| What is a Blackside 221? Manufactured before and after WWII when
chromium and nickel were difficult to come by, the Featherweight Blackside machine
has a japan finish and gold decals identical to the Standard 221
but its faceplate is not plated like the standard machine, it is coated black.The coating
provides a dull, non-reflective finish.
In an effort to determine the
method Singer used to blacken parts, I am gathering information on the passivation and
phosphating processes used during the time of 221 blackside production. If you have
information which may aid the search, please contact
me.
Although  the handwheel rim on the majority of
Featherweight 221's prior to AG818000 is silver, the handwheel rim on all reported
blackside machines is the shiny black japan finish.
Additionally, the backplate on
the stitch length regulator is solid black (with the exception of the stitch length
markings) on all reported blackside machines.
The presser foot lifter bar on
reported blackside machines is predominantly shiny black instead of silver.
My requirement for a
machine to be defined as a blackside 221 is that it coincide with a known blackside 221
production run, have a black faceplate, a black handwheel rim, and a black stitch length
regulator backplate.
After more than 50 years it is
likely that these machines are not in 'original' condition—parts break,
become misplaced, and get replaced. It is unknown whether all blackside 221 machines
originally included a black handwheel rim, presser foot lifter bar, bobbin case,
bobbins, presser feet, and accessories... and it probably will never be known.
There are also non-blackside
Featherweight machines in the two known production runs that have a black presser foot
lifter bar and non-blackside machines with a solid black stitch length regulator
backplate.
There are currently two identified production runs that contain
Featherweight 221 blackside machines—July 1, 1941 and September 19, 1945. The serial
numbers of blackside 221 machines are not consecutive, they are intermixed with standard
machines in the production runs.
The Featherweight 221 was not the only blackside model Singer produced and not the
first; in the AF and AG series there are model 66, 99, and 128
machines with black coated faceplates, presser feet, and accessories. All parts on the
blackside machines are standard, the finish is simply different.
An AF Serial Numbered Featherweight Blackside?
In September of 2000, a Featherweight with the serial number AE or AF773332 was
reported by its owner as having a black faceplate, black handwheel rim, and silver presser
foot lifter bar. This machine is recorded in the database as having an AF serial number
but not as being a blackside 221.
It is certainly possible that the faceplate and handwheel rim are not original to the
machine and if the machine has an AE serial number prefix, it is logical to surmise that
the faceplate and handwheel rim have been replaced. If it is an AF machine, here are some
points to be considered:
- The 'manufacture' date for AF773332 is February 12th, 1941; the 'manufacture' date for
the first AG blackside is July 1st, 1941.
- There are 236,590 units separating the two serial numbers.
- The database contains 27 other 221's with a production date of February 12th, 1941, all
of which are standard machines.
Urban Legend: 221 Blackside with a Black Pressed Steel Faceplate
In the book "Featherweight 221 - The Perfect Portable" by Nancy
Johnson-Srebro, the author states that a 221 machine from the November 22, 1946 production
run—AG883740—has a black pressed steel faceplate, much like the faceplates used
on the 221K white and 221J tan machines and a teardrop-shaped faceplate retaining screw.
221K white and 221J tan faceplates are easily identified; they have a slot approximately
1/4" long and 1/16" wide at the very top of the faceplate that is used to locate
a supporting screwhead.
In September of 2009 a similar machine was sold on an Internet auction site. This
machine is from the September 16, 1946 production run—AG811471. Both the seller and
buyer granted permission to use their pictures on this website.
After viewing the pictures my observations are:
- The paint on the faceplate has what appears to be spiderwebbing indicative of spray
painting rather than a baked on finish.
- There appear to be file marks on the edges of the casting where the faceplate is
mounted.
- The faceplate fits poorly.
- The screwhead is not centered in the receiving slot and has damage marks from the tool
used when it was removed or installed.
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Standard Faceplate |
Blackside Scroll Faceplate |
221K White Faceplate |
Based on the current information available it is logical to surmise the machine has
been modified with a replacement faceplate that has been painted black, most likely from a
221K (originally white/green) or 221J (originally tan/beige) machine. It is not reasonable
that Singer would produce a product configuration of such poor workmanship and quality.
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AG811471 Screwhead Alignment |
AG811471 Faceplate Fit |
Concerning the teardrop-shaped screw:
After studying the picture of this machine on page 72 of the 1997 edition of
"Featherweight 221 - The Perfect Portable", a member of Featherweight Fanatics
pointed out that any Featherweight 221 can appear to have a teardrop-shaped screw by
raising the presser foot lifter bar and simulating the angle at which the picture was
taken.
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