Wonderful news:
After 4 hours of cleaning the insides with machine oil and a lot of rags and paper towels I'm happy to say all moving parts are moving! Work is not even close to done but it's no longer frozen. I didn't have to force anything as soon as the old oil was removed and new oil permeated the joints things just started moving.
Originally Posted by
Mickey2
Generic sewing machine oil should be fine, even in the long run. The less additives the better. I guess we just try to find the very best of the old machines, but it's still arguable how much we can improve on a basic good quality oil.
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It's the liquid type that dries to a whitish film, and then buffs of with a cloth. Many brands make a similar.
Good to know! I understand you a lot goes into oil especially for machines with such minuscule tolerances the right oil can mean a lot more years of service.
I assume the people here run away from 3 in 1 it's a great product for certain things, but it builds up over the years and it's hard to remove if left to dry.
Originally Posted by
OurWorkbench
Welcome. It warms my heart to see those that return heirlooms to their original purpose.
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Treadle is defined as "a lever worked by the foot that imparts motion to a machine.")
Thank you. I think objects like this should always be kept in working order, used and treasured. These were probably incredibly expensive at the time and something that often was bought thinking of the future.
In that case I'm a proud owner of a treadle too, tomorrow I'll poat pictures.
Originally Posted by
Mickey2
The pedal and cord are probably just missing. You need replacements. Don't bother about treadling a 401 unless it came as it originally. There are plenty of original trealde setups ot there if you need one.
Originally Posted by
OurWorkbench
From post #1 "- It was set up on a treadle," and the pictures indicate that it doesn't have any of the electrical stuff in the bottom.
Exactly John and Janey. It's missing a motor and was set up as a treadle. I have the treadle and the belt (unfortunately it snaped) I just removed the machine from it to make cleaning easier.