QuiltFaerie

Hello,

I am new to this board and am thinking of buying a treadle. I found two in my area for $75. Which one would be eaiser to learn on?

This one:

http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/fuo/3582316879.html

Or this one?

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/atq/3517177484.html

Is there anything else I need to be aware of?

I currently have 3 Featherweights and my Grandmother's Singer 15-90, plus a newly acquired Good Housekeeper that I scored for $25. :-)

Gail
Novi, Michigan

pocoellie

I think that they would be about the same, as far as working, and they are both beautiful machines, but I would go for the second one, 1, because the first one has part of the shuttle top missing and I'm not sure how available it would be for replacement, 2, because the first one is a shuttle bobbin and not sure how easily those are to come by.

J Miller

Gail,

Welcome to the forum.

OK, as far as learning to treadle neither is better or easier. Treadling is all in the rhythm of the feet. You've got to develop that rhythm so you can keep the machine rotating without having it stall and spin backwards.

The machine with the missing slide plate is a model 27. The plate and bobbins are available from Sew-Classic and other places.
The cabinet is in really decent condition as well.

The red eye is a model 66-1 with back clamp feet. Those are not easily acquired although they are out there. The cabinet is in much worse condition and will need work . The pealing veneer will catch your fabric, chip off, and just in general look like crap.

If I had to choose between those two, I'd get the Model 27 and look for a later 66 head to put in it.

Joe

jlm5419

I have two treadles; a Singer 27, with shuttle bobbin and a Standard with a round bobbin. As far as treadling action, they are about the same, with one exception. With the Standard, you push the handwheel AWAY from you, unlike the Singer which is like every other Singer when it comes to the handwheel. Since both of your ads were for Singers, that shouldn't be an issue. The shuttle bobbin takes a little getting used to though. It doesn't hold as much thread as the round bobbins.

Annaquilts

I would go for the Red Eye 66. as another poster mentioned the firs tone is missing stuff. I have a Red Eye 66 and a 15 (newer model) I have also threadled on a 201. I like the 201 and 15 better then the Red Eye but just slightly.

J Miller

Just to elaborate on my previous comment a bit;

It's a lot easier to service, clean and replace those few missing parts on the machine head than it is to redo and refinish a treadle cabinet.

Joe

QuiltFaerie

Maybe I should just buy both? LOL. Seriously, thank you all for your input and insight. I keep going back and forth on whether I really want do to this or not.

Joe, I love the 66 red eye, but you are right, the cabinet is a mess and I have never tried to refinish any type of cabinetry. I wasn't sure how easy it would be to get parts for the 27 as I did notice the missing slide plate and wondered it the shuttle was there or not.

I am just developing a love for these old machines lately.

quiltingcandy

It would be nice if you could test them both - then buy the one you like the best. But I agree with the idea if both are equal to buy the one with the prettier cabinet. The belts are everywhere - very easy to find and put on. It would be very tempting to buy them both if you have the space for them. My grandmother didn't sew (she had two, one belonged to her mother and the other to her aunt) so my grandfather put a finished board on top of them with a curtain around the edge and then put them in bedrooms to be used as vanities. Fortunately my grandmother gave me one and my aunt still has the other, which she still uses as a vanity.

J Miller

If you bought both, you could put the 66 in the better cabinet and then work on the others as time, funds and inclination strikes you.

Here is a thread I did about a treadle I was given that had been used as an aquarium stand. It was seriously damaged and took a lot of work to repair. I'm still not 100 % finished with it as it's out in the garage and it's too cold to work out there now.
{ http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...e-t204377.html }

It took me over three months of work off and on to get it this far.

Joe

Glenn

If you get them both the two machines are interchangeable in these cabinets. The 66 will be easiest to learn on. The 27 is like the 66 except it has a vibrating shuttle. Both of the machines are very easy to treadle and to maintain. Parts are easy to get for both of them. I would get both of them but I have them both already and sew with them. the 66 is my got to machine.
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