Spinning/soap making

Yesterday I made soap, ti-tree and clay/clove bud. Today I did some spinning of the Leicester Longwool fleece.

I also stripped the ruined veneer off the Singer 99 base. I have some oak veneer which I am going to try, to see if it is easier to use than the original Singer veneer. Modern veneers are thinner than antique veneers so hopefully it will bend easier round corners. I have to find a way of joining it, either by cutting over both when I get round to the end of the glueing or by shaving it thin and overlapping. Then I will need to stain and polish it. I also need to clean the case which is a bit dirty but should clean up well.

The machine itself needs to have the bobbin and needle plates cleaned as they are quite rusty. the rest of the machine seems to be in good condition and is quite lint free for a change. It looks like the previous owner actually looked after it when they were using it. It's a shame that most old machines seem to end up in garages and other damp places where they go rusty and the veneer peels off. They also seem to attract paint spots.

The machine belonged to the mother of the chap I bought it from. She died some weeks ago and they have no use for it.

Treadle servicing

I have been down to London again, this time to service a treadle. It was one I have never seen before, a Grosvenor possibly a German machine. It belonged to the lady's Aunt. Very pretty and she was overjoyed because not only did I get it going but gave her a lesson and left her happily treadling away. She plans on making curtains for her front door.

While I was down there I was asked to service 2 more treadles, a Singer 15 (no problem to clean up, well used and the decals were very worn, half a ton of lint under the needle plate) and a Pfaff 11 which was very rusty, so more of a mini-restoration than a service.

Now I am back home it's more soap making, knitting and spinning, plus restoring a Singer 99.

Bad day

Yesterday was a bad day, nothing went right. I couldn't find the inspection plate for the BSM machine I was servicing so I stopped that. The Singer 66 Lotus had a sheared screw on the slide plate spring and the decals and pillar paintwork were very bad so that will be parted out. The Lotus hand crank I can put on one of several Sphinx VS machines and use that case when I've repaired it.

I was just about to give up when I spied a bentwood case and couldn't remember what was in it. It was a Singer 12 with missing slide plates, but underneath that was a hand cranked Singer 15 Centennial in beautiful condition, a few chips on the bed but the decals are very good. The original case needed reveneering but I had a case exactly the same ready to go. An hour cleaning it last night, testing and polishing it this morning and it is lovely.

Today I am off to London. Phil is taking me and I'm going back on the coach as Molly our elderly cat is not well so I don't want to leave him with no transport. I just have to sort out a small toolbox for my servicing tools to do the treadle for Dee. My normal toolbox is too full and too heavy to bring back on the coach.

I will take Casie's scarf to knit on the coach. That should get me a fair bit further. When I come back on Wednesday, I am going to do some spinning as I haven't had time for 2 weeks and I wanted to spin enough to make some Christmas pressies.

Machines

I have had more trouble with the Singer 15. I forgot when I changed the balace wheel that the bobbin winder is not close enough to the wheel to work. I have decided to put the Singer Lotus 66 in the same case and base as that is a hand crank already. That will need a full service and clean tomorrow.

I haven't had much time to knit or spin lately but I have been making soap. Hopefully after Monday when I have taken the machines down to London I will be able to just make soap, knit and spin.

I am making some double size wooden soap moulds. I have found that lining the moulds with thick plastic means I don't have to freeze the soap to release it from the moulds. Doing the same with wooden moulds means I need not have them bolt together. I will need to make a cutter to cut the double block in half.I bought all the offcuts of plywood today and they only cost £3.50 I will just need screws and some wire for the soap cutter.

More machines

I have had a few hiccups with the Singer 28 as the top went on crooked and when I took it off, the top sections came unglued again. I have now reglued and pinned them so it won't happen again, I had a brainwave and covered the new plywood top with some of the veneer I retrieved from the old treadle and table I had to take apart. All I need to do is take off the old finish and some of the dark stain.

I have put my Singer 15 in another case and changed the solid balance wheel for a spoked wheel and added a hand crank. Then I will oil the machine and give the case and base a quick going over with Fenman's elixir.

The next machine is a Singer 185 electric in beige. I know it works fine as this is the machine I lent to the group making Carnival costumes last year. A quick service, clean of the case and that's it.

The last machine is an electric 201, one of the more modern angled shape. It will need a service and I need to try out the motor, although the wiring looks good.

I won't have time to do much tomorrow as we have a funeral to go to, our elderly neighbour who was 90.

Singer 28

I have been cleaning up the Singer 28 hand crank which I am taking down to London at the end of the week. I had to make a new top for the case as the old one was too damaged to repair. This machine has pretty Victorian decals.

Tomorrow I have to clean up a Singer 201 (electric) which is also going down to London. It shouldn't need much more than a service as it is very clean.

I might also start on a Singer 66 which will need rewiring as the wiring is very old and cloth covered. Hopefully I won't need to solder new wires onto the motor.