You are all so wise, I'm needing advice. We found an old Davis vertical shuttle treadle at a garage sale for next to nothing. BUT, it is greasy and dirty (and I mean icky!!) and has a huge water stain on the wood top. How do I clean all this and or restore the finish?

Also, the only info on this machine would indicate that it is from the late 1800s. Thoughts?

Billy is going to restore a machine and do a tutorial for us go to this site

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-43881-1.htm

Very fine steel wool.... "0000". Homer's furniture refinisher, in a dark walnut color.

Using the steel wool, apply the Homer's, rubbing with the grain of the wood. You may have to repeat it several times, wiping the wood dry each time.
When it's looking the way you want it to, finish up with Homer's Beeswax and Orange oil...following the directions.

Don't sand the veneer. veneer is so thin that it's easy to wear completely through it.

That's a beautiful machine!

Ok, do I start with the stained part and work oput over the rest? Do I concentrate on the lighter areas of wood? I guess nothing can hurt it worse than it is!!

Do an "all over"...it's not going to be a complete refinish, you'll be darkening the areas that are bleached out, and oiling the wood at the same time.

If it doesn't turn out the way you want, then you're going to have to get more drastic, and I'm not the one to tell you how to do that...but I'll bet Billy can! :)

Wonderful machine! I use it for all of my quilting - it is such a cool machine! Good luck in fixing it up - I love mine!!

Congratulations, looks like a doable project. I will enjoy watching your progress. There are so many on this board that share their knowledge it is great.

What a GREAT machine :mrgreen: Very lucky find :thumbup:

I've been using PB blaster on machines - try an inconspicuous spot..
you really should not use WD40 or 3in1... use sewing machine oil for oiling
join the Vintage treadle list on yahoo groups...

What a great machine!