Thread: 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

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!!

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