I've owned a vintage machine for one day now, I wasn't even in the market for one. I can't wait to get started cleaning it and getting it into working order though. My husband used to restore old treadle cabinets and make tables out of them. He was a bit disappointed when I told him he could certainly restore the cabinet but it MUST remain in working order. How else would I run the treadle machine?
So why did I get it ... I'm still not sure, especially a treadle (I remember them, it takes a knack which I didn't have back then - perhaps now?). But I've got it and I'm happy!! It's VERY pretty.
As far as the featherweights are concerned I know a lot of people who go places with their machines like them because they're so light weight and small. they are also very good running machines.
The thing about the old machines is that they are purely mechanical. No bells and whistles ... and no bells and whistles to "break". The tension discs on mine right up front and outside the machine for the world to see and you know what ... until now I had NO IDEA what the tension discs really looked like. It's going back to basics - if you can understand every working part of this machine (which I intend on doing cause I'm the one that is going to take it apart and put it back together) I will know the basics of how my other computer machines works (the basics). I'll "see" and "know" the "guts" of the machine.
And from everything I've heard .. these older machines only do one thing so they've got to do it well.