Thread: My intro to the Treadle world and my love! (Willcox & Gibbs Chain Stitch!)

Originally Posted by cwillis

Actually Willcox and Gibbs did not connect the treadle belt with a staple like most other machines. They used a little ferrule which screwded on to both ends of the treadle belt to connect it together. Unfortunately they were often lost when the old belt rotted away. By good luck a couple of years ago I purchased an old W&G machine that still had a ferrule attaching the two parts of a very rotten belt that was in pieces but had not been thrown away yet. The original ferrule is in the center while the homemade one is on the end. They are 3/16 inch in diameter and 3/8 inch long. I thought it might be helpful if I explain how I made my DIY ferrule.

1. I started with a 1/2 inch brass Chicago Screw (aluminum also works). Cost about $1.00.
2. I used a Dremell tool with a cut off wheel to cut off the barrel of the Chicago screw 3/8 inch from the end, leaving only a short stump attached to the head.
3. To fit the ferrule to the 3/16 inch treadle belt used by W&G you need to taper the end of the belt. I use a pencil sharpener. I GENTLY push the end of the belt into the pencil sharpener and turn.
4. To connect the ferrule to the leather belt I push the tapered end into the ferrule and turn in a clockwise direction. I can usually make about 3 complete turns before it get too hard to turn. This is the same method as describe on page 32 of the 1870 W&G brochure available on line from the Smithsonian Institution at
(http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollect...0039/index.htm). It is much harder to describe than to do. The resulting connection is more than strong enough for a treadle machine, is very easy to remove and reattach, and gives a nice authentic addition to your W&G treadle.

Wow thanks! I will have to try this! So cool! Thank you so much!

Hey KittyWolf13,

I should be picking up a similar if not the same machine this weekend. The picture I have is this:



It's a lot of miles away, but the DH likes road trips and has never been there before. The lady who's selling it is selling off a collection, and both the DH and I are excited to see it.

Do you know what sort of needles it takes yet? I'll be interested to see if I can get this one up and running.

Mine came with a needle and I've heard mixed reviews about the needle it uses. Some swear only by the original W&G needle, which has a groove running through the entire needle. Others have found success with needles by organ. As for sizes I'm not terriably familiar with those yet. I got my W&G needles from Alex Susexx from sewalot. The other needles I got off eBay. I've pretty much been in the mod set that if I find W&G needles I'm going to buy them as I fin their the rarest bit of the machine. If you have difficulty let me know by sending me a pm!

Originally Posted by cwillis

Actually Willcox and Gibbs did not connect the treadle belt with a staple like most other machines. They used a little ferrule which screwded on to both ends of the treadle belt to connect it together. Unfortunately they were often lost when the old belt rotted away. By good luck a couple of years ago I purchased an old W&G machine that still had a ferrule attaching the two parts of a very rotten belt that was in pieces but had not been thrown away yet. The original ferrule is in the center while the homemade one is on the end. They are 3/16 inch in diameter and 3/8 inch long. I thought it might be helpful if I explain how I made my DIY ferrule.

1. I started with a 1/2 inch brass Chicago Screw (aluminum also works). Cost about $1.00.
2. I used a Dremell tool with a cut off wheel to cut off the barrel of the Chicago screw 3/8 inch from the end, leaving only a short stump attached to the head.
3. To fit the ferrule to the 3/16 inch treadle belt used by W&G you need to taper the end of the belt. I use a pencil sharpener. I GENTLY push the end of the belt into the pencil sharpener and turn.
4. To connect the ferrule to the leather belt I push the tapered end into the ferrule and turn in a clockwise direction. I can usually make about 3 complete turns before it get too hard to turn. This is the same method as describe on page 32 of the 1870 W&G brochure available on line from the Smithsonian Institution at
(http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollect...0039/index.htm). It is much harder to describe than to do. The resulting connection is more than strong enough for a treadle machine, is very easy to remove and reattach, and gives a nice authentic addition to your W&G treadle.

Hi and welcome to the forum Thanks so much for sharing this! I just learned something new.

Originally Posted by Kittywolf13

Mine came with a needle and I've heard mixed reviews about the needle it uses. Some swear only by the original W&G needle, which has a groove running through the entire needle. Others have found success with needles by organ. As for sizes I'm not terriably familiar with those yet. I got my W&G needles from Alex Susexx from sewalot. The other needles I got off eBay. I've pretty much been in the mod set that if I find W&G needles I'm going to buy them as I fin their the rarest bit of the machine. If you have difficulty let me know by sending me a pm!

Thanks for that information! I am going to ask the lady we're getting it from if she has a source for needles, and then go from there. In talking with her, she sounds like me, in a few years. She's got shelves and shelves full of machines she's rehabbed, and she's overrun. I'm sure she'll know where to get them. Once I have more info, I'll PM and we can compare notes

sounds wonderful! i appreciate that!!