Transformation

I like to work on the irons in the morning.  Before it gets too hot.  I have my little set up just outside the door, near the hose.  I have another station just outside the shop with the electric drill wire brush.  I figure that way I won't electrocute myself.  I scrubbed and scrubbed yesterday and then I drilled and drilled (Well, you know). Then I scrubbed some more. The SINGER letters will be a pain.  I think the Dremel tool will  do the job.  My arm is pretty tired from holding the heavy, Makita, electric drill.  But I am inspired to get the sides done .

For comparison, and dramatic effect

Now that I look at the photos, I see that the old silver paint did look like patina. 

GOOD NEWS!!!!ITS RAINING!!!!! I left the windows open in all the vehicles and left the tools out (well NOT the drill, but the tables) on purpose knowing that if I did that it would rain.  Yes, I am obsessive AND superstitious. 

Wheelin'

I promised an after photo:

That there is bare metal. Yessir it is.


For those of you who missed the before photo

That there is dirt and paint and rust and what not.....  The what not was the easiest to remove.

Inspired I tackled the cross piece

During:

And no I am NOT cleaning the house today.  Maybe on Sunday I will run the vacuum.  (I use a shop vac, it has the best power).  Today I am going to sew.  I need some fodder for the other blog so if I am not here, I am there.   http://www.sewingmachinemagic.blogspot.com/

Wilson

I know, I know I should just have left that huge lipoma alone.  But I was worried.  The vet had done a FNA (fine needle aspiration) and reassured me that it was a fatty benign tumor.  But it was getting bigger and I did not like it.  So now, instead of a lump, Wilson has about 15 or 16 stitches along an eight inch incision.

He is a licker.  While the position of this wound is not easily accessible he was managing to get his tongue around his leg and onto the incision.  Hence the collar.  I live about 15 miles from the vet.  I did not want to trek back out there yesterday.  I had a treadle wheel to clean up.  So I found this cervical collar in my closet.  It works.  He is wearing it now and has worn it all day and all last night.  When I take it off, he tries to lick again.

I don't think its as terrible as the other cone collars that you see some dogs wearing.   He just looks like he has whip lash.

And speaking of a treadle wheel, here it is before:

Stay tuned....Tomorrow the reveal.....what it looks like now.

Treadle Clean up

I had absolutely no intention of getting involved in this project today.  But it was a warm day, low humidity and a perfect day to paint.  I thought that one of the treadle legs was ready for paint.  I was wrong. This treadle is so dirty.  It is going to take HOURS before I can paint it.   This is how this side looked a few weeks ago.

Here it is after some work that day and some more work today.  I scrubbed with a small wire brush and degreaser.  And I rinsed with the hose.  Then I did it some more until, when I scrubbed, the froth was white, not brown...

 Someone had painted it silver.  It is pretty clear that whoever did that just got out the spray can and went to town, right over the dirt.  The silver paint comes right off along with the dirt.  But there is just so much of it.  

I  wanted to start on the wheel today but I was worried about the pitman.  It's wood.  Hard wood, most assuredly, but wood still and 104 year old wood at that.  I did not want to get it wet.  I did not want to break it .  I wanted to get it off.

I went to Treadle On and looked up how to take apart the treadle base http://www.treadleon.net/sewingmachineshop/treadles/servicingtreadles.html and felt confident that I could do it.  They stated that it is not necessary to remove the pitman.  True, but in this case it had to come off.

Removing the dress guard was easy.  I was surprised and encouraged.  Perhaps removing that screw to the wheel would be easy.  NOT!

I had treated it with PB Blaster before dinner.  I whacked, scraped, applied more PB Blaster, whacked some more, scraped some more, put the hair dryer to it,  applied more PB Blaster and just could not get it loose.  I was about to give up but finally tried Kroil.  (I have a very little bit left over from class)
I grabbed the nut behind the screw and turned it.  It moved, finally.  Then I was able to loosen the screw and back off the cone bearings and finally get the wheel off.  WHEW.

In order to get the pitman off, though, I had to loosen its "adjuster" and remove it. See how I backed that screw all the way out?

Once that was out, the two little pieces in that hole were free to come out.
The little half moon top piece practically fell out, along with a washer that sits between the two pieces.

I had to manipulate the other part.  I think that I can get it back in after everything is cleaned up.

I have already lost the nuts and bolts and some other parts to this machine.  I would not say that they are lost.  I would say they are mis-placed.  They will surface, probably when I clean the shop.
But I did not want to lose this very important and special piece. So I tacked it to the wall and took a picture of it.  It needs cleaning too..

I cleaned the pitman.  I used my utility knife to gently scrape the crud and old paint off.  Then I wiped it down with mineral spirits.

and

The patent mark is still legible.  Imagine that

I guess this little project was worth it.  None of my other treadles have a wooden pitman.  None of my other treadles are in such terrible shape, either.

Speaking of which, yesterday Steven and I drove over to Gilbertsville to look at a treadle.  It was in worse shape than this one.  It, too, has a wooden pitman.   I offered less than the asking price.  The asking price is firm.

My plan for tomorrow is to try to finish the cleaning.  I think that it will be a breeze now that the pitman is free.....Oh, yeah, I gotta find those parts....(UPDATE, I found them this morning, Independence Day,.......just had to know where to look)