New Here and Needing help with a few old machines
 

Hello all! I have been collecting machines for a while, but just joined QB. I see there is loads of knowledge about these lovely old machines! This is an amazing resource!

I recently added a poor frozen and rusted curved-needle Florence machine to my collection. I have worked on it some and now have it cleaner and moving smoothly I am guessing the age to be around 1868 as the cloth plate was missing (with the serial number) in addition to the shuttle and bobbin. It had a broken curved needle that I removed. I borrowed a shuttle, bobbin, and needle from another Florence that I have but was hoping someone here might have a lead on any extra parts. I do have a spare shuttle for a Florence, but it is missing the inner flap and spring, so it does not function.

Since this one does not have a treadle, I have decided to mount it on a display board and try to fix a piece of plexiglass for the cloth plate so that the mechanics can be seen as it sews. I have it sewing nicely by hand, but would love to have the correct parts for it.

Thanks so much!

Suzanne in Virginia
(if someone could tell me how to post photos, I would be glad to share)

Welcome Suzanne! Sounds like you'll fit right in.
Steve is our resident expert for machines of that vintage. He might be able to help.
Pictures can be uploaded directly from your computer using the square icon that's third from the right when you're typing or responding to a post. Just click it and it will give you prompts to follow.
Rodney

Hi Rodney, Thank you for the welcome! I really love sewing with these great old machines and sometimes (most of the time) it is challenging to find missing or damaged parts, or info on them.
Hopefully this works properly with photo. It sews along quite nicely with its lovely cardboard cloth plate.

Suzanne

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What an interesting machine. Welcome to the board.

Welcome from Southern California!

Welcome! Lovely Howe A (2nd style) you have in your Avatar pic!

Your Florence is a left to right, mine is a right to left! (you can see the replacement slide I made for mine)
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(no spare parts, sorry), if there is anything I can help with please let me know.

You might consider making it into a handcrank machine.
Here is a Wheeler & Wilson Curved needle that is in a handcrank layout.
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These very old machines are beautiful!!

SewMachines, welcome to the QB, I love your machine and think the cardboard looks rather nice! You picked up putting pictures on here quickly too.

Welcome from SW Ohio! Awesome machine!

Thank you everyone for the wonderful welcome!

Steve H., your Florence is very beautiful! I am amazed that almost each year they made tiny design changes to the machine, but yet they all look similar at first glance. I am considering compiling a list of the variations I can find by year (I am geeky that way). I presume yours sews right to left and has reverse as well.
Thank you for the photo of the W&W hand crank! I am intrigued by the set up and thinking how I can make a box with a wheel and short belt for the Florence in a similar fashion. Please let me know if you happen to hear of anyone with a Florence shuttle (in any condition-I'll try to make it work) as I know very few people that have these machines and don't know anyone else to ask.

Sew very excited!!
Suzanne

Wow. Such beautiful machines!!

You also said "I do have a spare shuttle for a Florence, but it is missing the inner flap and spring.."

Post a picture of your shuttle please. If it is the same as mine I can make you a flap and find a compatible spring.

Welcome from Eastern Washington! I love seeing these truly antique machines and imagining how the people who used them might have felt. Such an incredibly fast way of making clothing - it must have felt like rocket science at the time!

SteveH, here are a couple of photos of the shuttle. I hope they are good enough for you to see the missing parts. Thank you so much for the offer to try to fashion something to make this work! That would be sew fantastic!

Suzanne

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those are perfect. I will look at mine when I get home tonight

Steve, I have wondered about posting pictures, too, but I see no square icon. Just outside this box there are three blue rectangles which say (r-l) Cancel, Go Advanced, andPost Quick Reply. That's it. Where is this icon?

This should help...

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SewMachines,
Welcome to the QB! I'm in Texas. I have antique Singer and White treadles.
Sharon in Texas

I was not able to finish the spring this weekend, I had an accident with a router/shaper and messed up a finger. I'm OK, but fine detail work is out for a week or so.

Thanks again everyone for the wonderful welcome!!

Steve, I hope you didn't do too much damage to the finger! Ouch! I can certainly wait. I really appreciate the assistance and know that sometimes things happen. There is no urgency at all.
Please take care of yourself!

Suzanne