Lubricating a treadle
 

I think my White Treadle machine needs the treadle mechanism lubricated. It is extremely difficult to peddle, I almost have to brace myself into the floor to get it to move and then it usually wants to go backwards (as in the wheel turning forward). What is used to lubricate the wheel? Oil or grease? I would like to enjoy using the machine more but I would certainly need to get more muscle power before attempting sewing for long.

stop pushing it hard. You may break something that way.. A small tap with a toe should have it spinning.
For most treadles oil is enough. make sure you oil all the points where. metal moves on metal. both axles of the treadle plate, the connections to the pittman arm, The axle for the powered wheel. Leve the belt off the heed until you get it figured it out. One some models there are cone nuts at the treadle plate. If Igor wrenched on them, they could be too tight.

Davis had a weird wedge shaped axle for the drive wheel, but I don't think White did this.

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Thank you Leon. I will oil again to see if it loosens up some (actually needs to loosen up a lot). If the belt is too tight, could it cause the peddle to be so hard to work? This is the belt that was on the machine when I bought it.

Will the White spin with one finger if disconnected? Will the tredle move with a tow when disconnected. ?

It shouldn't make a much difference if the head is connected or not, but somewhere you have a significant binding Might as well find out what you are dealing with.

the blet should be able to slip just a bit if you grab it with your fingers. Tighter than that and it could cause problems.

Oil is meant to be done frequentily, and most cabinets took oil. Grease lasts longer, but with grease you might need to disassemble parts to get to them. Old, dried up oil and grease can harden and act like a glue, but with persistance ns new fresh oil it will dissolve. Cleaning, oiling, and inspecting all moving parts should reveal the problem area. As I'm sure you know well, the machine head itself will cause the whole thing to hault too, it often helps to give an old treadle a complete over haul now and then.

I just got a 66 Singer this weekend. After cleaning and oiling, it will spin 7 revolutions with a quick spin from my finger. Just the head..