Exquisite work and machine! I'd take that off your hands ANY day (not that I could afford it now that you've gone and made it all awesome and stuff...)

Wow, what a great job you've done on that machine, it looks all awesome as Steve said.

Cari

Thank you Steve & Cari. Steve, maybe we'll "talk" closer to June 3rd :)

My thinking is that I want to try the boiled linseed oil and vinegar on the table. It is too cold to do it any time soon but Colorado weather is very changeable. I remember when it didn't get above 0 degrees for a few weeks in January and I've also seen close to 70 degrees in January. I'm not sure about the drip pan as it is nailed, rather than screwed, to the board.

Does anybody know what the "original" drip pan is like? Would it have been like galvanized sheet metal? There is a very thin layer of kind of a goldish color coating that scratches with a fingernail, but I can't tell what it is.

For the irons, my current thoughts are to rub down well with sewing machine oil. I found one oil hole that is pretty well clogged that will need to be cleaned out. I"m thinking that for now I will not try to do anything with the pitman. It is wood and looks black. One set of instructions I have seen seem to indicate that one should oil where the metal fasteners are on the pitman. I don't have a picture but there appears to be something similar to a wing nut only it is not a nut but more like a screw/bolt head on the lower end of the pitman.

Just for fun I weighed the machine on just household scales. It weighs about 13 pounds. I tried to weigh the irons and it appears they weigh over 45 pounds.

I'm also wondering about the bobbin winder tire. I do have the larger Singer type but I was hoping to try to brainstorm how to use the one that is on the machine. Maybe by finding a rubber band to fit over the wheel it rides on. Or try to find one to fit over the bobbin winder tire. I noted that when the bobbin winder was swung into position to wind the bobbin that it doesn't seem to actually run parallel to the wheel - it comes in at an angle. Is it supposed to do that? AND if so how well does that work?? Maybe should find a different type/size of tire?

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

Janey,

Beautiful work. I was looking through some online Scientific American articles and found something you might enjoy.

Happy and Healthy 2016 to all.

https://archive.org/stream/scientifi...ge/n0/mode/2up

Jon

Jon, Thank you.

no "might" about it -- YES, yes, yes I do enjoy!!! Thank you very much.

Several things in there - neat article - even tells how they did the japanning and mentions the process for ornamentation.

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

Janey,
I don't know how well it works, but I'm pretty sure the bobbin winder is the way it's supposed to be. See
http://www.possumjimandelizabeth.com...wing_weed.html

Amazing transformation! That machine hasn't looked so good in a very long time.
I think it might be the gunkiest one I've seen so far. Dried oil and crud everywhere.

One thing I like to do with small non japanned parts is throw them in a container of alcohol and let them sit to help dissolve the crud. You still have to manually clean them but I think it helps speed up the process.
Rodney

Yes, I've seen that but they haven't sewn with it.

Here is a not so great picture of the bobbin winder tire resting on the wheel.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]539197[/ATTACH]

Yep, it sure was gunky. Good thing, though, that it was oil and not rust. Also, you have to be able to get the parts off before being able to soak them in a container of alcohol and/or clean them well.

I was able to clean the one oil hole on the shaft for the flywheel. I also tried to measure the length I would need for the treadle belt and it looks to be about 48". I think that one side of the treadle pedal may be worn as it seems like it wiggles a little more on the right side than the left side. It makes the pitman rub slightly as it is being treadled. I was hoping not to totally dismantle the irons.

It looks like the track for the belt is japanned or at least had been painted black. How would one clean that? I don't think oil would be wanted in that area, but it does need to be cleaned. Any suggestions?

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

I guess like needles and shuttles, that the bobbin winders were machine specific at the time this machine was made. According to a cropped screenshot of http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollect...es/image52.htm it shows that the winder would have ridden parallel to the wheel.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]539217[/ATTACH]

I may have to check Ace out and see if they have something that is a little thinner and still fits over the wheel.

I started to take off the hardware from the table top. One of the socket pieces that hold the machine to the table has a leather piece under it - the other side didn't. I'm having trouble getting one of the screws out for the receptacle piece for the hinge of the bonnet. I was able to get the screws out for the bonnet lock receptacle but the piece did not come out.

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

Hmm. I can't understand why the bobbin winder is at an angle unless it's designed to be that way while you're sewing. In that case, there should be some kind of lever or bar underneath the winding mechanism that will straighten it out when you are winding a bobbin. From your picture I can't see that a thinner tire would help.