Stitchnripper

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This is from the early 1900's. It has the back clamp foot which I think makes it a 66-1. Everything moves on it! I'm in the process of cleaning it. When I was cleaning the bottom underside with just sewing machine oil the rag turned black like I was wiping shoe polish with it! I am very excited to have found this machine and paid $20. Then went to a sewing store where they had an OSMG hidden in the back and so now I have a side plate and a needle clamp!

I' ve read over the info from all of you and am going to give it my best shot to make it work. I'm not that worried about the missing decals. I'm sure there is a story there somewhere.

Oh - and when I was paying for it the lady at the flea market said "you could make a lamp out of it". I think she saw the horror on my face and quickly said "do you want to use it?" And in the sewing machine store the clerk said "do you want to leave it for a tune up". That would be some tune up. The OSMG would probably want to put a pencil in his eye instead!!!!

J Miller

It's really incredible how much solidified oil, dirt, and grime these old ladies can accumulate. Especially the old turn of the century machines that have been used, used, used, and used by the following generations.
I think that sometimes their users just oiled them with what ever they had. Old car oil, coal oil, sperm oil, transmission oil and or what ever was handy.

Joe

sews

Hi Stitchnripper, here's my 1918 Red-eye that was in similar condition as yours. It got a sewing machine oil bath, inside and out, and it was very gratifying to notice how it slowly eased itself back into a functioning machine. Our first serious rescue. Still needs work on the wood, someone smeared it heavily with varnish and now the wood looks like plastic.

I used 'Neverdull' on the chrome parts, basically cotton wool soaked in a cleaner/polish inside a can. The handwheel was as dull and black as yours, as were most other chrome parts, and a little elbow grease polished it right up. The other parts were a bit more challenging because they are more "fiddley" and I wasn't quite as ambitious with them.
I am not worried about some spots I didn't get all bright and shiny, like the bobbin winder - after all, it IS and old machine. This one may have been idle for a long time - it doesn't show much wear.

I actually really like the ones that show their scars - I am considering 2 very old ones that are not 'pretty' but have a lot of character :-) .

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Stitchnripper

Wow- that looks beautiful!! Mine will never look thy good because lots of decals are gone but I'll be happy if it sews!

kiffie2413

Stitchnripper,
I can't wait to see how it turns out when you get it "prettied up".
I also think "imperfections" just add to the beauty. Boy if some of these machines could talk... As I typed that, I thought to myself, in a way they DO speak...

Sews,
Your machine is lovely, too.

Regards,
Kif

GEMRM

Joe - it isn't just the olden days that people oiled with whatever was at hand - my friend recently oiled her 1960's era Singer with vegetable oil. It had seized up on her, she took it apart and just poured some oil into it until it started to move. Made me cringe!

J Miller

Sabine,

Please educate me on your treadle belt. Is it a cord or a spring or what?


I'll bet that machine is just cooking right along now.

I do know they take used cooking oil from the fast food restaurants, thoroughly clean it then run it in diesel buses. I've been behind one of them and the exhaust actually smells like french fries.

Hopefully she cleaned out the cooking oil and reoiled it with sewing machine oil.

Joe

Rodney

That one is really grimy. I'm sure you'll get it cleaned up nice though. Sews yours looks really good.
Rodney

sews

Haha -- I was hoping to sneak that one by everybody, but apparently the flash photography gave me no chance (it also made the machine look more pristine than it is).

We acquired this machine by accident more or less - our neighbor could not take it with him when he moved and chose me as recipient. I was not thrilled, I'm afraid, since I try desperately to get rid of stuff rather than add. Then I got re-bitten by a brief attack of SMAD - and remembered the old treadle up at my husband's studio. After a bit of oiling we were eager to run it and didn't have a belt.

I had come across this You Tube video on how to make your own sewing machine belt --- and DH had exactly what we needed, some industrial strength rope. And there you have it, he did exactly what the video suggested and it worked like a charm. I believe in not fixing it if it ain't broke, so we'll have to wait for that to happen before we get a real belt :-) .