Thursday, September 26, 2013

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.


9 comments:

  1. I like your 'as much as necessary' approach to cleaning the cabinets. Functional, but the old character is still there. I think they turned out great! Love the tips, too. ;)

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  2. Oooh, aaah! Just great wood, nice finish. I can feel the warmth from here. I did not get to see the house treadles, so I don't know what virtues to sing about them. Great job. Purists are judges of competitions or have a lot of money. The main thing is to sew! What are you putting into them?

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    1. The two drawer cabinet houses the Fiddle bed Class 15 Singer with the roller foot. The other one houses a Singer 27.

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  3. Really nice job Elizabeth. That's the same way I finished my Singer 66 cabinet. I wanted it to turn out nice, but at the same time I was going to use it a lot so it didn't have to be perfect. I think that gives it a certain charm. Always enjoy reading your posts!

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  4. Wow. I wouldn't of thought (1st pic) that was the same table. Came out great!

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  5. What material are you using for treadle belt? I am dreading cutting/piercing one for my 15-89.

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    1. The common leather treadle belt is easy to fit. Treadle On Website has instructions. You see a 3/16 urethane belt that I bought from McMaster Carr in these photos. Don't forget to buy the connectors.

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