cabbagepatchkid

It really should sew at a consistent speed depending on how hard you are pressing on the foot pedal....press lightly/go slower....press harder/ go faster. It's the same as when pressing a gas pedal while driving a car.

irishrose

Phone call #2 - A Singer treadle from the 1930s. The owner says it says Leader on it. "Does it work?" " I don't know. I don't know why anyone would want to sew with it. Are you planning on sewing with it?" "Occasionally." The owner knows it belonged to her MIL and she now uses it for a table which bodes well for the cabinet. It's 50 miles away, so she's e mailing me a picture. $85 for this one.

10 minutes later - the pictures arrived. It has the tension on the top, which is a minus to me, but the cabinet and machine look to be in good condition, though I wonder why the top isn't down in the pics. Internet: Leader machines were made by the A G Mason company from 1870-1899. Interesting - worth a roadtrip? I haven't heard from the third one, but a $25 machine may be too much of a project for me. How does the top tension thread?

ssgramma

Help Please!

My 201-2 was sewing nicely until I just broke the needle. Now the handwheel is not working. Inner (is that the boss?) spins freely and makes the needle go up and down, outer portion moves the needle only a portion of the way. That is all by hand. Foot pedal just makes the wheel spin but needle is not going.

Does it not like either of the 2 new needles I just tried or is it something entirely different?

I haven't a clue and gave up to come here.

purplefiend

qltndog,
You don't need to take the motor off. Don't try to take the
bed off, just flip it up. Brush all the lint out of the bobbin area and bobbin case.
I service Featherweights. I use a toothbrush,sewing machine oil,
chennile craft sticks(aka:giant pipe cleaners), bamboo skewer, blue shop towels and strips of bridal netting type stuff. I remove the hand wheel and belt, so I can clean and oil the shaft that the handwheel goes on. Singer lube goes in the motor tubes, oil goes in oil holes in the machine, & anywhere else the manual says to. 1 drop of oil in the bobbin case base @ the 4 o'clock position. I change the motor belt and the rubber feet on the bottom of the machine, remove the screws and they will come off. Sometimes you need to dig the bed cushions out as they have melted. The plate under the spool pin can be moved to the side and you need to take the bamboo skewer and clean off all the old grease on the gears and then put new Singer lube on them.
Take off the throat plate and clean under there, make sure the finger of the bobbin case base goes back in between the throat plate springs when you put the plate back on. Take the bottom plate off and clean all the lint & gunk off, oil where needed and grease the gears on the
bottom.
Use the bamboo skewer to clean the bottom gears, just like you did under the spool pin.
The needle flat goes to the left(NFL) and threads right to left.
Sharon W.
Tender Loving 221 FW Care

dirty1mom

Irishrose, if I was closer I would buy it. That cabinet ia great! The lid is down in the second picture.

dirty1mom

So, I started thinking about what I had in my attic. Went up there when I got home from work and carried them down. One 66 in bottom wood case only, sn G7499421. Dirty, no bobbin, but the race is there. I bought it at an auction a couple years ago for $5.00. The decals are almost perfect. The second machine came from my mom's gaage last summer. Another 66 in a wooden case, the key works! Also dirty and decals are not as nice, but intact. Sn G2385133. Both machines have their foot pedals.

quiltmouse

Just in case anyone is looking. I don't know anything about it.

http://wichita.craigslist.org/atq/2280529656.html

irishrose

dirty1mom, the cabinet isn't open all the way to make a sewing table in any of the pictures. That's what I meant. She sent a slideshow. Close up, the cabinet is rougher and the drawers are askew. I can fix the finish, but can I fix the drawers?

dirty1mom

I am looking/reading on my iPad so can't get a real clear blow-up picture. I have a friend who is a woodworker by trade so I would say yes, it is fixable. But you will have to see in person to make that decision. A lot of times it is that the wood glue dried out and let go. If the wood is broken that is another problem. I didn't understand what you were saying about the cabinet in your first post.

luce321

What a beautiful machine! It reminds me of my mother's treadle. It was the first machine that I used, except for the one we used in sewing class in school.