thrums

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Thanks for your advice everyone!

It has a hem and a ruffler attachment and two or three more. It has bobbins, foot pedal, a box and a reproduction manual. It looked like it was in good shape. Recently cleaned and nice and shiny. :0) I too thought $600 was a bit high, but I didn't know where the market was right now for nice looking machines.

I wrote an email to the owner for more details.

Guess I'll keep looking.

sherian

I am looking at this blog so much information it is great. As I have I am reading and searching, really like the Garrett Morgan story, and Steve has a lot here. There is a few others also, good information and how to here.
Question is there anything that should be under the sewing machine it self. First I will track missing parts.

I also have a featherweight which my mother in law pasted to me, it is in very good shape and I love it. I took care of her for more than 30 yrs. She never drove(car) or went out of the house much. She was a great cook and called me her daughter.

sherian

I like the two post about feather weights sewing machines. thanks Thrums

J3General

Hi, guys, I am new to this forum but have some experience with sewing and electric vintage machines.

You folks have piqued my interest in treadle machines but I am wondering if the following is too much to take on as a first treadle. A friend is offering to sell me his grandmother's New Royal treadle-ready (he says!) head for a reasonable(?) price, no cabinet. Is anyone familiar with New Royal. I saw on needlebar.com that they take a 20x1 needle and Boye size 19 shuttle. Too difficult to find if not present or in good order? I doubt manual is still with machine - big deal?

Am I about to bite off too much complexity for a first treadle? Any comments appreciated.

jlhmnj

I don't have a New Royal but if your willing to modify an existing treadle top or build one over old treadle irons I don't see why not. The needles and shuttle is doable. Depending on which part of the country your in it might be easier and less expensive to find a Singer treadle complete locally. Good Luck.

Jon

J3General

@jlhmnj, jon, I can find a table and irons, I think, (maybe not New Royal) but I am a a bit reluctant to tackle a non-Singer for my 1st treadle. The New Royal, made by Illinois Sewing Machine Co., later acquired by New Home, seems to be complete as far as the head goes and looks nice, though. It purportedly operates, but I am a little skeptical since it is missing table and irons. Maybe that is translated as the hand wheel turns and the needle bar goes up and down.

Thanks for the encouragement. I have a boat load of electric powered sewing machines, so I am trying to get started with a treadle with a bit of caution.

John Thomas
High Point, NC

redbugsullivan

John, and others, my first treadle is similar to yours. It's a VS National/ New Home and remains my favorite. I've rescued at least three! They sew wonderful stitches and are very easy to treadle all day long.

Since you are already familiar with Singers and like them, I'd steer away from the head. It is not difficult to find a head and treadle set that will be compatible. Follow your gut and possibly consider finding a Singer treadle without a head. Place one of your machines in it, disconnect the motor belt, and use the treadle!

Annette

Gray fox

I posted about this little 60s Japanese VS zigzag machine back in April. Frustration abounded with feed timing issues and a runaway controller. Replacing the controller would have meant rewiring the motor/light block, and not knowing if it would be a significant improvement even after all that. This machine needs to go slow, and the sizing was right for a handcrank. However, the repro. spoked wheel was a bit too thick, and the washer behind the stop motion knob couldn't hold on and kept slipping out of position.

A vintage spoked wheel solved that problem, as it is a wee tad skinnier.

The feed timing issue went away.....not sure if any of my adjustments did it, or something finally got oil, or checking out the controller (which tried to vibrate the machine to pieces) solved that issue.....but it now feeds correctly.

So today I threaded up two needles and it makes a nice twin zigzag stitch. Yeah, I know, but it feels like a real accomplishment!

Note the odd location of the vibrating shuttle, behind the needle, in a curve left to right.

Dianne in Colorado

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sews

Congrats - I bet it feels good to finally get it done , nice even stitches too! Surprising that it is a VS, the machine looks so modern.

Actually, going left to right makes it a transverse shuttle?

Gray fox

Sabine, it is always a wonderful thing to get a machine working again! I'm not an expert, but my understanding is that by definition transverse shuttle goes in a straight line, and the shuttles are usually open on one side, 'boat' shuttles. This machine has a standard 'bullet' shuttle, and moves in an arc. This makes it a bit of a hybrid, so one could call it either way.

Back in the 1890s, Hengstenberg-Anker and others made machines with this shuttle path, which had 'boat' shuttles. The design then seems to have disappeared, at least from what I know. I'd love to hear if there are others. So one wonders how and why a Japanese engineer came across the design, and made a new version. Then made it zigzag and with two needles to boot! Very curious. I'm easily amused by mechanical mysteries.

Dianne in Colorado