I inherited from my Mom started skipping stitches.  I tried to fix it and made things worse. Leon...? He knew nothing about sewing machines, and he sure didn't want to ruin my mother's heirloom, but I persisted. He read the owner's manual and watched a few You Tube videos. VOILA! He fixed my machine and he was hooked. We started collecting older sewing machines as well as bicycles.

Our first "gig" demonstrating sewing machines was Earth Day at the Kansas History Museum.  My granddaughter was recruited to help us because we knew we would be demonstrating to kids in classroom quantities. We didn't realize 1600 students would visit that day! I had prepared 2000 pairs of fabric squares for the students to use as they sewed a seam on one of our three hand crank machines. When the day was done, only three scraps of fabric remained. Some students had visited more than once! 

We have the demonstrations down to a science now. You might find us at any event in eastern Kansas showing both sewing machines and bicycles. If it is a large venue, like the musuem, we still do small scraps of fabric. If we visit a more leisurely event we take 4x6" inch pieces of fabric that can be turned into Treasure Bags. We have seen repeat visitors who have confided to us that they still have their treasure bags. Keep an eye out. You might see us.

Welcome to Merry Cranks

Hello! Welcome to our blog.  Leon and I enjoy vintage sewing machines (particularly hand crank ones) and bicycles. That's where the Merry Cranking comes in.

When we are not demonstrating sewing machines and bicycles at living history events, you may find us lurking on vintage sewing machine pages or hanging out at my place. I sew. He restores machines.

Thanks for dropping by. We'll be sharing our adventures with cranked devices of one kind or another as this blog unfolds.