SteveH

hehe Thanks. Scott and I have been friends since just after the earth cooled. Heather and my best friend Geoff are the only people that I have known longer....

I got to bed at about 10pm last night. The siren call of the filthy machine was too great to allow sleep earlier.

Looking at this machine before I began was like finding an old faded movie starlet wasting away in a bar, and then bringing her into the light for a make-over and a revival of her once glorious self. Silly but really the best analogy I can come up with at this time.

SteveH

So here is the quandary...

The serial number on the top of the back slide translates to 1867
The serial number on the bottom of the front slide that matched the serial number stamped on the bed shows 1862
The cabinet has a brass latch plate which has an 1864 patent.

So, the quest to understand it's history is on....

SteveH

ever seen a mechanism like this?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]447557[/ATTACH]

jlhmnj

Hopefully you don't need the "Helmet of Knowlege" that Bones used to reattach Spocks brain on Star Trek to figure out the knotting mechanism.

Macybaby

that machine is really something! I'm amazed at the decals too - a lot still there.

SteveH

I have not taken any since I began the underside cleanup, so here are a couple of the underside before cleaning.

This is the first machine that I have seen with painting details on the underside... Wow...

NOTE: I especially love the twisted piece of metal that the up and down action works against to create the back and forth rotation of the hook

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]447585[/ATTACH]

SteveH

OK, so I am now looking for skinny thread spools.

This is a TWO SPOOL sewing machine. Is uses TWO threads to make a double chainstitch.

here is the threading instructions (info culled from a couple sites, I made the document)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]447590[/ATTACH]

Rodney

Very cool! So far the difference in how the machine looks is incredible. I'm glad so much of the artwork is intact on it and that you made the effort to go get it. It's in good hands.
Rodney

Caroline S

Sounds like you will have to possibly turn some spools on a wood lathe.

SteveH

Ok, so for some reason that thought never occurred to my dumb butt.... Thanks! (I have a lathe)

I made a temporary pitman blank last night. It is not NEARLY as cool as the original was but I am working on that later, this will let it be connected and look nice for now.

1st mine...
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Bottom of original
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Amazing top of original
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