Sunday, June 21, 2009

Treadle Progress

Cleaning up the "new" treadle is slow going, but I'm definitely making progress. Here are some notable Before and After shots. The most remarkable difference to me is how much of the decals I *wasn't* seeing and how much of each one was hidden under grime.

This is the back of the machine:



The back plate:



The side plate:



The thumbscrews that hold on the cover plates:



Soap and water, Brasso, steel wool and lots of elbow grease going on here …

Note to ACorgiHouse: Nope, it came from the Bay To Bay / MacDill area and has been in the seller's family its whole life.

14 comments:

  1. That is incredible. If only all cleaning was that rewarding!

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  2. Beautiful machine Debbie! Did you find a leather belt? My 1928 Wilcox & Gibbs industrial has an original leather belt, but when that eventually goes my tech says he replaces them with automotive belts.

    I love the simplicity of vintage machines.

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  3. Absolutely gorgeous. Congrats! K

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  4. Wow, what a great find! Love those before and after photos. It's cleaning up beautifully!

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  5. She's a beauty! Does she have a name yet?

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  6. Beautiful! I learned to sew on dh's grandmother's early electric machine, but it didnt' take me long to covet a zig zag machine. Hope you have fun with it, quilting on these things is so wonderful. . .

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  7. An old item now has a good home! Amazing what was under all that dirt and grime. Now to get your hands and legs coordinated so that you can use the treadle. Should be fun!

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  8. Absolutely beautiful. Cleaning this is its own reward. I think you have a great find there.

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  9. Have you thought about a coat of mineral oil to shine her up?

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  10. I never got over the fact that my dearly beloved's family sold off granny's treadle machine a year before I married him. I got a new one last year. My second to youngest son spent a week cleaning it up. I've just found an old man who made it run right, and I'm going to try treadling soon! Mine is a 1909 White, and it is one beautiful item! I understand why you're so enamoured!

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  11. Wow, the decals are gorgeous! I have a 66-16, almost the same machine but with an electric motor. I haven't played much with mine yet but it's all set up for quilting :)

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  12. Where do you find the model number for this type of machine? I was just given one and would love to know more about it.

    nana431965@hotmail.com

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  13. Goodness, I'm not sure I have your patience to clean my old Singer 66.

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Thank you for each and every comment. I appreciate them all, but I have to be honest and let you know that I'm usually bad about answering questions. I hope you understand that there just isn't enough time in the day to do everything I want to do.

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