A very early ‘Wanzer A’ with pressed clothplate and ‘Little Wanzer’ shuttle mechanism
photo: Harry Berzack
Figure 2
The ‘Little Wanzer’ in its penultimate form
photo: Harry Berzack
The ‘Little Wanzer’ was introduced in 1868 (see Wanzer's Sewing Machines). Although it was a somewhat crude budget machine it was easily Wanzer’s most popular sewing machine. By the end of the 1870s, it had been out–classed by the competition and was gradually updated so that, as the ‘Little Wanzer SR’ introduced in 1881, not a single casting remained from the original machine.
Figure 1
The Little Wanzer SR (left) alongside the earlier version (right)
Figure 3
The top tension and take-up incorporated in the head by the needle bar, Wanzer’s 1877 patents photo: Harry Berzack
Figure 4
A simple friction drive bobbin winder for the old shuttle photo: Harry Berzack
The changes included:
Adding a cast cover to hide the gear wheels. The bobbin winder was then mounted on the gear cover and became friction driven from inside the balance wheel. Initially, it was a simple bobbin winder for the old shuttle but, for the SR, a thread distributor was added to wind bobbins for the new longer skeleton shuttle. With the bobbin winder not driven from the gears a free-wheel could be added to the balance wheel.
The top tension (just a pair of discs) was improved with one version incorporated in the head by the needle bar and the final version, the SR, using a wheel tension like the Howe machine.
The original had no take-up mechanism so the SR and its immediate predecessor were given an enclosed positive take-up operated by the needle bar.
The shuttle vibrating in a vertical plane was replaced by a Straight (shuttle) Race [SR] which was much less sloppy in operation and enabled a larger skeleton shuttle to be used. The new shuttle had a screw to vary the lower tension rather than changing the lacing system through a set of holes.
Fitting a positive take-up meant that the stamped front plate could no longer be used. It was replaced by a brass medallion on the base. There were separate versions for the English and the North American markets.
The marble slab was replaced by a cast iron slab, painted to look like black marble!
With all these changes, the Little Wanzer SR was Wanzer’s last ditch attempt to hang on to the budget domestic market. At least, the SR was comparable with the last 1880s versions of the Shakespear, etc. By the mid 1880s, much superior and larger vibrating shuttle machines were being imported into England from Germany and few of these late Little Wanzer SR’s can have been sold. They are rare and the old simple version is much more common today.
Wanzer’s other small hand machine was the ‘Wanzer A’. I have only seen this with a straight shuttle race as shown in Wanzer's Sewing Machines. However, Harry Berzack has come up with a very early version which looks like a Wanzer A but uses a Little Wanzer vibrating shuttle underneath and has no shuttle slide in the clothplate!
Figure 7 & 6
Fig. 7 (left): the wheel type of top tension and the positive take-up, for the SR
Fig. 6 (right): the gear cover and bobbin winder with thread distributor, for the SR
Figure 8
A comparison of the two shuttles (original on left, SR on right)
Figure 5
Little Wanzer SR in its final form showing the straight shuttle race
Figure 9
Wanzer brass medallions for North America (left) and England (right)
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