leonf

I dress up funny and do machine demos too. You may recognize this machine. arggg not linking. if you go to my profile albums and look up handcrnaks you may see a few of mine.
iris leon HC 28 in cabinet b

An offset screwdriver or a scout knife with the screwdriver blade extended halfway out is good for those back screws.

I often uses kabab skewers to poke around rusty places and for grabbing dustbunnies inside. Are you getting any wiggle at the handwheel.. prolly not, but don't give up hope.'


On Kansas Day I'll be at the state Historical museum letting 1400 kids + or _ play with my handcranks. Wanna come help?

I bet you can get the 2nd 201 running. Time, patience and a lot of oil.

leonf

https://www.quiltingboard.com/member...38-611454.html

juliasb

How exciting this is for you! You are on the right track getting her mechanical parts to move so easily. With my old treadles I oil ever spot that looks like it goes to a moving part. Right sides up and then down and backwards from bottom to top. That should be about any direction. IMHO my priorities are to get the machine running first and then work on the beauty of the machine. If the original decals are in fair shape I don't touch them it adds to the historical value of the machine. If they are terrible then I would strip it down for a new paint job and new decals if they are available for this model and I am pretty sure they are if you need them. Just have fun with this new baby of yours. Thanks for sharing.

MeganMills

Thank you Iris, I'm sure I'll be using all those tips and I have got a bunch of kebab sticks doing nothing, for now... If I lived in your neck of the woods I'd love to come and help at the historical museum, it sounds wonderful. Sadly I'm down here in little New Zealand close to the ends of the Earth so it's a bit far to come.
I am getting wiggle in the hand-wheel, in fact I'm now getting complete rotation and the needle goes up down and the feed dogs go to-and-fro while the bobbin goes round and round. I'm chuffed as I'm pretty sure now she's at this stage she's virtually certain to sew again. It's just a matter now of making her sew well and cleaning/protecting everything to minimise further deterioration.
Funny thing - I thought my two days getting a screw out was a long time. Then I read another thread on here where someone hadn't been able to get something to budge for 2 years! So it makes my stubborn screw look like a sweet-natured softie by comparison.
I love your album. I'm going to see if I can figure out how to add pictures of the stitching my other one now does, and a pic of me in my historical garb at a historic home nearby where I volunteer so you can have a wee look.

MeganMills

Hi everyone,

I'm attempting here to include a couple of pictures of the test sewing Black Beauty did. The white thread is on top, green is in the bobbin and the "lightning bolt" path is where I reversed a little bit while I was treadling. You can see I also tested long and shorter stitches. I'm very happy with the stitch quality.

MeganMills

Okay - I think I'm beginning to get the hang of how to attach pics. I'll try here to see if I can get in a picture of the front and back of the machine, and not just the stitching. (I do have a video of me actually treadling - beginning treadling, that is - and sewing with it but learned I can't post the link to that as it isn't instructional/educational/tutorial in nature.)

MeganMills

I'm not sure if this will work, but I'm trying to attach a picture of me where I volunteer in my historical garb. This is the "sewing room" and I don't sew on those lovely old machines you see in the room. However I'm going to start oiling them etc. I just found out they get dusted but nobody has been oiling them and keeping them moving.

leonf

MeganMills, as it so happens one of the few people I've met here is from NZ. She goes by NZquilter and now lives close to Topeka. A Davis Vertical feed left my house to go to hers.

This is actually Leon. Iris is my GF and the one who got me started on vintage machines. She sews up a storm. Mostly clothing and now quite a bit of garb. We also do 1860s balls with corsets and hoop skirts..

She made everything but her hat and just modified my pants. yea, I ride Penny Farthings too. This is my midsized one with a 38" wheel.
Love the sewing room. I hope you can convince them to let you use the machines. I really like the leaf tension set ups. Congrats on your accomplishments. I chuffed for you too.
I've been know to take 66's out to demos. Yours is beautiful..

MeganMills

Nice to meet you Leon - and in a way to meet Iris too. I love that outfit, she's very talented. I am quite charmed by the Penny Farthing too. I have a friend who rides them and has a rather nice "bike" made from, literally, a penny coin and a farthing coin. His name is Shane and in New Zealand he goes by "The Bicycle Chap". He's into all sorts of things on two wheels but is astonishing on his Penny Farthings! If ever you visit New Zealand you should definitely try to meet up with him. (And also come and have a cuppa with me and meet my machines, of course - where you might be able to offer me a tip or two for little improvements you pick up in real life that you can't spot just in pictures.)

I think I'll be able to convince them to at least spruce up those machines in the sewing room and keep them in working order - looking better than simply "dusted". I'm not talking about taking away the patina but there's no need for them to get cruddier and rustier either.

Interestingly none of them is a Singer. There are two treadles and a hand-crank (the third machine is by the wall you cannot see). One is a Unity and another is a Belvedere - I cannot remember the name of the other one. They all have their manuals at least some extra accessories. The Belvedere manual amazed me. The machine was sold at the Smith & Caughey's up-market department store here in Auckland (they are only local) and I was surprised to see that the manual has been printed especially for that particular store - even though neither machine nor manual was made in New Zealand.

And even if they don't let me use theirs I can certainly take mine there to use and not look at all out of place.

leonf

Badging of machines was popular in the USA. If a hardware store or another place bought a lof of machines the Manufacturers would make decals or badges for them. So If you get some machines it is a job just to see who really made it. Many manuals were made without names so they could go with the machines no matter what the badge. The Belvedere is a nice touch to have it personalized

.I have a British Penny and farthing also, but they aren't tied together. I read that on the 10th there was a home mode small Pennyfarthing stolen from a volunteer bike shop in? near? Aukland.

Iris's blouse has 56 buttons down the back. it takes me 7 minutes to get her buttoned up... After I tie up her corset.

The first Singer 12 I saw was in a very small town ( pop 300ish) museum. It took all I could do to not oil it and give it a spin. I did ask and went behind the ropes to take pics. But now I have my own, so I don't have to go bother them.

My passport is expired so it may be a day or two before I get there. I hope your neighbor's smoke isn't too bad at your place.