I would hand crank her! Speaking of that, I was visiting a friend last week who was given her mother's machine that is just like the that Candance shows. Only she has NO knee lift, so it won't work. If anyone wants to sell a knee lever let me know. THough I also suggested she turn hers into a crank as well!

Wow, thanks for the information. Have you used it on a blackside finish? That is when all the parts are black, even those normally chrome. This is my current dilemma.

What a great addition to your collection - not sure what a potted motor is, could someone please explain - thanks

Junec, a potted motor is a motor mounted behind the arm (the wheel end) of the machine. It runs the belt that moves the needle bar. Many of the old treadles were models that were made later and electrified by this means of adding a motor on to turn the belt of the wheel. And lights were added sometimes through this box to shine on the needle plate from the back of the machine.
A "potted" motor is extra to the machine and is therefore easier to remove. You can make a hand crank or go back to a treadle easily if it is a potted motor.

chris-quilts, all I have jused so far is sewing machine oil to clean my machines with. It really takes off the dirt, and doesn't hurt the decals either. Although thinking about that makes me wonder why I worried about that--she has no decals!!
I know you have to be careful with cleaning products. Check out the tutorials available on cleaning. Muv has videos. LostN51 (Billy) has tutes in the archives in this vintage section.

I am glad I found this thread, may I ask how much you paid for yours??? I am looking at getting one, she in in really rough shape and I have a post asking about her. They lady is asking $125, others have recommended $35-$50. She looks like she needs a lot of work.

Jacquie, finding that knee lever is not easy. They are listed on ebay in the $30-$35 range! I wouldn't pay that.... and would probably rationalize it even more to turn it into a hand crank. But, from what I understand, original hand cranks are up there too!! So, either way one would go, would be a fairly large expense unless you have a parts machine.

My blackside finish pieces don't have rust so..... I've used just regular chrome cleaner on my other machines for any rust. I would just test a small inconspicuous area to make sure it doesn't do anything terrible to the finish. I don't know if the blackside coloration goes through the metal of is just a coating.

So, if I would eventually like a treadle, I could turn say, another 15-91, into a treadle since it has the potted motor (which I could remove)? Would be nice to find a treadle that is already a treadle, in a table - but nice to also have options of creating it myself, more or less, if I can't find what I am looking for.

Is this the same idea of turning a machine into a hand-cranked machine? I know with a treadle one cannot sew in reverse. Can you go in reverse with a hand-crank? Ideas floating through my mind...

Thank you. I did test hte backside of one and some of the coating does come off. Don't know what to do re rust.