Well after a trip to my DH's uncles house a couple weekends ago I finally am posting pic's of my present. A old singer that belonged to DH's grandma. I am hoping to get it cleaned up, fixed, and in working condition so that I can use it. The cabinet also needs repair and I need to learn how to work it so any input that any of you have would be great, Thanx
Star

Lostn51 will know all there is to know about it. If he doesn't see the thread, you might want to PM him

I just got my treadle up and going. so much fun but a work out for the legs! Once you get the rhythm down you are good to go. Mine sews so nice!

Lucky you. What are you calling her?

A "Redeye"! :) How wonderful to have an heirloom like that!!
Looks to me like your belt needs to be tightened...easy enough, undo the "clamp" (wire), snip off what you feel you need to, (about an inch, maybe?) and use an awl to poke a hole in the end you cut, and reattach the clamp.

Go here: http://needlebar.org/main~nb/ and look for a manual...it's going to be either a Model 66 or Model 99... (I'm not up enough yet to be able to tell you which it is!) but the manual will tell you where all of the points are that need to be oiled. Clean any lint/dust/etc., oil it up, shorten that belt and go to town!

There's only a small "learning curve" to using a treadle. You're going to love it! Congrats on your acquisition of a wonderful heirloom to take care of... (I don't believe that "we" own these things personally, but are instead caretakers for the family! :) )

You have a great machine here and it will sew great. I have my grandma's. The foot attaches to the back can be a problem if you do not have the attachnments but I see you have them in a drawer. If you have a manual thats even better. You can clean it youself. In the oil holes and everywhere you oil underneath the bed etc., use karosene in large amounts and run the machine without thread or bobbin very fast. Then wipe off the mess. you may have to this several times and when when it pedals easy and smooth, oil it well. If it works it should be fine. Practice pedal with no thread or bobbin until you feel comfortable. Go to thesewingmachineshop.com or treadleandvintagesingermodels. You can order manuals and parts. I have used mine for years and would not trade a new machine for it. She is a beauty. Glenn :-D

Here I is...............nice Heirloom indeed!!

From what I can see from the few photos you have a model 66 (the only one that had the "Red Eye" decals) and since it is a backclamp machine it is either a 66-1 or 66-3 depending on the serial. Which reminds me what is the serial number anyway? Its located in front of the pillar and is stamped on a boss on the bed of the machine.

I have a 66-1 and I love mine!!

As far as the cleaning of it take the bobbin and the needle plates off , the faceplate and the rear inspection plate off. then you can take Kerosene and thoroughly wash the mechanics with the kerosene with a 3/4" or 1" paint brush.

Try not to get to much on the finish of the machine, even though the decals are worn a lot we do not need to soften the japan on the machine. To clean the exterior of the machine you want to use a NON PUMICE hand cleaner (like Go-Jo)with cotton balls and Q-Tips working in small areas and wiping off with paper towels after you move to the next spot. After you clean the machine (it will be a HUGE difference) then use a polish and go over the machines finish. I use "Scotts Liquid Gold" in the pour bottle and it gives it a wet look and will protect the finish and decals.

Be sure to oil everything that metal touches metal and I will include a direct link to a PDF format owners manual for your machine so you can see the thread path and all of the oiling points.

Oh and if you want to polish the parts that are nickle plated use either SemiChrome or Mothers Mag Wheel Polish.

Enjoy your new old machine!!!!

Billy

Here is your link:

http://www.singerco.com/accessories/manuals.html

Just click the second one from the top and its a free download.

Oh something that I forgot to tell you......

Use sewing machine oil on the treadle at all of the pivot points including the pitman arm. You will notice it runs smoother and it will not squeak nearly as much.

Billy

I'm green with envy!

She's lovely. Glad you are able to give her a good home.

Charlee- thanx for the info! I am scraed to even mess with it

BILLY!!! I am so glad you popped in to take a look and thanx for all the great info the serial # is G8084391.

Well I was wondering about getting the cabinet worked on and is there a way to redo all the decal work , etc? or should I should I just clean it and leave it be??

I really want to get it going, I know it wasn't broke just hasn't been used in long long time.
I can say that my MIL is not too happy about us, or me, having it. but really there is no one else in the family who will use it :?

Well the serial isnt panning out you sure that is the right one? I am thinking it is a 1920 issue. Sometimes Singer botched the serials up and the "G" series was one of the largest they had.

It should not be that much to getting it sewing a perfect stitch and as for the decals just be happy with what you have and enjoy it. They were at one time reproducing the Red Eye decals and the company does not carry them right now. Whether they are out forever or just waiting for the next run I am not sure. But I just ordered a set set for the Singer 12 so when I find one that isnt that nice I will restore it back to factory fresh.

Billy

Ok I will ahve to just clean it up as you have directed. here is a pic of the serial number unless there is another number somewhere else

Perfect picture!!! the serial is G803xxxx and not G808.

Singers dies were used till the cows came home and sometimes it is hard to make out the numbers. There were issues with the G and C with the dies for some machines. The C's looked like G's and visa versa so there is sometimes a bit of confusion every once in a while.

So your machine was allotted April 28, 1920 and 50,000 of them were made in that run.

Yours is about a year earlier than mine.

Billy

Thanx Billy!

I feel so dumb I guess I was just so excited that I looked too quick,LOL

I'm "RED" with envy!!! What a gorgeous machine!!! I can't wait to see more pics when you have her all cleaned up!!

Billy gave you great advice! Don't be scared of it...they are MIGHTY HARD to ruin!!

Congrats on your new old machine, someday I hope to have one myself :D

What a Pretty Machine :mrgreen: Have fun and enjoy... don't let other rain on your joy :roll: LOL (MIL)

What a treasure!!! Lucky YOU :D:D:D

looks just like the one I used to have

thanx ! I feel very lucky

How is the machine cleaning coming along!!!

Billy

Very sssslllllloooooowww :oops:

Have been kind of sick this week and busy with school :cry: need to wait for my paycheck so I can go out and get supplies to clean her up ;) thanx for checking in

Well if its any constellation, it took me over 2 weeks to clean mine when I picked it up in St Louis.

But here is a before and after so this will give you an idea what it will look like when you are done. I can not stress the importance of taking your time, but the results are worth every minute spent!!!!


Billy

Looks like a RedEye and I have one also. I tend to love the old machines and have a bad habit of collecting them. I actually sew on my featherweight, my 201 and my 66.
They are not only gorgeous but sew wonderfully. get a tune up and that usually fixes almost everything. Congrats!

WOW!! Billy that looks great! yes I am going to be very slow and careful when it finally comes to the cleaning. yours lloks like new. I guess mine just got alot of use by the family!

The Red Eye was the most popular decal pattern for the 66 and therefore a lot of them were sold and used! It is getting hard to find them with the bed decals still intact but they are out there. This one is nearly perfect (it had a little chip in the japan on the backside) but it is so minor it is hardly noticeable. The only reason I know its there is because I cleaned every square inch of the machine. :lol: :lol:

Billy

and you did a wonderful job of cleaning it Billy! You used the GOJO on the decals, right?

Yes I did!!!

I have photos of it torn down on another computer but it was taken completely apart (as in totally gutted almost) the only thing I left on the machine was the arm shaft and the fork that was inside the upright. Everything else was off and soaking in different tubs of Kerosene. When it was put back it was just like it was brand new again.

I am trying not to use the machine that much because I dont want to hurt the decals. So I have my Eye out for another 66 that I can just clean and use or take down and do a repaint on.

Billy

Congratulations Star! What a beauty and a keepsake you have inherited!

Lostn51-does your polishing system work on Featherweights? I have one that needs a little help. I've always used machine oil for the polishing but this little one doesn't want to shine real nice!

HHHmmmm well maybe I will have to consider using mine too much as it is already pretty worn out.

Yes it will, I use this method on almost every machine that goes through my studio and I keep.

Billy

Oh my, she is a beauty.