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 Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 11:20 am
I tried using a Yahoo! Group, but they suck and can kiss my butt. (I don't know how anyone can use Yahoo! Groups, they're so disorganized.) Anyways, I nabbed this great old antique sewing machine. It needs to be cleaned up, but I'm not sure exactly what to use. I'm thinking lemon juice and water and vinegar. I've never had to clean anything like this before, so any suggestions would be much appreciated! And yes, once it's running and if I can figure out how to thread it, this baby and I are going to make sweet, sweet somethings in the form, I hope, of clothing. cool     And keeping with the sewing theme, who here sews? Tips? Secrets? Patterns? What do you use? This is my first "real" sewing machine and I'm really excited to get going. (I wanted one for Christmas - ask and you shall receive!)
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 12:30 pm
You might want to be careful with the acidic stuff, you may lose all the gold and make the rust worse. I'd just wipe it down with a squeezed-out soapy cloth and rinse it the same way, then dry it and wipe it down with a light coating of oil. Put some sewing machine oil on all the rusty should-be-movable parts, and let it sit for a while. They could loosen up pretty quickly, or it may take a while, no real way to know.
If you can thread a newer machine, you can thread this one, it's all pretty straightforward. I can't remember right now where the tension settings are on these old machines, in fact, some of the older ones may not have one, I'm not sure. I know my old machine had one.
Good luck! That's quite a find, you'll have fun with it. wink Keep us posted!
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 4:12 pm
I just used some soapy water and and old tooth brush to gently remove most a little of the grime. I unscrewed most of the parts and soaked them in hot soapy water and scrubbed them and put them back. (Thank God I took pictures before I took everything off.) There's a sewing machine hospital that's not far away. I'm going to give them a call to see if they're up to cleaning and oiling her up. (The little oil can it came with is so adorable.) I was planning on hand stitching some mouse toys but I am going to wait until the ol' girl is up and running. I think it'd be a great beginner project. I have never sewn before. I borrowed a friends machine and tried, but couldn't thread the bobbin so gave up. The newer machines kinda scare me with the needle and the electricity. With this girl, she looks more gentle and thus I hope a perfect newbie machine. And she was free! surprised 3nodding Do you still sew Sunset? My Oma was a seamstress and tried to teach me but I didn't enjoy it (fear of the machine). I ended up taking up crocheting instead. I hope I can remember a bit of what she taught me. I can't wait to scour eBay for old vintage patterns and start making my own clothes. I hate buying items that are expensive - $60 for a flimsy Made-In-China cardigan that a thousand other people have.
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:54 pm
pirhan I just used some soapy water and and old tooth brush to gently remove most a little of the grime. I unscrewed most of the parts and soaked them in hot soapy water and scrubbed them and put them back. (Thank God I took pictures before I took everything off.) There's a sewing machine hospital that's not far away. I'm going to give them a call to see if they're up to cleaning and oiling her up. (The little oil can it came with is so adorable.) I was planning on hand stitching some mouse toys but I am going to wait until the ol' girl is up and running. I think it'd be a great beginner project. I have never sewn before. I borrowed a friends machine and tried, but couldn't thread the bobbin so gave up. The newer machines kinda scare me with the needle and the electricity. With this girl, she looks more gentle and thus I hope a perfect newbie machine. And she was free! surprised 3nodding Do you still sew Sunset? My Oma was a seamstress and tried to teach me but I didn't enjoy it (fear of the machine). I ended up taking up crocheting instead. I hope I can remember a bit of what she taught me. I can't wait to scour eBay for old vintage patterns and start making my own clothes. I hate buying items that are expensive - $60 for a flimsy Made-In-China cardigan that a thousand other people have. That's funny, that's how it was with me! Mom tried to teach me to sew on her machine, but I was so afraid of messing up that I really didn't learn until I got the old treadle machine. Now I have my Mom's old machine, my Grandmother's machine, my aunt-in-law's machine (is there such a thing as an aunt-in-law?), and one of my own----I lost the old machine in The Great Divide (divorced at 21), and would love to find it again. That old machine was full of treasures----old buttons, Crackerjack prizes from LONG ago, pictures....and my mother's machine held vintage patterns, newspaper patterns for clothes we wore when we were little (labelled in my Grandmother's handwriting!),pictures, buttons, little bits from the four of us kids growing up----it was wonderful to open that machine up! The drawers still smell like my mom's White Shoulders cologne. Anyway, yeah, I do sew sometimes, but the last real project was a prom dress. I really need to get some slipcovers done. Who knows, after what happened with the knitting (darn you, Pirhan!), I'll probably be tempted back to the sewing machine, too. Since you are a tiny thing, you will probably find that the vintage patterns fit you much better than today's patterns. Just remember to check the measurements! When I showed the girls the sizes and measurements on the old patterns, they almost went into shock! eek You might want to start with some pillows and curtains, or maybe placemats for the holidays---they would be all straightline sewing, and would let you and your treasure get to know each other. I started with quilt tops on the old treadle machine. Sewing is just like anything else--if you can read, understand, and follow directions, there's nothing you can't do! Have fun!!
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 8:31 am
I would be really careful wiping down the paint as it is hard to find machines with nearly all of their paint on them. And you found one that looks great. I would try Googling to see if you can find a manual for it or one for a similar looking machine. I have a 1917 Singer treadle with red eye paint and the 7 draw 'fancy' stand and it works beautifully. I love the rhythmic tick when I use it. Though I do have to sit a bit differently than ladies of that era as my knees are a bit wider apart. My dream machine would be a Singer Featherweight. I think they are just so pretty. Mine looks like this (not a picture of my machine but it's the same model and paint) Click for flickr pic
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 8:39 am
darkness_calling I would be really careful wiping down the paint as it is hard to find machines with nearly all of their paint on them. And you found one that looks great. I would try Googling to see if you can find a manual for it or one for a similar looking machine. I have a 1917 Singer treadle with red eye paint and the 7 draw 'fancy' stand and it works beautifully. I love the rhythmic tick when I use it. Though I do have to sit a bit differently than ladies of that era as my knees are a bit wider apart. My dream machine would be a Singer Featherweight. I think they are just so pretty. Mine looks like this (not a picture of my machine but it's the same model and paint) Click for flickr picThat is a beautiful machine!!! I bet it sews like a dream. You're right, the sound of a treadle machine is so relaxing. Nothing like the motors on machines now, some of them absolutely whine!
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 9:00 am
sunsetsmile That is a beautiful machine!!! I bet it sews like a dream. You're right, the sound of a treadle machine is so relaxing. Nothing like the motors on machines now, some of them absolutely whine! It does, once you get the hang of it. And if you don't mind only straight stitch with no reverse rofl I'm lucky my new machine isn't too bad. It gets kinda whiny if you go super fast. I was really happy to get it though. I grew up with a Singer from the 60's. Lovely shade pale pistachio green and cream on a blond wood cabinet. You could do straight, plain zig-zag and reverse and that was it. It was still working when we got rid of it.
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Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 9:41 pm
It's one good sewing machine. I wouldnt use hard, thick fabircs with it. By the looks of it it's too fragile. Use a micro fibre cloth to get rid of the dust first otherwize you'll have all this gunk on your hands!
good Luck!
PS
It's pretty easy to thread up.
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Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2010 2:16 pm
Lol, I forgot about this thread. I can thread this puppy no problem now. cool
I bought some thicker fabrics for my cat toys. I plan on making them this evening. Just got to work out the pattern and I'm good to go.
I also need help in finishing the ends. When I watched my Oma sew, at the end, she'd reverse the machine and go over what she just stitched and then back again. (Just a little, not the entire length.) I am having trouble with the treadle - is this what I need to do or is there another system?
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Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2010 5:42 pm
pirhan Lol, I forgot about this thread. I can thread this puppy no problem now. cool I bought some thicker fabrics for my cat toys. I plan on making them this evening. Just got to work out the pattern and I'm good to go. I also need help in finishing the ends. When I watched my Oma sew, at the end, she'd reverse the machine and go over what she just stitched and then back again. (Just a little, not the entire length.) I am having trouble with the treadle - is this what I need to do or is there another system? Just leave the needle in the work, lift the foot, turn it the opposite direction and sew, then repeat the process. That should do it.
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Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2010 7:03 pm
sunsetsmile Just leave the needle in the work, lift the foot, turn it the opposite direction and sew, then repeat the process. That should do it. Omg that is such a simple solution. xp i has the dumb
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Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2010 7:21 pm
pirhan sunsetsmile Just leave the needle in the work, lift the foot, turn it the opposite direction and sew, then repeat the process. That should do it. Omg that is such a simple solution. xp i has the dumb Not even close.
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Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2010 7:32 pm
darkness_calling I would be really careful wiping down the paint as it is hard to find machines with nearly all of their paint on them. And you found one that looks great. I would try Googling to see if you can find a manual for it or one for a similar looking machine. I have a 1917 Singer treadle with red eye paint and the 7 draw 'fancy' stand and it works beautifully. I love the rhythmic tick when I use it. Though I do have to sit a bit differently than ladies of that era as my knees are a bit wider apart. My dream machine would be a Singer Featherweight. I think they are just so pretty. Mine looks like this (not a picture of my machine but it's the same model and paint) Click for flickr picNice! The paint on it is in really good condition. It's a shame that machines now a days come in bland, oatmeal white. The guy that fixed my machine also fixed a Singer feather weight. The woman who had it is now selling it for $400. It was in really good condition - and super light! My machine is all working now, but is still gunky on certain (non moving) parts. I would love to take her completely apart and give her a good cleaning. Probably won't happen for some time. I'd like to suss out a new tension assembly just in case as mine is a bit worn and rusty. (Though I have the tension set perfectly between the machine and the bobbin shuttle.) I still can't believe how nice and easy and non scary she is. Because I'm doing small projects, I'm actually doing a lot of hand cranking. I love just how easy it is to control and I can get exactly (or very near to) the results I want. The treadle is from 1914 and my "new" machine is from 1956.
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