J Miller

Christy,

Contact an exterminator Monday. If those bugs are still alive, kill 'em dead before you take that cabinet or any wooden part of it in the house.

Joe

mlmack

I don't think that cabinet will get much worse if it gets a little wet, and it is likely to get wet anyway when you treat it for the bugs.

As mentioned, elevate it and throw a tarp or some plastic over it, and leave it outside.

Rodney

Beautiful cabinet and machine! Your setup is well worth the effort to save.
Powder post beetles in your situation would be slow to migrate. Think in terms of months, if not years. Usually they get their start when something is stored somewhere like an open air shed or somewhere with a dirt floor. Most wood boring insects prefer damp conditions.
I wouldn't store it outside. It looks like someone already did that. That's death to the cabinet. Keep it in the garage for now until you come up with a plan to kill the little buggers. As the wood dries out you may be able to get things to open and close the way they should.

I found this.
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/php/gotpe...es-cornell.pdf
Freezing small items is one solution though they don't say what temperature is good enough. They do say a refrigerator freezer isn't cold enough but I wonder if a chest freezer is?
If you have room you may be able to take the cabinet apart enough to fit and put it in for a week or so.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Rodney

oldsewnsew

vveerrrrrryyyy interesting, it has a wooden treadle? pretty cab, hope you are able to rescue it.

SteveH

with carefull attention that should clean up to be amazing. Great find and glad it is in good hands!

BuzzinBumble

What I think is amazing is how you all can look at something most people would view as a lost cause and then wrestle it back to a useful and beautiful condition. It should be a TV show!
Christy - best wishes for you and that old warhorse!

Mrs. SewNSew

After extensive research and advice from others, a hard decision was made. The potential to bring these destructive pests into our home, our garage and also the other cabinets and tables I have in my care was carefully considered.

Some things were saved, some things were lost. We decided to let the cabinet go, but save everything we could save from it. We took it to an industrial area for breakdown and were able to save the sewing machine, many accessories, and much of the hardware. I was hopeful the drawers could be saved, but there was evidence of beetles throughout the cabinet.

I am well pleased with what we were able to keep. The sewing machine is a singer Improved Family with the Potentilla/apple blossom flowers. The machine appears to be complete and is not frozen completely solid. Large areas that at first appear to be rust, seem to wipe off so I am hopeful she will clean up nicely. Only time and effort will tell. There is a needle keeper with 3 needles in perfect condition and several bobbins in a small tin. Other accessories were in the drawers as well and a key that I have no idea what it went to. I never did find a keyhole in this cabinet.

Here are a few of the pictures I've taken. I am not sure what forum rules are so will try not to go overboard! I may be jumping the gun, but wouldn't it be nice to convert her to a hand crank?

Mrs. SewNSew

Accessories:

Mrs. SewNSew

There are actually 8 of the pulls for the drawers.

If anyone knows how to remove the bobbin or bobbin case please let me know. It appears to be loose and perhaps has a catch but I don't want to bully it.

Mrs. SewNSew

Now where to begin?