Old Singer with cabinet
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Prescott Valley, AZ
Posts: 1,329
She is a gorgeous machine, and probably salvageable. These early machines were all mechanical and if all the parts are there she most likely can be thoroughly cleaned and oiled to make her purr again. There are also places to buy most parts. Lostn51 has done a tutorial in the Vintage Machines portion of this board. I followed his instructions to bring my 1925 machine (I'm guessing yours is about that age) back to life. Restoring the machine was really easier than I thought using the tutorial. Have fun with her.
#13
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 19
Have you checked to see if the bobbin shuttle mechanism is all there? It and the bobbins are the pieces that often get separated from the machine. My DH got into collecting old sewing machines a couple years ago. He has over 100, and about 20 are treadles. Now he is collecting coins. They take up much less space. Our daughter will not let hem store anymore machines in her sheds. By the way, anytime he comments on my fabric stash, and it is big, all I have to do is start talking about sewing machines. He actually agreed he may sell some of them soon. Whoopee.
#15
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Milton DE
Posts: 3,189
I bet that machine can be saved..Don't give up because of the rust...Today I tackled my Grandmothers Singer 3/4 model 99 that sat in a damp basement forever...all the metal parts were rusted...Today I decided to give Brasso Metal cleaner a try and removed the parts that could be removed and soaked them in it for a couple of hrs and boy did they clean up like new...After soaking the 2 hrs Use very light grade steel wool with allot of brasso on it so not to scratch up the metal and go in an up and down direction not circles.
I taped off the machine to avoid getting Brasso on the black portions to get to rusted screws etc that I could not remove and again brought them back to life...I was so happy that Grandma could be rehabed...Now it's a good oiling and I think I'll be sewing with her before I know it.
Someone told me to use car wax on the body to get the shine back into her.
I taped off the machine to avoid getting Brasso on the black portions to get to rusted screws etc that I could not remove and again brought them back to life...I was so happy that Grandma could be rehabed...Now it's a good oiling and I think I'll be sewing with her before I know it.
Someone told me to use car wax on the body to get the shine back into her.
#18
That certainly is a nice treadle machine. Be certain to follow the links to the vintage machine shop within this board, as recommended, for full restoration information on the cabinet and the machine. Don't do anything to it until you've read about the products and methods used to care for it. If parts are necessary, the VMS folks will help you with that too. They're part of this board, so you know they're great people.
#19
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Tippy-top of a ridge in WV
Posts: 6,355
The machine has what is called a "vibrating shuttle". It is the case that those bobbins go into and it is essential that it be in the bobbin race for the bobbins to go into. That race goes back and forth under the throat plate. The bobbins are replaceable, you can get them online, quite a few suppliers on Ebay.
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