Here is my big news to start off the year: I have another treadle sewing machine! This one is a family heirloom. It was my husband’s great-grandmother’s, a Singer model 66 from 1916 with the “red eye” or “red scroll” decals. The decoration on this machine is in much better condition than my model 27, which is only 9 years older than the model 66, but saw considerable barn time. The 66 only saw some garage time and was mostly in normal household conditions.
Photo description: Singer model 66 “Red Eye” sewing machine head, sitting on cardboard on my work bench.
Ironically, the treadle base is almost identical to the other base, except it hasn’t been painted over (thank goodness).
Photo description: Singer treadle base cabinet, the four drawers are on the table just off camera. I had just scrubbed down the cast iron parts with PB Blaster and a wire brush. I have not started on the wood parts, but have taken some broken laminate from the back to use on the surface chips.
My goal is to get it back to working condition. It is pretty, but seized. The model 27 I’ve almost completely disassembled except for the main shaft, but with this model 66 I’m going to only take apart what I need to.
I’m still picking away at the model 27 sewing machine, removing small bits of dried on oil and dirt.
Photo description: Singer Manufacturing Company trademark in bronze, covered with a thick patina of oilPhoto description: Same seal after cleaning with a bamboo stick and sewing machine oil, with only a slight patina left in the crevices. Photo also shows a shiny stitch regulator knob.
My friends and family are probably getting tired of hearing a “scritch, scritch” noise when I’m on the phone. But it helps me focus. I’m not cleaning all the patina off; getting it back on in artful amounts can take years. I did figure out that I can clean the parts that are stuck in place, and continue to soak them in oil until the threads release. A thin strip of nylon netting is great for getting into the screw threads.
Photo description: Top of the machine, one hand is holding a dirty length of nylon netting along the threads of the pressure foot tension knob.
I’m not sure what I am going to do about the gold decals. They are quite delicate and are already flaked off to the silver base, or rubbed off entirely in areas. I do feel I need to remove all the loose paint, because I don’t want it flaking off onto my fabric. Experiments continue.
The cabinet of my 1907 model 27 Singer Sewing Machine is yellow. Hm. Pinging online groups, there is a general consensus that they didn’t come in yellow. Prompted, I looked at the hinges, and yes, the hinges and screws also had yellow paint, so someone, during the life of the machine, had thinly painted it yellow. Sigh. The next question, how long ago? Was there lead in the paint? I purchased a lead test kit, followed the directions, and happily, no pink. If the swab or surface turns pink or magenta, it indicates the presence of lead. Since it isn’t lead paint, and it is not original, when the weather cools off here I’ll strip the paint and refinish.
Photo description: Antiqued yellow wood surface showing a wet round area and a yellow swab.
My husband and I removed the sewing machine head from the base (there were two small set screws that were not seized) of my Singer model 27-3 sewing machine so I could start the cleaning process.
Photo Description: Antique, worn, and dirty sewing machine head on cardboard on a work table.
I’m following the advice in the book “Treadle Sewing Machines: Clean and Use an Iron Lady” by Donna Kohler. I have also found digital scans of the owners manual and an adjusters manual for a 127-128, which I’m told by YouTube is close enough to my 27. I’m photo documenting as much as I can along the way. I’m also not in a rush, this is going to take some time, so the machine has a dedicated table in the craft room and I’ll post about interesting observations along the way.
My first discovery was that the previous user of the machine didn’t remove old thread on the bobbins before winding on new thread, which blows my mind. I see how it would save time in the short term, not unwinding, but it reduces the amount of space for new thread, so the bobbin has to be wound more often. An interesting choice for certain. Some of the bobbins had four different colors of thread.
Photo description: Long bobbin wrapped with green thread over blue thread.
To give you an idea of the level of grime I’m dealing with, past the spider webs and mud-dauber nests, below is a photo of the underside of the needle plate. To remove the needle plate I needed to add PB Blaster and let it sit for about five minutes, then the screw backed out smoothly. Underneath was a build up of lint, oil, and dirt.
Photo description: Round area around the feed dogs where the needle plate was removed, with brown dried oil stains and a thick build up of lint.
There are YouTube videos of machines in worse states. I know this one was well used, and I want to keep as much of the patina as I can. The black finish flakes off when it is touched, so I need to be very careful not to remove what decoration is left. This will definitely be an ongoing project, and I’ll post about interesting things as I find them.
I have recently moved my craft supplies into a new space. I did have everything in one side of a master closet with a small work bench. I’m not sure how I fit it all in that space, as it now fills a regular bedroom. No pictures yet, I’m still sorting and evaluating, but I have setup three folding tables, and decided I had room for a fourth. Before I could go buy another folding table, I spot a working treadle sewing machine for sale for $50. Hm. I’ve actually wanted one of these for a long time, but either didn’t have the car space, or the floor space, or the money (restored sewing machines can be pricey). But at that moment I had the space, and I had the cash. I bought it and my husband helped me fetch it. There is a reason it was reasonably priced. It was stored in a feed room in a barn. Yup. But the wheel turns. The owner bought it from the original owner a few years back (I’ll let you do the math here in a moment), but didn’t get around to using it. It had a bag of parts that went with it, and I’m still counting the wasp nests that hitched a ride. It is living in the garage until I can do a basic clean.
Treadle sewing machine that has seen much use and neglect
I found the serial number and looked it up. This machine is a model 27 and on May 1, 1907, 70,000 machines were allotted. So it is 116 years old and I am the third owner. Hm. It definitely needs some TLC and oil. My plan is not to restore it to new, I rather like patina and that it shows its age, but I will remove the rust, stabilize what I can, and see if I can get it functioning well. This should keep me occupied as the kids head off to school. Oh, and I’ll post updates of course.
Critters and Craft 