| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| homergirl1957 |
Posted - Jul 26 2010 : 7:52:52 PM
hi,
just got a WHITE treadle sewing machine!!!! very excited and anxious at the same time. it has a long bobbin and i actually got it to work but need help!!! where to get extra bobbins and maybe a manual. winding the bobbin has me a little baffled. any suggestions?
in the midst of difficulty lies opportunity.-a. einstein |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| urban chickie |
Posted - Jul 27 2010 : 09:10:38 AM
OK, I have a little more time to answer now....Yes, the bobbins are much easier to find than shuttles, so take care of yours! Some of those old bullet shaped bobbins are being made new but I do not know for sure about the shuttles. One way to keep them good longer is to use only cotton or at least cotton coated thread in the machine - what happens usually to age them is that the thread literally grinds a groove in the metal over time and that groove can alter the tension or catch the thread. Polyester is much stronger and will make that groove sooner. I only use cotton threads in my older machines and save any polyester for my newer (cira 1960s LOL) electric.
As far as threading, look here if you haven't already found it:
http://www.treadleon.net/sewingmachineshop/shuttle/vsshuttle.html
There is also a page from their home site all about Whites, and there's a gal on there that researches Whites so if you can take a good photo from the front, she can probably ID yours. Fanny is her name I think. Also, their flea market page will give you some good starters for parts if needed. If you don't see what you need, ask one of the vendors, as most are part time sellers, part time collectors and their stock changes frequently. They will let you know others that sell what you are looking for as well, and some are on eBay and such. You would be amazed at how many old parts are out there!!
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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| clothedinscarlet |
Posted - Jul 27 2010 : 06:59:27 AM
I have two Whites. One is a VS like yours and the other is the FR model. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my VS machine. It's my favorite to sew with. I'm lucky that mine came with several bobbins. Only one shuttle though. I'm hoping that holds up. The bobbin is actually very easy to wind. I figured out everything on my machine without a manual. I still don't have one, so if you ever find one somewhere, let me know :) I use the manual for my FR machine sometimes to figure out attachments as they work pretty much the same. Let's see if I can explain the bobbin winding. So, spool of thread up top over the bobbin winder, thread the bobbin through the hole in the end and clip it into the bobbin winder by pulling back on the pin on the left side and then letting go once the bobbin is in. My bobbin winder has a little sliding gadget above it that is supposed to move the thread back and forth while winding, but I don't use it because I think it's broken or something. I can't figure out how it would possibly distribute the thread as it is. Anyways, so then you will screw the little screw on the right hand side in so that it engages the little rubber wheel of the winder with the machine's wheel and you're ready (I have to make sure that the wheel is screwed in loosely because if it's too tight it doesn't work - there's a point of "just right") to wind the bobbin. Start the treadle going and manually guide the thread back and forth along the bobbin as it winds.
Hope that makes some sense. Good luck with your new machine. I actually prefer sewing on my VS White treadle to sewing on my modern machine. There's something very soothing about it.
Farmgirl Sister #1110
Siobhan - AKA Liza-Jane (my farmgirl name), wife to my best friend, Trent, and mommy to Camden (11/28/05) and Bennett (7/11/07). and Truman (7/28/09) |
| homergirl1957 |
Posted - Jul 26 2010 : 9:01:53 PM
thanks catherine,
i'll look at treadleon.com; the sites i have looked at so far don't offer a lot of info on whites, singer info seems to be easier to find.
the tiny bit i sewed on my treadle was enough to get me hooked!
thanks again,
cathy
in the midst of difficulty lies opportunity.-a. einstein |
| urban chickie |
Posted - Jul 26 2010 : 8:13:40 PM
There are actually many online sources for manuals and such....do you know what model it is? Do you have a manual? If not, try joining one of the Yahoo groups on treadle or White sewing machines, or a group like TreadleOn, at least for a while so you can get some info. There are folk who sell the old bobbins and other parts reasonably, and some that aren't so reasonable lol. I inherited two older Singers last year and was able to get free manuals online for both, as well as all sorts of info. Once you get used to the treadle, you will love it! They sew incredibly good :)
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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