OurWorkbench

Thank you. Yes, that is the serial number on the front lip of the machine. I thought I had seen some serial numbers and the associated year but couldn't find it again. I did see that it is a Model 3. This machine didn't come with bobbin cover plates Is that where there would be the patent numbers that have been referred to when describing many antique machines?

Mother of pearl is neat. There are some chips in the bed. [ATTACH=CONFIG]535630[/ATTACH]
Any suggestions for simple cleaning and protection? I know the standard answer is sewing machine oil. I used TR3 on my sister's Lotus 66-1 and was pleased with that. (I'll have to write and see if it has held up as that was about five years ago.) Seems like I have read something here about equal parts linseed oil and vinegar and was wondering about that especially as related to the mother of pearl.

The machine as a whole moves surprisingly freely even though it seems dry. John figured out that if under piece of the tension assembly is pushed up it will raise the top of it. I'm guessing that is so that the thread can be laid in it. I also found that if it is twisted that there is a pin on the shaft so that it will stay in the raised position. How do you remove the tension to clean & polish?

There are some of the oil holes that seem plugged. Also I haven't tried to loosen any of the screws on the machine. The presser foot looks to be pretty well varnished on. I'm think of wrapping cloth around the needle bar & presser foot then putting plastic bag over so that I can douse it with kerosene and let it soak - probably for a few days - so that I can get those pieces off to clean & polish. I have some Wieman's silver polish that I used recently on some metal parts and found that it had a slicker feel than Brasso.


Suzanne, you said that yours takes Boye 18 needles. Would mine take those as well? I also found mention that MY1014 will work with this model at http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...ml#post3435789 I haven't taken the broken needle shank out of the needle clamp. Kind of funny that I found the shaft in the "drip pan."

I didn't take a picture of the bonnet. The latch does work with a S2 square bit. I found - Turn LEFT (counter clockwise) to LOCK the latch. Turn RIGHT (clockwise) to RELEASE the latch.

Is there a way to adjust the stitch length on this machine?

Does the bobbin winder have a spring end like the Singer 27 type bobbin winders?

Are there any "warnings" or "tricks" to cleaning, removing parts, adjusting specific to this machine?
I know the standard - gently, methodically and with lots of pictures.

More later, I'm sure.

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

SewMachines

That is stunning! As for cleaning, I stick to sewing machine oil and silver polish (for shiny parts) on my super oldies. With that mother of pearl I would be very reluctant to use kerosene or any other type of solvent. Often times they painted over the mother of pearl to give a lovely iridescent glow to the design, but the paint over the mop comes off very, very easily and requires delicate care to avoid removing. I usually take off the tension assembly and other parts that remove easily for cleaning (take photos along the way to remember how they go back on).

Looks like the arm is silver plated as well. I always go gently with the silver polish on these parts also as the plating is not thick and can start to come off if cleaned aggressively. I am of the thought that I would rather have a tiny bit of grime and dirt left than to risk damaging the finish or decoration of a machine. Most of mine come quite clean but I don't expect them to be spotless.

The bobbin winder is spring loaded on the left side to allow the bobbin to be held tightly. Under the bed of the machine (on my model) is a post for adjusting the stitch length. It is in the back center, a bit towards the left.

In looking at your machine, I would pull it from the table and give a good oiling all over, inside and out and let it sit for a bit before gently wiping it down. Then polish the shiny parts and put it back together. It really is in great shape!

Suzanne

OurWorkbench

OOOPS guess I didn't read the whole thread before getting ready to post the following:


Gorgeous machine. I'm going to guess that it wasn't in that condition when you got it. Did you repaint the irons? I think I heard something about stove black for irons, but don't remember where or pictures after using on irons. Did you remove the shiny bits to clean & polish?

Does the presser foot have a hole in front of the where the needle travels? What I thought was crud turns out there is a metal under a layer of crud and has a hole in front of needle hole.

Mine has a little different wheel guard and has a roller type thing at the top. I'll get a picture of it later.

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

SewMachines

Hi Janey,

The machine was fairly dirty and gunky when I got it. I have not painted the irons. I prefer to just clean them thoroughly with sewing machine oil and a cloth, using a stiff brush if necessary. So many of these old machines have wonderful hand-painted gold accents on the irons that are hidden under the dirt. On the machine head I removed the slide plates, bobbin winder, tension assembly, and the table holds. I used sewing machine oil on the painted parts and silver polish on the silver parts and hand polished everything. Some silver parts were polished on the machine, taking care not to get polish on the paint.

Here is a photo of the presser foot.

Suzanne

[ATTACH=CONFIG]535654[/ATTACH]

sewbeadit

Just amazing what you all find and are able to get them going again, loved this thread about Weeds and seeing the photos, congrats on your machines.

OurWorkbench

No problem - probably be a bit before I get to it. With the hand wheel where it is, I think I may wait until John gets a template made for the work stand before I do much more on it. I did a quick rub down with sewing machine oil so I could take today to the get together. I noticed I could scrape the presser bar with my fingernail to get the varnished oil off some of it. I will have to dig out my arapaima/pirarucu/paiche scale and see if it can do the job.

I have seen plates that have been made here out of a variety of materials - clear plexi, cardboard etc. I work in a sheet metal shop and have access to scraps of mostly 24 or 26 gauge, but I think they have some other gauges as well. I know they also have (hole) punch but don't know how thick it can go. I'm open for suggestions. Maybe you or Suzanne can get an end view of the plates I may be able to figure something out.

I know you are busy with victoriansweatshop and what had been your #1 most wanted and there is also then there was that other one. Yes, I have been following those.

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

OurWorkbench

Thank you. It looks like the standard foot for these machines may have been what I call a cording foot. Do you know if the this era of Weed machines only came with just the one foot? That picture also shows the patent dates on the plate - that is where I thought they were. Your bobbin also has the patent date on it, but mine doesn't. Something else that I noticed and am not sure if unique to this machine is that I can only insert and remove the shuttle when it is behind the needle plate and not in front of it. I tried to remove the bobbin, but it didn't come out. I don't know if it is rusted in or if there is a trick to removing it.

I'm pretty sure my treadle and irons won't look that good. The heel portion is very worn.

Yes, I was pretty amazed to be able to get it, too. The ad said that they preferred that it go to someone who wanted to restore it. I had a hint that he had a bit of surprise when I said that I thought I could sew with it. Now comes the hard part - bringing that to fruition.

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

SewMachines

Hi Janey,

My Weed came with only one foot but many machines of this era came with different feet for hemming and such. The foot would be removed and swapped for another. The manual talks of changing the foot for hemming. This one does look like a multi-purpose foot.

To remove the shuttle I turn the wheel until the shuttle is in the most forward position. It is almost under the needleplate. I can put my fingernail in the slot near the back and lift it out allowing the pointed nose to dip forward while lifting. The bobbin is held in the shuttle by a spring loaded circle at the nose (pointed) end. Mine was gunky and frozen when I got it. Oiling and gently pushing down on the circle pad with a toothpick finally released the bobbin.

I can't wait to see your beauty as it comes along. It always makes me happy to see these lovely oldies brought back to life!

Suzanne

SteveH

16 ga for most ,14 ga for older ones has been successful for me.

Rodney

Great looking machine! Beautiful MOP. The Linseed Oil and vinegar is for cleaning the wood only. Keep it away from your machine please. IIRC Steve has experimented with it and likes the results.
Rodney