Retrofitting Red-eye to Treadle
 

Last summer, I found a Red-Eye for $45. Had been converted to electric. The cabinet was in really bad shape.

Since then I've been looking for a treadle & table. Well, I found the treadle. A neighbor had been using the BASE of her grandmother's treadle machine as the base of their round kitchen table-- for about 30 years. She was GIVING IT AWAY. I got it for free. Sorry. I got carried away there for a moment.

The treadle appears to work quite well. But it has no top.

I did some searching through here, but didn't find any info about retrofitting a vintage/antique back to treadle.... including making a new "table" to place between the base and the machine.

Any pointers?

Many thanks... This is my first foray into vintage machine territory...

Another view

I believe the motor just bolts on the back, remove this put a new belt on her and she is ready to go.

Give it a "motorectomy" --- just unbolt the motor. If there is no top to the treadle irons, just buy a good thick piece of wood, have someone router out the right shape for the machine, bolt the wood to the irons, and sit the machine down in. Should work. That's exactly what DH and I are in the process of doing for one of my old machines that didn't have cabinet or irons.

Be sure you put up pics. We like to see these resurrections!! :)

jillaine,
Go look at www.treadleon.net, look in the wood shop section. There's instructions on how to make a new top and how to figure out where the holes for the treadle belt need to go.
Sharon W.

That is one gorgeous red eye! I second the treadleon site. They have tons of information.

Pat

TreadleOn is great; also signed up for the listserv. I've forwarded the instructions for making the top to my husband. He needs a project! :-) I plan on following Billy's amazing instructions for taking this RedEye apart, cleaning and putting her back together again. But that may not happen until the spring, as I have to do it outside (all those chemicals...) and now it's too cold.

This RedEye's biggest problems, I think, are rust. I didn't see any reference to dealing with rust in Billy's tutorial; what do you suggest?

Thanks everyone. I feel I've joined a new club!

-- Jillaine

On the rust, most of the folks on the vintage threads use a product called evaporust. I haven't tried it yet. One caution on cleaning the outside of the machine head. I used the cleaner Billy suggested, and guess I scrubbed too hard, took off the coating over the decals that makes then look gold. Others suggest using machine oil or something else. Read up on the process and proceed slowly!