badlandslady

Does anyone have a manual I could have access to for free? I need to know how to wind a bobbin. My machine does not have a knob on the wheel and I think it winds a bobbin by peddling backward. Any information would be helpful!

KenmoreRulesAll

badlands, I have an original manual for an American Beauty single spool by National, the company that made your Eldredge. I can upload and send you a .pdf if you think it might help. Or I can try to take a pic of the threading diagram and post in this thread. Or I can upload the diagram and send.

Is there a spot at QB to upload and store .pdfs of manuals? If not, we need one!

KenmoreRulesAll

badlands, here are pictures of the threading diagram:



Hope this helps!

Rodney

Badlandslady, welcome!
Treadling backward doesn't sound right to me. I think you'll just end up with a mess.
The wheel might have a little tab that you move instead of a separate knob to turn to put it in bobbin winding mode. There were at least a couple different systems used over the years.
Does your machine have the bobbin winder or is it missing?
If it doesn't have one, you may need to either find one from somewhere like Ebay or buy a Sidewinder to wind them on.
Rodney

Macybaby

and then there is the one where the motor is friction (motor rubs on the flywheel) and to wind a bobbin, you push a lever that moves the motor just a hair away from the flywheel, and put a spring from the outer wheel on the motor to the wheel on the bobbin winder.

Macybaby

Also, National used the name "Improved Eldredge" on machines over a longer time period, and they have quite a few differences depending on their age.

By chance are you converting an electric machine to a treadle? Does it have a spoked flywheel? if not, it was probably electric to begin with. So far, all the "Improved Eldredge Rotary" named machines that I'm finding online are electric.

Macybaby

though this is a National VS machine, I've seen many Improved Eldredge Rotarys with this setup. They appear to be earlier models, later ones have a winder that runs direction against the flywheel, but those appear to have built in motors too (no belts).

LenaMarieS

Thank you so much for this post! My modern sewing machine is having some serious issues, so I decided to try to figure out the old sewing machine that a neighbor gave me. I ordered a belt and that went fine. But I just couldn't figure out how to thread the machine. Until I found this! This post turned my machine into a functioning one. So happy.
While I'm here, I should mention, I would love to get a pdf of the manual if that's still possible. I'd love to know more about the various adjustments and oil spots.
Thanks,
Lena

jlhmnj

https://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollec...ges/image7.htm

The Smithsonian has many manuals and related copies:

https://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollec...-drilldown.cfm

Jon

LenaMarieS

Thanks Jon.
That was really helpful!