The Free No. 5 Treadle Sewing Machine

  

I did it again, but in my defense, I was ENABLED!!!!  Friday night, I was at home, watching a movie, minding my own business (YES I WAS!!!!) when my friend Amy (such a sweetie) sent me a picture text. She was at a consignment store with her husband, spotted a treadle sewing machine, knows how I love sewing machines, and sent me a picture. I answered her by saying, ‘WHAT? WHERE? WHY?’

My phone rang, and she told me about it. She thought I might be interested in it. I told her, no…I really did not have room for another piece of furniture, but I was encouraging HER to buy it. When she and her husband got home, they did some research and found out a little bit about it, and I was blown away at how pretty the cabinet was. She also said her husband was seriously thinking about going back to get it on Saturday.

Louie and I had planned on going to Cedar Rapids on Saturday to ‘Play It Again Sports’, so Louie could do some trading of golf clubs. We went to our regular thrift store stops, and when we got near the consignment store, we went in to see if Amy had taken it home. I was surprised to still see it there…so what was I to do?????  How could I walk away from a $40 machine?

Well, if I was afraid of cleaning, and dusting, it would have been easy, but I know how much difference a little furniture polish and a little elbow grease (and smearing sewing machine oil or baby oil around on the surface of an old black SM head) can make. Here are some before and after pictures of the cleaning up process. (Click to enlarge)

SEW, now my new treadle sewing machine sits in my kitchen for me to adore. The treadle mechanism works like soft butter. I might even consider trying to sew on this baby sometime.

I was delighted last night to find a FREE (no cost) pdf manual for my FREE No. 5 sewing machine HERE. I LOVE the internet! (Which is also why I don’t get much sewing done. With work, and my thrifting, sewing machine, and internet addictions, there just doesn’t seem to be much time for sewing!)

Thank you Amy for telling me about this machine. Amy is my enabler, (and so is Louie) but in her defense, I enabled her a few times too. One being HERE, the same day I got THIS.

A little bit of history of the FREE sewing machine company in Rockford, Illinois can be found HERE. Rockford, Illinois is only 2 hours from my home. I might have to see if the building is still there and take a road trip!

The following photos were found on the Ismacs site. (Click to enlarge)

FYI: Here is some information from the ISMACS site on how old sewing machines heads were ‘painted’. They actually were NOT painted, but Japanned.

The colour most-commonly associated with sewing machines is the black of japanning. As well as being an effective protection against rust, japanning was a cheap way of giving the largest parts of the machine a decorative finish. Each casting to receive this treatment was fettled and dipped in viscous black paint. The japanning was then dried in oven for some hours.

Coloured decoration could be applied to the black ground either as paint or printed transfer, though nearly all ms were decorated with gold leaf or gold paint. Hand painting was supplanted from about 1880 onwards by transfers. These demanded less skill to apply, gave a uniform finish and were cheaper. Another common way of decorating European sewing machines was by setting thin slivers of mother of pearl into the japanned surface. Once all the decoration had been applied, a final high gloss coat of varnish was sometimes given.

These painted finishes survived more or less intact, depending on the quality of materials used, the thoroughness with which they were applied, and the use and abuse the machines received in their working lives. Japanning can chip and scratch. A clumsily held screwdriver, sharp pins, buttons and zips, or even constant ordinary use, wear away varnish, transfers, gold and paint. The habit of wrapping a sheath of folded blanket or rag around the overhanging arm may have been a practical means of keeping pins handy but it is also an effective way of obliterating the decoration underneath.

Regular care and studied neglect both offer hazards to the chances of the paintwork surviving intact. Anything more than light dusting, over 60 or 70 years, will wear varnish and decoration away. Repeated applications of furniture polish can build up into a hard brownish translucent layer, difficult to remove. Neglect, on the other hand, may allow rust to take over so seriously that it attacks the castings, despite the thick layer of paint.

One problem which I have come across, and for which I have yet to find a satisfactory solution, is the crazing and lifting of varnish. Crazing is not serious while the varnish adheres but sometimes it becomes detached from the japanned surface, lifting with it the painted or transfer decoration. In this state it is fragile and if it is to remain in place, cleaning which involves friction has to be avoided.

Before attempting to clean any painted surfaces gently wipe away the dust and then look at it very carefully. These baked surfaces are often hard and durable and if there is a layer of congealed oil or polish, paraffin and rag may be all that is needed to remove it. Test a small area on the underside of the machine. See if it removes the film. See if it leaves a whitish surface or "bloom" when it dries and check that this bloom can be removed with a rag moistened with light mineral oil. Acetone or solvent are not safe. Nor is thinners. Spit sometimes works, but be sure it is not mixing with the dirt to form an abrasive paste. Above all make absolutely certain that nothing you do loosens or removes the remaining decoration. Sometimes dusting is all that can be safely done.

I have never yet seen a sewing machine repainted well enough to convince me that the gains outweigh the losses. A sewing machine in perfect condition can be impressively beautiful. We can see what it looked like when It left the factory and the freshness and vigour of the decorative finishes, which helped to sell it, are not dimmed by chips, scratches or grime. A "used" sewing machine, on the other hand, can tell us much about its working life; which parts were handled most often, what sort of work it did, even how it was usually picked up. Even if the skills are available, I do not think trying to make a used sewing machine look like new is a worthwhile exercise.

Thanks once again, for letting me share.

Be blessed and have a wonderful Sunday.

Michelle