1870 Howe Treadle
 

Finally (after 1 1/2 years) had the time and energy to clean up my 1870 Howe Mother of Pearl Treadle w/folding coffin top. The first 2 pics are the before. The next ones are the after, obviously. The cabinet was iffy. I wasn't sure that I would be able to just use the Howard's Restore a Finish and not have to do a complete refinish. Happily, it worked and looks great. The head was filthy. Cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. It now glistens. Polished the irons w/black paste shoe polish.

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Wow! Beautiful job on that one.

Cari

Someone must have loved that machine. It's beautiful!

It turned out very well, and you did an impressive work on polishing the wood too. Does it stitch? Is this model earlier than model 12. They always say Singer had the first practical sewing machine, but I have seen all these fantastic treadles on the web and started to wonder. Your Howe model is to rare to find any info on it, not much to go on, but it looks a bit like a model A, the other Howe models mentioned were either freearm or industrial.

Nice job! Those weighted flywheels are a pleasure to use.

Gorgeous. Well worth the wait. What are those tension discs on the top called?

I'm gonna go out on a limb here - "tension discs"? :D

I have seen an ad for an 1876 Howe. Not much info about it. What kind of questions should I ask before buying. I am new to antique machines but have recently developed an interest in them.

Absolutely beautiful work. May I come to taste the blueberry wine, it should be ready soon!

Honestly, crackers, I wouldn't bother asking questions. If the price is in your budget, grab it! These are rare and the owner probably doesn't know much either.