SteveH

Way too cool! Perhaps a flexible paint or sealant coating on the back of the fabric could help stiffen it? (I was thinking of that clear spray on rubber I see advertised on TV)

You could also use some veneer wood...

What are the approximate dimensions of this? it looks really small (conveniently so)

Cogito

haha! Haven't we all heard/said that before.......till the next challenge presents itself. Wink, wink.

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I know I said week 3 last week, this is week #3

she needed a Bonnet, The Bone pile had this. when I say this has been in the shed for 30 yrs, it's more like 38 yrs and looked like this back then. The reason it went in the pile..

This old lid was very wrapped, to wide by 3 1/2" the length was workable , after peeling teh edges off, recutting the core. Most that wrapping was gone. clamping to reglue straighten most of what was still left.

all I had to cover the top with is Formica, with is a rusted brown color with a birds eye print.

it's a commercial Formica used for McDonald's furniture

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The top with Formica


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Sew we now have her Bonnet, Now what ? I have hinges, screws . a power tool to hack out hinge pockets, Butt what going to keep the thing up in the air ? = support. After searching out picture of Brunswick cabinet, and asking the question.

It was time to just get out the boards, saws and start cutting, see what comes out of the Dust. next thing I know this was laying there.


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Then I have a pile of boards and a stick that's suppose to hold a top up. Well I have that much figured out, we just prop the stick against the boards problem solved, until the stick falls out.


So I need a stick faller outer preventer = 22 cal casing, with a hole drilled in it, then a hole drilled in the wood on a angle, shell casing hammered in flush



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one end of the faller downer stick, hole drill on a angle and a brass dowel driven in. other end a hole drilled, a brass screw and washers on each side of the wood, The screw fastened to the board
The brass dowel at the end of the keeper upper stick inserts into the old bullet, with those being on angle it drops right in the hole


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To fasten all these boards and sticks to that Formica cover top .. glue ? nails ? won't work.

solution was pocket screws. on a very steep angle. again all this is held together using only screws

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speaking of screws. I remade the paper shims, These not only give the hinge a slight lift, more so the work as a compression washer, holding the screw tighter
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before

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today
on the back piece ( top) I do have a penciled in design, in a perfect world that should be carved out .

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The holder upper stick worked out very well and solid, left the stick length so the the top is on a slight upward angle

I have sewn in a matt paper backing to the fabric center panel. this stopped most all the megaphone affect of the VS coming out of the cabinet. ( noise)

The only thing ( so far) that has been put on the wood is linseed oil . The lighter colored wood is turning a bit darker.

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In her spare time she has been doing this. she tossed a fit last night after hearing she needs to be updated to run modern thread.

we had a little talk about that. as in every thing she has ran this modern compared to her age. if she keeps this up, I'm cutting off her oil.

don't even think about telling her she has the wrong needle in her (15x1)
my repair cost have now gone up to 78 cents USD six machine screws / bolts , nuts and washers


Right or wrong thats where she is today.. >>>>>> working , clean and usable

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Rodney

That's a huge improvement over where you started! She should be good for another 100 years or so.
Rodney

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100 years , LOLOL when I die, my kid can sell it as a rare one only made antique

sews

Great job - everything is there and looks good. Has a bit of a utilitarian shaker look, which is a good thing IMO. I love the dialog you are having with her - threatening to withhold oil may backfire though, and I bet she knows it. :-)

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Ooooooooo she's paying me back right now, sew's just fine BUTT.. I'm now doing about 4 foot seams, That stinking oxygen tube belt makes it so hard to treadle I have to stop about 3 x's each seam.. it's like the belt get warm and slow things down.

why don't I get a real belt. Thats a round trip of 3 hrs, $14 belts , as of now I need 3 belts. after finding that ol Fred still has all those machines, I better buy an other roll of belting ..

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that Formica is not red, it's closer to what the walnut is, not quite as dark

Monroe

It's an amazing transformation! You certainly like a challenge.

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she has been a challenge, she did ask on day one to be dressed up again, sooooooo

last night Ooooooooooooo Boy O boy she came alive, woke up from the years in that pile.

This machine has been highly used , she has a groove on the shuttle race, all the cone bearings show grooving. so she has done a lot of work in her day. you see what she looked like at the end of that day..

after many evening adjusting her pivots / bearings , I had her quite and smooth, yet it seemed that doing longer seams ( 3/4 feet), it would heat up and slow down = pain in the leg. I would loosen a pivot a hair.

finally lastnight it was loosen the pitman, this uses a wooden pitman . the top is the only adjustment point. it's the holes with a sawen split and wood screw adjuster.. a 1/8 of a turn looser and bingo.

now she's updated to run modern threads and a modern needle , her aches and pains are going away.. we played sewing machine until 3 am

now if she didn't use up her Bobbin thread so fast. she doing great with her barrowed parts. has almost sewn a twin size quilt top.