So, now that I have the 431G in workable condition, the next thing is to get the treadle cleaned and working. I googled resources to make sure I wasn't going to do more harm than good.
I came across
this blog which pretty much said
"the only totally safe cleaning process involves household soap and warm water on a soft cloth in small areas at a time, immediately followed by a 'rinse' with a different cloth dampened in warm water before moving on to the next area, then after drying, a polish with a little sewing machine oil on another soft cloth."
I decided this was the route I was going to go with to see what came of it.
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| A little warm water with Dawn soap and another warm water "rinse" |
I got the machine on my birthday (September 18), researched on the 19th, and started wiping it down that night before heading off to the open lab where I took my 431G. I continued working on it the next day. My main focuses at first were the cast iron legs, which appeared the most dusty and covered in cobwebs, but eventually I went on to the drawers and the outer parts of the machine itself.
Now that it at least seemed to be dust-free, I knew the next part would be oiling it. I found a two-part series on YouTube on
how to clean and oil a vintage sewing machine. Even though she is cleaning a Singer 28K (a handcrank machine), I quickly came to realize that my level of "cleaning" was not what she considered "cleaning." She even includes polishing in her "cleaning" process. This was going to be an endevor!
In the meantime, I tried to replace the treadle belt back into the wheel. Upon doing so, I broke the belt. It snapped at one of the places it meets the staple.
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| Broken treadle belt |
On September 30th, I went to get some of the supplies suggested in the YouTube video to help with the polishing/cleaning. I went to JoAnn Fabrics and purchased the following:
- Tweezers $5.99 - $2.40 for 40% off one regular-priced item = $3.59
- Singer Machine Oil $4.49 - $1.80 for 40% off one regular-priced item = $2.69
We are also fortunate enough to have a sewing machine store and repair shop nearby, so I swung by The Sewing Studio and purchased the following:
- Replacement Belt for Treadle, 68in. $11.95
- Singer Lubricant, 0.5oz. $3.99 (Really, I should have bought this at JoAnn with a coupon, but I had hoped to find a larger tube at the Sewing Studio and did not want to drive back to JoAnn when I didn't, even though I ended up going back later anyways.)
Next on my list was to get my own screwdriver set. I tried to find a set at JoAnn, but nothing seemed to be what I wanted. I asked if they had any magnetized screwdrivers, and the lady suggested Home Depot saying they offered a set perfect for sewing. I didn't find any set of magnetized screwdrivers at Home Depot, but I did find a little 4-in-1 screwdriver and a separate magnetizer cheap enough.
- Screwdriver Magnetizer/Demagnetizer $2.97
- 4-in-1 Mini Pocket Screwdriver $1.96
The next day, I tried to attach the new treadle belt, but it was too short by an inch or two. I knew I would have to take it back and probably end up ordering one online that was a little longer. I started back up again with cleaning the machine with soapy water and removing dust with the tweezers I purchased. I was able to get it clean enough to start the polishing process, but I didn't have metal polish yet.
On October 2nd, I returned to The Sewing Studio with the belt to return and the original belt for reference in case they did have what I needed and just didn't know it.
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| The Sewing Studio in Maitland, Florida |
I showed them the original belt compared to the one they sold me, and showed them how much shorter it was. The sales lady took my belt to the back and said she thought she had what I needed. I got very nervous with the belt out of my sight, especially when she didn't come back right away.
I sent another lady after her after what felt like an eternity. She came back with the first lady and my belt which she had "fixed." She had some guy in the back of the store cut off the end of the belt and pierced a new hole in the belt and attached a new staple so I could reattach it.
I got
very upset with the store. Now, I know I'm a fairly sentimental person, but why would they destroy my property without asking first?! Instead of helping me find a replacement that would work for my machine, they altered my original belt, which I did
NOT want. I left the store in tears after getting my refund on my first purchased belt and felt very frustrated and angry with the store.
I didn't even make it back to the interstate before I ended up turning around determined to get the piece cut off from my original belt. If I was going to have my belt altered, I at least wanted all of it back. I went to the desk and asked someone for the piece that was removed from my belt knowing someone was going to have to go digging through a trashcan somewhere. The first lady who tried to "help" me went to the back and came back with a gentleman.
Apparently, it was this guy who cut my original belt.
He held out his hand with the piece I wanted, then he asked me if I wanted the machine to work. I said "yes, but I didn't want the original belt altered." He then goes on to tell me that the original belt is too worn out to actually work.
This made things worse.
Why would he try to "help" me by altering a piece of my property without my permission knowing full and well it wasn't even going to help at all?! I was livid, but I told him that was why I was in the store to begin with. I tried to buy a replacement belt, but it was too short. At this point, he actually tries to help me.
He takes me to the back with the belt I bought and the original and pulls out another replacement belt. He said, even though they are sold as "68in.," they aren't always precise. He showed me another that was longer and much closer to the original length. Convinced this one would be the one to work for me, he punched a hole in the end and sent me on my way. I went back to the register sick to my stomach for actually allowing these ridiculous people to sell me something, and bought the longer belt.
When I got home, I put the belt on the machine, and it worked perfectly. I just wish the process in obtaining it had been less tear-filled.
After a few days away from the machine, I sent my husband to buy some metal polish for me. I searched craft stores and the internet alike for something that seemed appropriate. Almost everything seemed to have too many "don't use on..." warnings that made me too nervous to actually purchase them. I settled on Brass-O, which we got from Home Depot.
- Brass-O Metal Polish, 8oz. $3.27
The last thing I needed was crochet thread, as recommended in the video. I bought some from Hobby Lobby before realizing I already had some, so I returned it the day after. For price reference though, I will list the thread I bought here:
- Crochet Thread $3.99 - $1.60 for 40% off one regular-priced item = $2.39
Yesterday, I completed the polishing with the Brass-O.
I started with the front slide plate and the throat plate. She wasn't able to remove the throat plate on her machine, but boy am I glad I was able to because there was a
lot of dust and even some thread underneath it.
(By the way, I did not use toothpicks like she did. I just used some cotton swabs with a little water and my tweezers to clean.)
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| Slide plate and throat plate BEFORE |
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| Slide plate and throat plate AFTER |
There wasn't much of a noticeable difference, but it is a little more reflective than before.
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| Rear slide plate and other two pieces BEFORE |
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| Rear slide plate and other two pieces AFTER |
It took a
LONG time to get the read slide plate off. It didn't want to budge. After watching the girl in the video remove hers so easily, I was convinced that it must be possible, and even tried to enlist the help of my husband. Finally, I was able to get it off. The rear slide plate is quite tightly secured, while the front one will fall off when the machine is folded into the cabinet because it's so loose. The rear slide plate polished up nicely though.
Next was the presser foot and screw.
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| Presser foot and clamp BEFORE |
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| Presser foot and clamp AFTER |
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| Screw BEFORE |
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| Screw AFTER |
Since I had watched the video in its entirety before going through her process, I saved the polishing of the presser bar and needle bar for after the face plate cleaning. I placed a cloth over the newly polished bottom parts to keep them clean, then I got to work.
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| Faceplate BEFORE |
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| Removed faceplate BEFORE |
It was
filthy inside! I'm so glad I had the cloth down because the dust got
everywhere as I was cleaning it.
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| Faceplate AFTER (notice the crochet thread at the top left from the bars) |
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| Inside of faceplate AFTER (I did not polish the part of the machine that would be covered again by the faceplate, but notice all the gunk on the cloth!) |
By this point, I'm already to a tally of one dirty polishing rag. My fingers are also starting to hurt at this point from the polish.
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| Polishing rag #1 |
Next, I polished the tension assembly.
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| partially disassembled tension discs BEFORE |
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| Completely disassembled tension discs BEFORE |
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| Reassembled tension discs AFTER |
It was at this time that I realized something on the cabinet that I hadn't noticed before. There is some newspaper print pressed into the top as if she had a wet glass on top of newspaper and the words transferred. I want to try to modify this picture to see if I can figure out what the article says and then maybe pinpoint when this happened, but I think it adds a little extra character to the table.
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| Newspaper print |
Then was my favorite part! The bobbin winder. This thing just looks cool anyways, so I was excited to get it looking pretty. I moved my cloth to under the bobbin winder just in case.
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| Bobbin winder attached BEFORE |
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| Bobbin winder detached BEFORE |
I love the cute little heart shaped disc. It looks so adorable!
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| Bobbin winder gears BEFORE |
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| Bobbin winder gears AFTER (I could see my reflection in the larger one!) |
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| Reassembled bobbin winder AFTER (notice the seal behind it!) |
Before moving onto the wheel, I polished the little side flap near the needle bar.
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| Attached slide flap BEFORE |
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| Side flap AFTER |
Next up was the handwheel and the stop motion screw she mentions. I tested the stop motion mechanism before I did her "fix," and found mine did need to be fixed. I planned on doing it anyways just so I knew I could reassemble it correctly just in case.
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| Stop motion washer BEFORE (apparently, I didn't take an after photo) |
Last, there was a flap on the rear of the machine which she didn't show that I wanted to polish too, just for completion sake.
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| Rear slide flap BEFORE |
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| Rear slide plate AFTER (I love the pattern on this piece!) |
Lastly, it was time to oil the machine, but before I did I wiped it down one more time with soapy water just to make sure I had everything I may have just put back on the machine during the cleaning process off of it. I oiled all the mechanisms in the machine and then I oiled the body of the machine using some cotton rounds. It really makes it shine!
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| Cleaned and oiled machine! |
I'll wait a few days before I actually try it out since the oil is everywhere and may get on anything I try to sew right now. Until then!
Websites and videos I referenced above:
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