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Need help with treadle sewing machine restoration

Need help with treadle sewing machine restoration

Old 04-02-2021, 06:56 AM
  #11  
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There are other chemicals people use to loosen up parts, you can search the board for some names. Others use heat, either from a hair dryer or heat gun, to loosen old oil. If you use heat, do NOT apply the "if some is good more is better" principle, as I did recently on a machine by being in a hurry and setting the heat gun to "High"; all I did was burn the old oil in place...set off the smoke alarm in the garage too, if that tells you anything.

You machine should be simple enough in its mechanisms that once it's loosened up completely and thoroughly lubricated it should turn several revolutions/cycles easily by giving the hand wheel a good spin.
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Old 04-03-2021, 06:48 AM
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Can't help a great deal....you got some good suggestions here. You might also try a search on line for a manual for you machine and model. They sometimes have a diagram showing oil points and perhaps a blow up or exploded view of various parts. I have a 1915 Singer 115 treadle and find that you do need some minor maintenance on them!!! Sounds like you are half-way there. Good Luck!!
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Old 04-04-2021, 09:28 AM
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Thank you so much for all your wonderful suggestions. I have been trying all of them. I do have the original manual. Lucky me. I bought the machine from the grandson of the original owner and he kept all that came with his grandma's sewing machine. It's take a few repeated reading because the language assumes people with more common sense compared to me who I like my manuals to be like YouTube..... someone to hold my hand. Haha.

So I have been oiling these 3 holes near the handwheel.... letting it sit.... then I turn the wheel.... and repeat. I have been doing that everyday since you suggested it. It feels a little looser but it is still stiff. Not what you say turning freely. And I can't take apart that part of the machine because it is solid.

I'm afraid to try heat because I don't know what I'm doing and I don't want to ruin anything but I do have a hair dryer... Do I just point it to the hole? Low setting?
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Old 04-04-2021, 11:51 AM
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Just a thought, once upon a time I thought the problem was in the upper arm as the hand wheel had a sticky spot. Turns out it was in the bottom. So be sure to keep oiling the bottom as well. I've used kerosene to clean out old oil, but followed up with sewing machine oil. As you are oiling keep turning the hand wheel to distribute the oil.

You are so lucky for having a manual, even if it is not as straight forward as one would like.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
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Old 04-04-2021, 01:08 PM
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If you're not comfortable with heat, don't mess with it, but as Janey says oil underneath also, and in the nose of the machine, where the needle bar and presser foot bar are. And cycle the machine as you oil to make sure the oil is working it's way into all the joints.

By "spin freely" I mean that the entire machine mechanism should move freely through a cycle by turning the hand wheel, with no sticking or slow spots.

One more remote possibility, that I had come up on a machine, was the feed dogs hitting the needle plate. I would remove the needle plate and see if that affects the movement of the machine.
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Old 04-08-2021, 07:51 PM
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Success!!!! Thank you. Thank you so much for all your suggestions. I oiled the holes near the handwheel for several days in a row with not much change. So I also oiled near the feed dog. I oiled the bar that moves the needle up and down. I used a hair dryer to warm the machine. I kept at it for all this time. And today for the first time, IT WORKED!

Now I have to work on the belt because it slips. But it works!!!!. Thank you all so much. I almost gave up and was going to look for someone who repairs treadle. But all your suggestions and advice were spot on. I will work on the belt.... maybe I need to tighten it. It was a new leather belt which may have stretched this past week. Once I have it all working, I will post you the before and after pictures. Maybe if I'm really smart, I can figure out how to compress a video to fit for download. If not... definitely pictures.
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Old 04-09-2021, 05:41 AM
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Congratulations Sometimes it does take a while for things to loosen up. Yes, the belt may need to be tightened, but not too much. Also, sometimes the oiling will move the sticky oil to a new spot, so keep using it to work all the old oil out.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
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