A nice inside diversion on those cold snowy winter days.
Our daughter in law was gifted her great grandmother's sewing machine that GG received as a wedding gift. It sat in DIL's parents basement forever until a burst pipe rained on it for three days, now it's a project. The tag at the right side identifies it as a November 1923 Model 15 treadle machine. I pronounced it trendle, Trish called it a tressle machine, we were both wrong. I will talk Ian into finishing this thread, but f you have any thoughts on restoring Veneer please jump on.
Dan
I'm sure the machine will be just fine. Maybe the wood will have some issues.
I inherited a very similar singer from my grandmother. It's a 1910 model that appears to have been converted from hand crank to electric drive. Mine didn't come with a table just a storage case.
When i read the thread title i thought of this.
i love these old treadle machines! Nothing to go wrong and you get a workout at the same time.
The cabinet may be replaceable, people used to save them as tables while discarding the sewing machine.
So long as the cabinet is still holding together, the veneer can be replaced. For something that age, chances are good it was applied with hide glue and it can be remove with with some heat, maybe light mositure and a putty knife but you must be patient and not get it too hot or wet or of course it will burn or weaken the cabinet further. Alternatively, it can be sanded off which will require care as well because it's not very thick and you will damage the underlining structure. Reapplying new veneer is a process but can be done once you understand the techniques. Lots of good info on the web for this. Also, you buy sheets of quarter sawn oak veneer from a number of wood working stores like Woodcraft, Rocker, or other specialty wood store. So it is possible to save it.
As for the sewing machine, parts are available should you need them including the leather cord for the treadle and all the normal wear parts. FWIW, the old Singers stich quality is better than what you can find on even the most expensive machines today due to the fixed stitch length and solid construction.
2Girlsracing said:
When i read the thread title i thought of this.
i love these old treadle machines! Nothing to go wrong and you get a workout at the same time.
This whole thread is awesome but I'm reposting because this is EXTRA awesome.
My mother has her mothers Singer treadle machine. I have her portable Singer.
My wife has a newer machine. They literally don't make them like they used to.
I was relieved to see that there's a fair selection of Singers on CL; I have hopes of doing some upholstery at some point, but I'd really rather not add a sewing machine that's eighth in line for attention to the household cruft if I can defer it. And I have a sewing machine, but it's a... an I-don't-know-what, nondescript, semi-modern machine that I suspect will take exception to attempted upholstery materials.
Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:
2Girlsracing said:
When i read the thread title i thought of this.
i love these old treadle machines! Nothing to go wrong and you get a workout at the same time.
This whole thread is awesome but I'm reposting because this is EXTRA awesome.
Here are a couple more pictures
https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/05/hot-rod-sewing-machine.html
Then there was the Christmas my wife bought me a MIG welder and I bought her an old Singer Featherweight. Really cool attachments available for these things (like the mechanical button-hole attachment shown here - makes rounded-end button holes using different-sized dies). Great mechanical feel - still a favorite for quilters.
