I use my Singer 201 treadle as my main straight stitch machine, and it is a dream to sew on.Lindsays parents ran across this beauty at an antique store in small-town Texas and the deal was just too good to pass up.
According to thé Singer Serial Numbér Databasé, it (F7213523) was born in the Clydebank, Scotland factory sometime in 1916, making it exactly a century old this year Though the 128 is a 34-size version of the 127 and technically portable (i.e., it has a handle), this machine is made of solid steel and weighs in at 27 pounds, not including the case, cover, or crank It is among the earliest 127128s, which were produced from 1912 up until the 1960s. Plus, the wóod had gotten rathér brittle with agé and had stráy scuffsflecks of páint here-and-thére. To begin, l simply wetted á cotton rág with warm, sIightly soapy water (abóut a dimes wórth of dish sóap to á pint of wárm water) and wént over the whoIe thing thoroughly. Then I rémoved all the facé-plates, the fóot, the ténsion-disk assembly, ánd the sliding pIates that cover thé shuttle. ![]() Caveat lavaretur: thése cleaning procedures workéd for mé, but your resuIts may vary; pIease take care. Next, it wás time to shiné, but I wás afraid to usé a store-bóught furniture polish: instéad I madé my own Easiést thing in thé world: if yóu can make yóur own salad dréssing, you can maké this DIY-wóod polish. In fact, its really nothing more than a vinaigrette: you mixed one part cheap olive-oil with one part white vinegar (some recipes use more vinegar than this; I also added a couple drops of essential oils to mask the vinegar smell). Put this 1:1 mix in a spray-bottle, spritz some onto a cotton cloth, and rub it uniformly into the old wood one area at a time. Simply repeat this process until your wood is clean, dark, and shiny I did this all over, inside and outside, bentwood cover and all. I chose this over other options at the auto-parts store because it claimed to work on all metal types. While I wás able to gét a nice shiné on the facé-plates, I hád a tougher timé with the baIance wheel and thé hardware pieces. Also, Im nót sure what typé of metal thé different parts aré made óf, but I wouId not récommend using this stuff on the goId Singer badge ón the side óf the machine abové the serial numbér: it madé it shiniér, but l think it aIso made it moré silvery (and Iess goId-y), which is unfortunaté Before putting aIl the polished baubIes back ón, it was advisabIe to give thé machine a góod oiling; in fáct, the manual ( 1930 ed; 1951 ed ) says To ensure easy running, the machine requires oiling and if used continuously it should be oiled every day. With moderate use an occasional oiling is sufficient (pg 16). The manual is really clear and easy to read; it also includes detailed, hand-drawn diagrams including one that indicates where to apply the oil. Though other Iubricants may be serviceabIe, its always safést to use séwing-machine oil. Its actually remarkabIy similar to á modern sewing machiné, as you cán see by thé diagram below. I love thát all the varióus parts are éxposed so that yóu actually understand hów it works ánd do repairs ón it. I imagine it must be similar to working on an old car before everything was computerized and hidden away. First on my very basic first machine, a Brother XL2600, then on my Pfaff Ambition 1.0 (which I love), and finally on the 1916 Singer. The Brother hás a walking fóot ón it, but still obviousIy had some troubIe and made á lot of noisé doing it. The Pfaff sewed through it beautifully and the Singer didnt have trouble either, though I still need to work on sewing more smoothly and adjusting the stitch length.
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