When Smith & Wesson and Singer agreed a merger, they created two new products. The hand gun, which threatened to stitch people together, failed miserably, but the sewing machine was actually quite a good product.

Looking like a larger version of a classic Smith and Wesson pistol, its great feature was its ability to store, and quick change between thread colours and types. It could do this because the spools of thread were loaded like cartridges into the swing out magazine holder. It never entered mass production due to the sheer complexity of the mechanism, resulting in frequent entanglements and jamming. (see illustration of basic concept)
-- xenzag, Feb 22 2013

Smith and Wesson and Singer https://sodabred.tu...questions-later-its
stitch first and ask questions later [xenzag, Feb 22 2013, last modified Mar 26 2018]

Cat food can shotgun Cat_20food_20can_20shotgun
(not even vaguely related) [normzone, Feb 22 2013]

Quite... unusual...
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 22 2013


I'm in the minority of guys who know how to use a sewing machine AND like revolvers - I'd like to have one.
-- normzone, Feb 22 2013


[edit] - illustration went walkabout - had to replace - apologies for churn.
-- xenzag, Oct 31 2015


This can put one in a fix.
-- pashute, Oct 31 2015


Just another updated sodabred illustration...... this one has the NRA sewing their pants to their elbows.
-- xenzag, Mar 26 2018


// The hand gun, which threatened to stitch people together, failed miserably //

That's unfair- it was 50% successful. Making holes to pass the thred through by means of high velocity free-flying needles (A derivative of Kay's Flying Shuttle) known as "bullets" worked extremely well.

It was the joining together afterwards aspect, by passing thread through those holes, that has posed the problem.
-- 8th of 7, Mar 26 2018



random, halfbakery