Jean, and others,
I currently ( subject to change without notice ) have three functional treadle machines and two under repair.
Functional ones are:
>Singer Treadle #1: 66-4 circa 1919 in a 5 drawer cabinet. Complete, original, and cranky as all get out. It was a gift from my late cousin. Sat in storage for 12 years before I decided to learn to use it about 4 four months ago.
>Singer Treadle #2: 66-4 circa 1924 in a 7 drawer cabinet. Came to me as a machine that had been electrified many decades ago. When I got it the electrical wire was petrified and disintegrating. And the motor had long been removed.
So I converted back to treadle. NOT an easy job as finding the parts is difficult. I got the parts from members of
"The Sewing Forum" before the hackers killed it. Some from Iowa and some from Australia.
>Franklin 1911: This one's in a parlor cabinet and came to me semi complete but with severe water damage to the bottom of the cabinet. Now fixed.
OK, having said that here is some things I've learned.
>>Belts:
They stretch like a rubber band at first. Instructions say to pre-stretch them then cut and instal them. My experience is that I put them in where it feels good, gently crimp the wire connector and then treadle the daylights out of the machine. In very little time you'll need to shorten the belt. Less time if you are actually sewing with them, and ever less time if you fill a lot of bobbins on the machine. That bobbin winder puts a lot of load on the treadle belt.
My #1 treadle took three adjustments to get it not to slip.
The #2 is on adjustment #1.
The Franklin is on adjustment #3.
Now, here's how I adjust the belts. When the belt starts slipping I get my Dremel tool out and put in a very small 1/16" diameter burr, and with the belt still attached to both wheels I make a hole the same distance from the existing hole as the distance from the end of the belt to the existing hole. Maybe a quarter inch. Then I cut the belt and put the connector in the new hole. This way I can adjust it until it quits stretching without it getting too short. Shortening the belt a 1/4" will make a big difference.
>>Singer metal pitman shaft assemblies:
My number one machine will stall at the blink of an eye. To get it to move at all I have to turn the hand wheel.
It aggravates me no end. I cannot get the machine to rotate forwards with the treadle. It will always go backwards.
The Franklin is a lot better. I can glance at the hand wheel, twitch the treadle and know which way it's going to go. Then work the treadle accordingly.
The #2 Singer is a dream. I can get the machine running almost every time with just the treadle plate.
The problem is I believe in the pitman rod assembly. Let me explain.
On the bottom of the pitman rod is a large nut affair with a ball socket in it that fits into the hole in the upper right corner of the treadle plate. On my #1 machine I took this apart, cleaned it and lubed it then fought to get it tight enough to not clunk but loose enough to move freely. It sill will not run slowly or start correctly.
When I returned the #2 treadle to a treadle I got the pitman rod assembly from Australia. It is a Chinese reproduction but it's all I could find. In the bottom of the big nut is a spring loaded plunger. This plunger allows the plate to move a bit when the pitman rod and the big wheel crank shaft is in a direct line. With the ability to compress the treadle can overcome the tendency to lock up and not start, or stall and then want to rotate backwards.
When I had the big nut assembly apart on my #1 treadle I did not see this plunger assembly. I hope it's just stuck in the bottom of it's hole, if so I can fix it. If not I'll have to fabricate one.
It's my theory, yet to be proven, this one little unseen part is what will cause some Singer treadles to run great, and some to be cranky old witches.
I've yet to take the #1 pitman apart to see if my theory is right. Just too many other sewing machines to get up and running. It's turn is coming.
>>Learning to treadle:
I've been told that you need rhythm to make a treadle go. I don't buy it. I had fits when I got the #1 treadle out of storage and began to use it. I couldn't make it go forwards without it stalling then reversing itself and breaking the thread on me. OH HOW FRUSTRATED I got. I got so hot under the collar once we thought the smoke alarm was going to to off.
Then out of frustration I just put my left foot on the treadle plate and started spinning the hand wheel. I don't know how long I spun that hand wheel but while I was doing it I had a physical / mental epiphany. Suddenly my mind and foot understood what was needed and I took off like I knew what I was doing. Within a couple days of running the machine I could make it go and keep it going.
For the most part I treadle bare foot or in socks. I just don't have the "feel" with shoes on.
I have spinal arthritis and a messed up vertebra in my neck that causes my right side and leg to be a bit less coordinated than the left. So I treadle with my left foot mostly. Occasionally putting the right foot on as well, and even less occasionally using just the right foot. My right side tires very quickly and the foot just looses it's ability to do as I tell it. However, when I do get the treadle going I can sew almost as fast as my wife can sew on her electric machines. I just can't keep it up as long. Pant, pant, pant, pant.
Hope this helps a bit.
Oh and here's a funny thing ... My wife learned to sew on an electric machine. Since I've gotten the treadles up and running she's tried on every one of them and just cannot get the hang of it. She admits she prefers electric. I keep telling her she needs to learn how to treadle cos when TEOTWAWKI comes we'll have the treadles to fall back on.
Joe