This spring, March 1 through May 31 average of all the highs and lows, Denver ranks as the 15th warmest in the 154 years of records in Denver. June 1st Denver had a high of 86°F but then yesterday was cloudy with some sprinkles with only a high of 55°F. Everyone must have been out enjoying the good weather as we only had Courtney with a report this month.
Courtney
Courtney tells about how he mounted 3D printed handwheel for a 24 and of his recent sewing machine acquisition.
Hi All,
This month I have continued playing with the 3-D printed handcrank wheel I mentioned in last month’s report. The Willcox and Gibbs machines were easy compared to what I tried this month, a Singer model 24-26. The Singer, like the W&G machines, is also a chain stitch machine but its drive wheel is shrouded with a cover on the wheel and a cowling across the top of the wheel. This means that the drive belt must come from the below the machine. I at first thought I would simply build a box and mount the machine on top. The problem is this would put the needle plate of the machine more than 8 inches above the table top, which is very inconvenient for sewing. I tried something else that did seem to work better. I started with a board horizontally on the table with one end sticking over the edge. I attached another board vertically on the end of the first board that stuck over the edge and then mounted the handcrank wheel to this second board. It sounds a bit weird but does work. It does not feel quite as natural as having the handcrank wheel at about the same height or slightly above the machine and I think you would get tired much faster being a bit hunched over, but it is simple and it does work! I have enclosed a couple of pictures of this arrangement.
I have also made a purchase that I will use in my featherweight workshops. I bought a Standard Sewhandy sewing machine. I have always wanted one to show off in my workshops, but recently the price has been through the roof. I happened to see one for sale on our local Craigslist for a reasonable price, so I purchased it. It seems to be in average condition. Many of the Sewhandy machines were green and sold by GE. I was pleased that this one was black and carried the Standard label, as it shows more of a kinship to the Singer Featherweights. It did come with the little black box, all the cords, instruction book and accessories. I have not had time to clean her up yet (perhaps another report.) She does sew and the only problem I have found so far is that it is missing the front slide plate. I will try and keep my eyes open for another slide plate but in the meantime, I will try and make one of plastic or maybe try 3-D printing one. All in all I am well pleased and have included a couple of photos (unfortunately the photos are quite harsh, it looks much nicer in person.)
Courtney
In Closing
That's all for this month. Thank you for reading. See you next month.