This one dates back to 1895 - it was a sorry sight. Those who follow the Seattle CL will have seen it there for weeks. The longer I looked at it, the more it was calling out to me until I gave in - we went and got it yesterday. It is a 3/4 machine (like all my favorites) and soooo cute. I had never seen a hand crank machine in real life, nor a shuttle, so this was/is doubly exciting.
I began the clean-up, knowing that this little machine has been very busy and has been kicked around in the past 120 years. And the scars will remain. I won't attempt to mask the evidence of that long, turbulent life. The machine's "cosmetic" condition truly makes one wonder what on earth may have happened to it.
We noticed the absence of the check spring - so far the only deficit, and a new one is on order. I just disassembled the tension unit, and found that the remainder of the check spring is stuck inside the body of the machine, inside that hole, actually.
How do I remove it without breaking it?
I am using Tri-flow on 2 screws that are frozen -
does Tri-flow cause any damage to the finish? I don't want to add insult to injury.
The machine was a little stiff at first, understandably, but picked up speed with a little oil and is now a very smooth operator :-) . We are so excited! My husband has declared it to be his favorite machine and will use it for creating his art work.
The hand crank handle is bent beyond normal and DH wonders how to best fix this,
what method to use - or whether to leave it alone rather than to possibly risk breaking it. The hand crank is perfectly usable but the handle bangs against the casing just a little bit.
TIA for any advice! Oh yes, pictures soon!
