I have an antique treadle sewing machine sitting in my dining room! No, I didn't invite it over for dinner! I asked it to move in with me! However, this machine is very old, I have never had/used a treadle in my life, and I am not finding information on the net about this little girl.
She states very clearly on her side that her name is ERDA. Ever heard of anything by that name? Do you have a secret source of information that you would share with me?
I'm not having any luck on searching her name or finding a Google group for treadle owners. I'm going to need to totally refurbish her, I think. But since I'm such a novice, I really don't know!
Stay calm, Dannielle. We have several treadle lovers here. Don't know if any of them will be thawed out anytime soon. Meanwhile - try to just leave Miss Erda alone. Something that may seem harmless to you might be very bad for her complexion or digestive system. Polly
"Dannielle" I have an antique treadle sewing machine sitting in my dining room!
Ok, calming down now. I'm just totally excited to have her here and I want to use her NOW! I have to get a belt and probably have to do a lot more work on her, and I just don't know anything....so now I am anxiously awaiting responses!!!!
But thank you for reminding me to calm down! *grin* I've not done anything that could potentially harm her. I've just looked at her very closely and pushed on the treadle a few thousand times! *grin*
While we're waiting on Irene, Kate D, and John (to name a few), tell us about her. Where has she been living, is she a beauty or workhorse? drawers, hardware, tools or spare parts? Polly
Ok, calming down now. I'm just totally excited to have her here and I want to use her NOW! I have to get a belt and probably have to do a lot more work on her, and I just don't know anything....so now I am anxiously awaiting responses!!!!
But thank you for reminding me to calm down! *grin* I've not done anything that could potentially harm her. I've just looked at her very closely and pushed on the treadle a few thousand times! *grin*
There is a rather helpful web page called "Treadle On" that you might want to see -- I don't have the address, but you can get there with the name, I imagine. As I recall, there are links.
If there is a Singer Sewing Center in your area, they may very well be able to direct you to a person who will put your machine into working order.
and scroll down to Junker & Ruh Serial No. 190710.
In the description they say "The Company developed more modern machines including a High Arm Family transverse shuttle machine branded the Erda and a vibrating shuttle machine known as the Frigga both of which were available in 1901."
Ah! Treadle sewing machines. The breakthrough in technology that has laid to rest the computerized sewing machine. Well for me anyway. Now I know nothing about antique sewing machines. But I do know something about converting new sewing machines to treadle. And one of the things I found that makes it a very easy way to sew with very little messing about is the modern hollow core urethane round drive belt. I tried one of the leather drive belts that is available from various manufactures, and I found it less than satisfactory for the transmission of the power from the treadle mechanism to the hand wheel. The problem is that the leather stretches and you have to keep shortening it every so often to keep it taught enough to transmit the power of your legs without slipping on the hand wheel. Enter the above modern hollow core drive belt. While not "Period correct", if you are going to use the machine and not just let it sit there and be pretty, and useless, like a hollywood starlet, you will need to get one of the newfangled type of belts. They don't look like they belong on the machine, because the are new and out of character, but they work without any need for constant adjustment. I use my converted modern Mechanical Bernina 1008 for all of my sewing with the exception of quilt sandwich construction on the largest quilts, and if I could figure out a way to get another hand wheel, of the appropriate size, to fit on my Janome 1600 I would convert it so that I was totally treadle powered. that is how well they can work. So, if you are interested in really getting into treadling, here is where you can get on of these new and improved drive belts;
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will need to buy the appropriate length belt. Take a piece ofstring, and wrap it around your large lower wheel and up around thehand wheel on the machine. and then measure that piece of string andadd a couple of inches, and that is the length you will order. Alsoyou will need to order the connectors, that make the drive beltconnect into itself. Now you will need to fit it on the machine andcut it down to size, Then insert the little aluminum bullets, thatplug into one end of the belt's hollow core, and then plug into theother end, thereby making a continuous belt. You might have to re-cutthe belt if it is too loose, but the belt can be taken apart, andeither reuse the bullet, or use another one, from the rather large bagof 25 pieces, that they come in, until you get a consistently troublefree operation. When you finally get the belt adjusted to the properdegree of tightness, you can forget about it for years. I have madeabout 10 or 15 quilts and numerous pieces of clothing and have "never"touched the belt since I installed it. Your choice of color isfashionable bright yellow, which was my choice, or clear. I figuredwhy try to hide the color. It isn't leather, it is Urethane. Yourchoice of size, of belt, will depend on the valley of the groove onthe treadle wheel, and the diameter of the smallest wheel, the handwheel. I chose 5/16" and it works for my application. Make sure youask the nice man you talk to to get you the connector that isappropriate to the size of belt you order. The minimum diameter ofwheel you have will dictate the minimum size of belt you will be ableto use, as it has to allow the connector to pass over the wheel. Thisis how you can make that machine come into present century and becomea truly useful sewing tool. They would have used these belts, if theyhad been available back in the day.If on the other hand you wish to constantly have to fuss with theleather belt, and be "Oh so Period correct", then by all means, haveat it. The choice is yours. carefree ease of use, or periodcorrectness.
and scroll down to Junker & Ruh Serial No. 190710.
In the description they say "The Company developed more modern machines including a High Arm Family transverse shuttle machine branded the Erda and a vibrating shuttle machine known as the Frigga both of which were available in 1901."
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