Treadle belt slipping
 

Hi. I have a Minnesota Model A treadle. It's my favorite machine by far. I had to replace the treadle belt when I got the machine early last summer. It sews beautifully on thinner fabrics but the belt slips when I tried to hem jeans that were too long.

The belt doesn't fit down into the groove on the pulley but seems to sit on the top. Whenever I try to stitch heavy fabrics, the needle stops and the belt slips allowing the treadle to keep going but the needle doesn't move. I'm not sure I'm explaining that clearly.

I hesitate to shorten the belt yet as I cannot make it longer if that isn't the problem (lol). The belt is very stiff. Should I oil the belt?

Another issue I have is the needle often gets stuck in whatever I'm sewing and pulls out of the needle bar. I'm sure it's because I cannot get the screw tight enough to hold it in place. I tighten it as much as I can with my fingers but I do have arthritis. I could use pliers but worry about stripping something. Anything I could try before I use those?

Thanks in advance!

Treadle belts are available in different diameters, it could be your belt is larger, causing it to dit on top, and when the "going gets rough," the belt doesn't have enough surface area in contact with the groove to power through.

There is a link to a post about how the belt is to ride on the pulley that might help at https://www.quiltingboard.com/7261829-post14.html

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

You can use pliers but do it very gently.

One thought about the needle pulling out... If it's a Singer needle, it's smaller at the top and more likely to fall out. You could try a Schmetz needle.

Treadle belts are readily available for less than $10. You could purchase a second belt and make it smaller and see if that helps. The rule I was taught about treadle belts is to wrap the belt around, mark where the cut end meets the belt. then drill a hole 3/4" smaller than that mark to put the staple into.

My daughter has a treadle machine and when the belt broke she ran to the hardware and picked up clear tubing at the hardware. The tubing comes in different sizes and can be fastened together with a staple. She likes the tubing because it grips so well

Great idea!

Is that aquarium tubing she is using? Great Idea.