maviskw

A bunch of coincidences here.
1. I sent my family the pictures of SteveH's beautiful machine. When my son got it, he was in the airport in Chicago, waiting for his friend so they could run the Chicago Marathon last Sunday, the 12th. He was sitting at the restaurant table, and right in front of him was an old sewing machine. (Used for decoration, I take it.)
2. The name on the machine was Minnesota. (He's from Minnesota.)
3. Then this last week I was looking over a back issue (June 3, 2014) of our local newspaper: Sentinel and Rural News, and found an article about Mr. Richard W. Sears and how he got started in the retail business in 1886. With the article was one page of a replica of his catalog. It was: OUR 7-DRAWER DROP LEAF AND BOX COVER MINNESOTA MODEL"B" treadle sewing machine for $13.85.
4. And now I found your thread about the MINNESOTA MODEL "A".

History is interesting.

Jeanette Frantz

Mavita,

I bought this one to use to rehab my great-grandmother's machine (which my cousin has). She is reimbursing me for my costs. But this one is in remarkably good shape compared to the original of my great-grandmother's!

Jeanette

maviskw

So now you will have to buy a third machine to fix up both of them. LOL

Jeanette Frantz

Since the photos I posted earlier were a total mess, I'm attaching a couple more! Jeanette

jlhmnj

Looks Good! Sears sold the Minnesota A which was manufactured by a few different makers but yours is Davis made during the 00's. Most were shipped by rail to the local train depot. Uses "Davis Long" needles also branded as Singer 1x2, Boye 10, and several more obscure ones. Inexpensive industrial needles MTx190 can be used if you don't mind aligning the needle as it has no flat. Enjoy.

Jon

Rodney

That's a great looking machine Jeanette. It should clean up really nice. I think your cousin will be pleased. Do you have to give the original back to her or do you get to keep it? If you get to keep it I would be inclined to fix that one too even if the cosmetics are bad just because it was your Great Grandmother's machine.
Rodney

Jeanette Frantz

Rodney, the original is an absolute mess -- totally rusty, almost all the japanned finish is gone, and of course the decals -- well it was surprising enough that I could even read the name of the machine. The presser foot is stuck completely and the slide plates are missing, the shuttle is gone -- that one would probably have to have a re-painting and, if available, some new slide decals -- I don't know if I want to go that deep into it! It's been a long time since Great-Grandma died -- probably the late 50's or early 60's. I honestly don't remember! With my back problems, I'm not sure I could stay on my feet long enough to do the work, and I sure can't afford to hire it done! With the "parts machine" I bought, all I need to do is clean up the machine, dis-assembling it enough so that I can polish the metal (sitting down) and apply shellac to protect the decals. The decals are already "silvered" in places and I'm not sure what happened to it before I bought it. Suffice it to say, my cousin has reimbursed me for what I paid for the machine, so my budget is okay on that score! I don't know, I'll have to really think about that!

Jeanette

Jeanette Frantz

Well, strange things do happen! I've been looking for the serial number on this machine, and I haven't found it. It is nowhere that I could find -- weird! There is a number on the slide plate, D1243113! Any ideas anyone?
Jeanette

jlhmnj

Here's a listing of dated Davis serial numbers:

http://needlebar.org/nbwiki/index.php/Davis

Jeanette Frantz

From the looks of the chart you sent (for which I thank you) the number on the slide plate (D1243113), puts this one between October of 1905 and April 1906, which means it's at least 108 years old! I hope I'm in as good a condition as this machine is should I reach the unlikely age of 108! LOL
Jeanette