I found a couple things on the Smithsonian site about Weed. When I had searched before I found http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollect...20Machine%20Co. which doesn't list any html pages. Thanks to a fellow QB'er I found http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollect...hine%20Company

Not much but a couple of specific pages - http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollect...ges/image1.htm It says it can not be run backwards. I know I had read about a machine that did that and when I saw :

[ATTACH=CONFIG]536735[/ATTACH]

I figured that must be the device that would prevent the wheel from going the wrong direction. Should it have some sort of "tire" around that oblong piece, similar to a bobbin winder tire? While it is noisier going the wrong direction, it does not actually prevent it from going the wrong direction.

On the left side of http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollect...ges/image3.htm it tells of the things that would have come with the machine. Further down it also lists additional attachments that could be ordered. Something that caught my eye was the "needle setter" that would have come with the machine. That lead me to a couple of patents -- 34807 by Bartlett and 94667 by Hoadley assigned to Weed. Has anybody ever actually seen one? Probably they are all long gone. They probably would be handy to have and why they were supplied with the machine.

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

Janey, I have a needle gauge that came with my older Grover & Baker so that you could know where to set the eye of the needle. Perhaps that is it.
Your needle situation could explain why I found Weed, Domestic (notched) and Wheeler & Wilson needles all in the drawer to my Grover & Baker 9 from 1870. Perhaps they all worked for the those machines! Such cool discoveries!
Suzanne

Suzanne, I'd like to see a picture of the needle gauge.!!!!

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

here is the one from mine. (I made a few copies)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]536825[/ATTACH]

Steve,

Thanks for the picture. Odd shape. We're wondering how one would go about using it. Could you explain?

no....

Of Course!

Remember this is for my G&B curved needle machine
[ATTACH=CONFIG]536855[/ATTACH]

Thank you. Does the needle curve that much? and would you put the needle before the presser foot? or does it go between the toes? We printed yours out to scale. I thought maybe somehow would line up with the presser foot, but was slightly off. I've been going through a bunch of patents. I have found some that I like but I think that 94667 is the simplest and was made for Weed. There are some other neat ones that I'd like to look at more thoroughly.

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

Sorry to be late to the party, Janey. Glad Steve posted the photo. It is odd (and not really needed) to set the needle, but is nice that it came with the machine. I have been working on a quilt project with my little G&B. Sew fun!
Suzanne

Janey, my Wilcox and Gibbs has a rubber ball in the same area to make sure it doesn't go backwards. I would think that maybe on yours it should be rubber?

I'm thinking that rubber would be more effective. The oblong shape and concave surface would do it if the metal had some surface to grip when going the wrong direction. I snapped a few pictures - one shows the worn metal that is on the end nearest the screw hole. I don't understand as when it is installed that area can't get in a position where it would rub anything. Since this is a machine where there isn't "eleventy-million" sites with instructions and pictures and parts list, it is kind of hard to figure out with any certainty as how it was originally intended to work. I was thinking that an o-ring of some sort would have been on it. It is kind of concave shape and if it had a ring on it that would put drag on the wheel that it rides on. I'm wondering if maybe shrink tubing would have enough grip and still keep the concave shape of the oval piece.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]536906[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]536907[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]536908[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]536909[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]536910[/ATTACH]

My guess is that anything that would have been on it would have deteriorated and fallen off.

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