beanofthefuture

Good evening,

A few years ago, my lucky fiance found this thing sitting outside on the side of the road (not joking). She was by herself (before we met), and rolled it the half a block to her house. She asked all of the neighbors and nobody had any idea why it was there, so who knows if it was set aside after an estate sale, or was dumped after being stolen, or what. Now, as a long-term xmas present, I'm going to attempt to restore it to working condition.

Here's what I've figured out so far:
Willard, made by White
The cabinet had a set of Geist attachments in it (pictured)
One thing that is not pictured is the center little roll-out drawer. She has it, and it's in good shape, it was just held on with a single screw and I think the wood stripped out, so I may have to try to re-secure that somehow.
Everything else is pictured.

What she'd like to know is how old this thing could be.
More importantly though, I need to know what other parts I need to get this thing running and looking good. I've seen that for these machines, no solvents will work, so oil and cotton is best for cleaning and lubricating. What oils are recommended? At least some of the belt is there, but it appears to be about 24" short. The piece that she has is 46" long, and has the staple, but the other end is torn. Speaking of which, any tips on how to re-thread the replacement belt would be helpful. Was the belt re-threaded for every use, or does it flex enough for the machine to be stowed away?

Any other beginner tips or website suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Once we get it running, she may be on to ask for help in using some of the attachments. She's currently teaching herself how to quilt, and is using her mom's singer featherweight.

Thanks again,
Ben (and Meghan)