A Tale of Two Treadles

During TOGA preparations, I distracted myself by working on a treadle stand.  It had some peeling veneer and I sanded it down a bit so that it would be smooth.  I had to repair some peeling veneer and fill in some gaps.  I finished that project yesterday and today.  I must say I am pleased with the results.  The stain is a bit lighter.  But close enough. 

Yesterday, while I was waiting for the glue to dry on the veneer repair I started cleaning the 1890 treadle stand with GOJO.  It was laborious.  I decided to try some Denatured Alcohol and quadruple ought steel wool.  It worked better than the GOJO.  Then I changed to coarse (#2) steel wool and really made progress.  Of course I did not take adequate BEFORE photos.

 

I have one goal with these machines.  Get them functional.  I did not spend hours cleaning.  I removed as much of the old finish as I thought necessary.  The denatured alcohol dissolves the old finish allowing me to then sand the wood to achieve a smoother finish without gunking up the sand paper.  I did have to reglue some veneer on this stand as well.  Once the tops were sanded, I applied stain and today, the first coat of poly urethane.  I don't much care about the stains in the wood  I guess it can add to the "charm"  The old patina is gone.  Sorry, purists.  I wanted to be able to use these machines and actually sew without snagging the fabric.

I will clean up the draws and the frames.  I won't need to go to this extent with them.  I just hope that I can find room to display these gems.  I love the smallish irons.  No big SINGER logo.  Just a simple design.