Basically, all moving parts must be oiled. Numerous holes allow for oiling the innards.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Antique Treadle Sewing Machine: Oiling
This is a companion post to "Antique Treadle Sewing Machine: Cleaning." I did the oiling after I cleaned a particular area, as it was easier to locate the oil places and do the job right then and there. For future reference I wanted the information in a separate post. The graphics below are taken from the White Rotary Sewing Machine manual number 11. It and a number of other old manuals can be downloaded for free from the ISMACS international website.
Basically, all moving parts must be oiled. Numerous holes allow for oiling the innards.
Basically, all moving parts must be oiled. Numerous holes allow for oiling the innards.
Thursday, February 07, 2019
Antique Treadle Sewing Machine: Cleaning
When I was a little girl, my mother told me an antique was an item over 100 years old. In later years I saw that term used much more loosely, and one antique dealer told me it meant any item being at least 50 years old. When I was hunting for a treadle sewing machine, most of them seemed to be described as "vintage." Mine is 106 years old and no matter how it's described, it works and that's the main deal!
The seller had dusted the machine and cabinet, but when I got it home I wanted to give it a good cleaning and oiling. When I gave it a thorough going-over, I found it to actually be quite clean with very little dust, cobwebs, or lint. Here's the underside of the machine the first time I tilted the head back (after I figured out how).
So whoever had the machine previously took good care of it. They did use it a lot, as evidenced by the machine's cosmetic wear.
The clear top coat finish was almost completely worn off, and the decals were quite worn as well. Also, some of the metal plating was worn off, as you can see on the needle plate. There was some pitting on some of the plated surfaces as well. Because of all that, I had to ask myself exactly how much work I wanted to put into it. Did I want to do a full restoration or just give it a good cleaning? Basically, I was looking for a functional work machine, so I opted for a thorough cleaning.
The dark places on the metal parts are grime. This is the result of oils combining with dust and dirt. The oil can be from lubrication, but even clean hands have natural oils that are transferred to things we touch. Because the decals were wearing off I was concerned about what to clean it with. So I did a lot of research and looked at a lot of videos before I got started. The best cleaner was simply sewing machine oil.
A can of 3-In-One Oil was in one of the cabinet drawers, but when I tried to squeeze some onto a cotton rag it was thick and amber colored. So I went with the sewing machine oil as recommended. It is very thin and clear ("lily white") and was much easier to work with.
The entire machine got a good wiping down with the oil. This did a great job of collecting dust and loose surface dirt. On the gunky metal parts, I let the oil sit for a bit. Then I was able to scrape the grime away with toothpicks and toothbrush.
The last step was using metal polish on the metal parts. Considering that there was some pitting and flaking of the plating I wasn't expecting like-new results. I just wanted it as clean as I could get it.
No where near new, but much cleaner and shinier than before! Oiling next.
The seller had dusted the machine and cabinet, but when I got it home I wanted to give it a good cleaning and oiling. When I gave it a thorough going-over, I found it to actually be quite clean with very little dust, cobwebs, or lint. Here's the underside of the machine the first time I tilted the head back (after I figured out how).
So whoever had the machine previously took good care of it. They did use it a lot, as evidenced by the machine's cosmetic wear.
The clear top coat finish was almost completely worn off, and the decals were quite worn as well. Also, some of the metal plating was worn off, as you can see on the needle plate. There was some pitting on some of the plated surfaces as well. Because of all that, I had to ask myself exactly how much work I wanted to put into it. Did I want to do a full restoration or just give it a good cleaning? Basically, I was looking for a functional work machine, so I opted for a thorough cleaning.
The dark places on the metal parts are grime. This is the result of oils combining with dust and dirt. The oil can be from lubrication, but even clean hands have natural oils that are transferred to things we touch. Because the decals were wearing off I was concerned about what to clean it with. So I did a lot of research and looked at a lot of videos before I got started. The best cleaner was simply sewing machine oil.
 |
| For cleaning: clear sewing machine oil, toothpicks, an old toothbrush, and clean cotton rags. Not pictured: metal polish. |
A can of 3-In-One Oil was in one of the cabinet drawers, but when I tried to squeeze some onto a cotton rag it was thick and amber colored. So I went with the sewing machine oil as recommended. It is very thin and clear ("lily white") and was much easier to work with.
The entire machine got a good wiping down with the oil. This did a great job of collecting dust and loose surface dirt. On the gunky metal parts, I let the oil sit for a bit. Then I was able to scrape the grime away with toothpicks and toothbrush.
The last step was using metal polish on the metal parts. Considering that there was some pitting and flaking of the plating I wasn't expecting like-new results. I just wanted it as clean as I could get it.
 |
| Before |
 |
| After |
No where near new, but much cleaner and shinier than before! Oiling next.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
How to Tilt Back the Head of a White FR Treadle Machine
While it's great having the original manual for my new sewing machine, I've found that it doesn't answer all my questions. To clean and oil the underside of the machine I need to tilt the head back but couldn't figure out how! The first step was to remove the treadle belt. Mine is old and loose so that was easy to do. But I couldn't tilt back the head. It was fastened and I couldn't figure out how to get it to release. I suspected this knob had something to do with it.
It looked like it needed to be unscrewed, but which way? It was too tight to turn either clockwise or counterclockwise so I was stumped. I searched the internet for an answer and found others asking the same question, but nowhere could I find the answer. Finally, I found a picture of the same machine without the cabinet. When I saw the underside of the knob I knew what to do.
Tilting it to the left released the latch so I could lift the head.
I don't suppose that's terribly interesting to anybody, but after puzzling over it for so long it felt like an accomplishment to figure it out! So I'm posting this just in case someone else is having the same problem. 😌
It looked like it needed to be unscrewed, but which way? It was too tight to turn either clockwise or counterclockwise so I was stumped. I searched the internet for an answer and found others asking the same question, but nowhere could I find the answer. Finally, I found a picture of the same machine without the cabinet. When I saw the underside of the knob I knew what to do.
Tilting it to the left released the latch so I could lift the head.
I don't suppose that's terribly interesting to anybody, but after puzzling over it for so long it felt like an accomplishment to figure it out! So I'm posting this just in case someone else is having the same problem. 😌
How to Tilt Back the Head of a White FR Treadle Machine
© January 2019 by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal
© January 2019 by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal
Sunday, January 20, 2019
My New Sewing Machine
Hello Fiber Friends! It's been a while since I've done any serious blogging here at my Fiber Journal. But that's about to change because I recently got a new sewing machine!
It's a White Family Rotary treadle sewing machine. It came with the original certificate of warranty and the manual. The certificate is dated August 20, 1913. Between that and the patent date (April 18, 1911) I have an idea of how old the machine is.
In one of the drawers, I found all of the original attachments.
These are for gathering, shirring, hemming, sewing lace, making tucks, quilting, ruffling, binding, underbraiding, and chainstitching. That's actually quite a lot for a machine that only does straight stitch and with no reverse.
My first step will be to give it a good cleaning and oiling. I'll have more on that soon. In the meantime, if you're interested in the full story of how I got it, click here to go to that post on my homestead blog.
It's a White Family Rotary treadle sewing machine. It came with the original certificate of warranty and the manual. The certificate is dated August 20, 1913. Between that and the patent date (April 18, 1911) I have an idea of how old the machine is.
In one of the drawers, I found all of the original attachments.
These are for gathering, shirring, hemming, sewing lace, making tucks, quilting, ruffling, binding, underbraiding, and chainstitching. That's actually quite a lot for a machine that only does straight stitch and with no reverse.
My first step will be to give it a good cleaning and oiling. I'll have more on that soon. In the meantime, if you're interested in the full story of how I got it, click here to go to that post on my homestead blog.
My New Sewing Machine © January 2019
by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal
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