Dont feel bad I cant type too good right now myself. I cut a hunk of my finger off a couple days ago and now I am out of commission. :cry:
As far as sewing polyester you would have to play with the upper and lower tensions for it to sew right and the speed of which you are treadling but the stitch would not give with the material when it stretched.
My treadle is an 1898 Singer......Do you have any tips, on how to bring it back into service after it has been idle for sometime?
A good thorough cleaning and oiling is all that it needs so long as it has not been sitting where there is any moisture and parts are rusted.
Take the head out of the treadle (two grub screws under the bottom of the machine at the hinge area). Pull the inspection plates off of it including the face plate, needle plate, and shuttle plates (I am assuming that it is a VS machine). Clean the machine outside or in your garage or carport because the next step will be a little messy.
You can take a small pan of Kerosene and a cheap 1" paint brush and start cleaning the lint, old oil, and dirt that might be inside of the needlebar assembly and then under the machine and where ever you can get at to clean the mechanics of it inside of the pillar. Be careful not to get too much on the finish of the machine if you do you can always hit it with some polish to take the residue off and make it shine like a new penny.
After it dries in a few hours or so then you can take your sewing machine oil and oil everywhere that metal touches metal in the mechanics (if you need an oiling chart then PM me and I should have one).
When you clean the finish on the machine use a
NON PUMICE hand cleaner like Go Jo and a fist full of cotton balls and Q Tips and a roll of paper towels. Test an area to make sure it will not hurt the finish, if it is good then start cleaning the head but you should work in small areas and take your time doing this part. Be very careful around the decals because you can get them to the silver if you are not careful. Wipe off the residue with clean soft cloth and polish the machine.
Take a good polish like a carnuba wax or Liquid Gold furniture polish and go over the machine. Test an area on the rear of the machine like the back of the pillar to see if the polish is compatible with the finish of the machine first before you start the all over polishing.
The japan formula was just a relevant one and no two batches were ever the same. Also depending on where and when the machine was allotted, the type of shellac that they used for the top coat will be different.
I hope this helps you and anyone else who might want to get a vintage sewing machine up and going again.
Billy