Re: Early Machines in Maine
Great find.? Very jealous.? I probably would have paid $250 because I'm horrible at negotiating or talking about money at all.? My English ancestry probably.? ?
--
Calvin Armerding
Chair, International Sewing Machine Collectors Society
"Bother" said Pooh, as he connected at 14.4kbps
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Re: Early Machines in Maine
Well dagnabbit, Luke.? I should exercise more self-control, I suppose. Pulled the trigger, seller dropped the price to $200.? I'm not going to complain about it (ok, well, maybe just a little...she probably would have come down another $10 or so). But I was wrong.? There are 5 bobbins.? There were 9 needles...then two more fell out of the drawer when we put it in the car.? The irons are nothing to write home about, and the decals are so-so.? But it spins easily, and...wait for it...the timing seems correct!? I just struggle with these things when I break them down for cleaning and have to get the timing set.? But it also has the little gizmo for pulling the thread from the bobbins, couple of seam guides, the big wrench (that I have yet to figure out) and a couple of other odds and ends.? The SN stamped on the back pillar matches the cloth plate, so, yup, 1860.? Earliest machine we've ever owned, so we are kind of excited. Now, when I Initially saw that machine, the first thing to enter my mind was that the little wooden cloth plate extension and bonnet were homemade.? Then I waffled, thought I might have seen something like that in an old catalog.? Nope.? Homemade.? The bonnet has very well-made dovetails, something that wasn't available in 1860--they were clearly machine-made.? It has what I thought was a decal on the top, and I figured somebody swiped the bonnet from some other machine.? That may be the case, but inside, on the top, we found a name scrawled in pencil with "Painted in 1899."? The name is hard to make out, and I doubt it's anybody famous. But somebody took the time to hand-paint flowers on the top of the bonnet.??It's these sorts of things that keep me coming back to these dear old creatures. And we thought about getting the grungy W&W #1 sitting all bedraggled in the corner because the irons are in better condition and the decals on the head might be really good underneath all that grunge.? But everything on the machine is pretty much wrecked, or it's frozen with rust, and there are just too many parts missing.? It would end up being a parts rig and we're too far away from anywhere to unload the irons and cabinet.? But if anyone's interested, we could pick it up and hold it. Anyway, here are a couple of pre-de-neglecting pics.? Thanks for all your input! ?     
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Re: Early Machines in Maine
Thanks, John...like I told the others, now I'm trying to figure out which guitar to sell!
On Wed, Jan 3, 2024 at 6:28?PM John Lowrey via <john_p_lowrey= [email protected]> wrote: Bruce - almost certain the W&W machine you found dates to ca 1860.? Serial number on the cloth plate agrees with Cooper¡¯s info showing 1860.? The presser foot shown in the machine without the glass insert is consistent with pre-1861 machines.? I haven¡¯t seen a table with the slide-on work surface, but I haven¡¯t seen everything, by any measure!? Great price for such an old example! Wish I were closer! Thanks for posting.?
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Re: Early Machines in Maine
Here's the kicker:? 3 bobbins.? I think it's very reasonably priced for a number of reasons.? Granted, it's a #3 (the nasty one is a #1), but it's pre-Civil War, has bobbins and assorted attachments, an uncommon table, the bonnet, the brush, the bobbin clamp, etc.? I'm pretty sure the seller would come down to $200.
I'm trying to figure out which guitar I want to sell....?
On Wed, Jan 3, 2024 at 6:42?PM Sandra Haak < swhaak@...> wrote: $250 seems very high. What do the rest of you think? Sandra W. Haak Phone (cell) 801-201-5331
?
FWIW, we were wandering around the antique mall in Fairfield, Maine, which is (unfortunately) not far from our home.? One vendor has two W&G machines and two W&W, along with numerous others.? Curiosity piqued, and we began examining one on a fairly standard table. It's a wreck, rusty, drawers missing, stuff bent and broken, presser foot lifter vanished, looks like a serious barn find.? 1866 with the slab bed, it can be had for $95 with some sweet-talking.
The other--and I wish I'd taken more photos--has a SN on the cloth plate indicating 1860.? It's in an odd little table with a bonnet and a slide-in boxy sort of thing that serves as a work surface.? I have questions.? I think I've seen photos of the simple table with the slide-in work surface.? I think it's waisted, but no medallion.? I also think that the feed dog bar is held up by the narrow bracket, not the wider, rectangular one, which would indicate that the machine is not of 1860 vintage, as I think the narrower arrangement was adopted in the later 1860s.? But that was hard to see in that particular environment.
It also had some attachments (!!).? I thought I saw a foot that should have had a glass insert but couldn't make out the little groove inside the cut-out that would serve to hold the glass.? Turns out the glass foot didn't show up until 1861...so, maybe the thing is, indeed, of 1860 manufacture.
One way to determine the SN would be to find the stamp on the casting.? Do you think, for the life of me, I can remember where those stamps were placed?? It's on one of the upright parts, underneath something else...arrrgh!!...sucks to get old.?
Anyway, she's go it listed for $250, and could likely be scooped up for $200 if someone was of the mind to do so.? We're tapped out.? But it's fun to look!
Here's a couple of pics of the 1860 machine (the 1866 one ain't much to look at...didn't post it because it might trigger bad barn find memories!)
Cheers all!
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Re: Early Machines in Maine
I would pay $250 without much hesitation.? My W&W 3 cost exactly that--plus finding it in my area was an absolute miracle.? (I'm in the "antique sewing machine desert" of western Colorado.) ? ? ?
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Re: Early Machines in Maine
$250 seems very high. What do the rest of you think? Sandra W. Haak Phone (cell) 801-201-5331
?
FWIW, we were wandering around the antique mall in Fairfield, Maine, which is (unfortunately) not far from our home.? One vendor has two W&G machines and two W&W, along with numerous others.? Curiosity piqued, and we began examining one on a fairly standard table. It's a wreck, rusty, drawers missing, stuff bent and broken, presser foot lifter vanished, looks like a serious barn find.? 1866 with the slab bed, it can be had for $95 with some sweet-talking.
The other--and I wish I'd taken more photos--has a SN on the cloth plate indicating 1860.? It's in an odd little table with a bonnet and a slide-in boxy sort of thing that serves as a work surface.? I have questions.? I think I've seen photos of the simple table with the slide-in work surface.? I think it's waisted, but no medallion.? I also think that the feed dog bar is held up by the narrow bracket, not the wider, rectangular one, which would indicate that the machine is not of 1860 vintage, as I think the narrower arrangement was adopted in the later 1860s.? But that was hard to see in that particular environment.
It also had some attachments (!!).? I thought I saw a foot that should have had a glass insert but couldn't make out the little groove inside the cut-out that would serve to hold the glass.? Turns out the glass foot didn't show up until 1861...so, maybe the thing is, indeed, of 1860 manufacture.
One way to determine the SN would be to find the stamp on the casting.? Do you think, for the life of me, I can remember where those stamps were placed?? It's on one of the upright parts, underneath something else...arrrgh!!...sucks to get old.?
Anyway, she's go it listed for $250, and could likely be scooped up for $200 if someone was of the mind to do so.? We're tapped out.? But it's fun to look!
Here's a couple of pics of the 1860 machine (the 1866 one ain't much to look at...didn't post it because it might trigger bad barn find memories!)
Cheers all!
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Re: Early Machines in Maine
Bruce - almost certain the W&W machine you found dates to ca 1860. Serial number on the cloth plate agrees with Cooper¡¯s info showing 1860. The presser foot shown in the machine without the glass insert is consistent with pre-1861 machines. I haven¡¯t seen a table with the slide-on work surface, but I haven¡¯t seen everything, by any measure! Great price for such an old example! Wish I were closer! Thanks for posting.
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Re: Early Machines in Maine
Yeah, absolutely not a common sight!
Wow, would I love to find this while wandering around an antique mall in my area. ?? Total eye candy.
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Re: Early Machines in Maine
Wow, would I love to find this while wandering around an antique mall in my area. ?? Total eye candy.
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FWIW, we were wandering around the antique mall in Fairfield, Maine, which is (unfortunately) not far from our home.? One vendor has two W&G machines and two W&W, along with numerous others.? Curiosity piqued, and we began examining one on a fairly standard table. It's a wreck, rusty, drawers missing, stuff bent and broken, presser foot lifter vanished, looks like a serious barn find.? 1866 with the slab bed, it can be had for $95 with some sweet-talking. The other--and I wish I'd taken more photos--has a SN on the cloth plate indicating 1860.? It's in an odd little table with a bonnet and a slide-in boxy sort of thing that serves as a work surface.? I have questions.? I think I've seen photos of the simple table with the slide-in work surface.? I think it's waisted, but no medallion.? I also think that the feed dog bar is held up by the narrow bracket, not the wider, rectangular one, which would indicate that the machine is not of 1860 vintage, as I think the narrower arrangement was adopted in the later 1860s.? But that was hard to see in that particular environment. It also had some attachments (!!).? I thought I saw a foot that should have had a glass insert but couldn't make out the little groove inside the cut-out that would serve to hold the glass.? Turns out the glass foot didn't show up until 1861...so, maybe the thing is, indeed, of 1860 manufacture. One way to determine the SN would be to find the stamp on the casting.? Do you think, for the life of me, I can remember where those stamps were placed?? It's on one of the upright parts, underneath something else...arrrgh!!...sucks to get old.? Anyway, she's go it listed for $250, and could likely be scooped up for $200 if someone was of the mind to do so.? We're tapped out.? But it's fun to look! Here's a couple of pics of the 1860 machine (the 1866 one ain't much to look at...didn't post it because it might trigger bad barn find memories!) Cheers all!   
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Hello Anna,
I have several W&W D9 machines that I acquired for their use for parts. I am guessing that you are looking for the bolt that belongs to the wooden Pittman arm that connects the treadle to the balance wheel. I recently salvaged parts from a D9 cabinet that had been destroyed by being stored in an old garage. If you can send me a picture of the area on the Putnam arm I can possibly send you the missing fastener.
I have five D9 orphan heads and an older 9 machine in storage as well as spare drawers, hardware, and some cabinet trim that I acquired over the years to help people like you restore their machines to working order.
All I request is reimbursement for postage.
Sincerely yours,
Harry Farmer
Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
On December 7, 2023, at 2:41 PM, Anna from MN <miepsusa@...> wrote: Hi all,
I am Anna, ?I am not a collector.
I found this little sewing machine at my local Goodwill in Minnesota for 29 dollars and could not leave it behind.
It¡¯s a D9 serial number 2360363. This was love at first sight. After I took it home, I did a little research and found your group. Thank you for admitting me.
Somebody obviously used it as a planter table at one point. And the ?footrest attachment ( right term ??) is missing a bolt to attach it to the fly wheel. ?The flywheel turns. The wheel on the machine turns and the sewing machine head bobs up and down nicely, a lot of tools and the leather belt were left in the drawers of the table. The needle is still in. It feels, as if it¡¯s ?been used and set aside for years after last use,?
I have some questions, because I want to clean it up, however I don¡¯t want to damage it.
1. I was thinking of cleaning the wood with a simple wood cleaner ( Murphy¡¯s ?) and try restore and finish?
2. maybe just use something to blow off the dust. The machine turns nicely without any resistance, should I still use oil?
3. The logo has either faded or has been cleaned off. is there any way I could restore this? I don¡¯t want to use decals.
4. what kind of bolt should I use to reattach the fly wheel to the wooden pin that connects to the footrest?
and is there anything that I really shouldn¡¯t do? Thanks
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anna from mn wrote:
> Somebody obviously used it as a planter table at one point. And the
> footrest attachment ( right term ??) is missing a bolt to attach it to
"treadle pedal" is probably more usual.
> 1. I was thinking of cleaning the wood with a simple wood cleaner (
> Murphy¡¯s ?) and try restore and finish?
Yup. Original finish would have been shellac.
> 2. maybe just use something to blow off the dust. The machine turns nicely
> without any resistance, should I still use oil?
Definitely use oil. Sewing machine oil is traditional, works fine, and doesn't
leave a residue.
> 3. The logo has either faded or has been cleaned off. is there any way I
> could restore this? I don¡¯t want to use decals.
Not easily, unless you're very artistic. The original decoration was
decals, of course, but I don't know if anyone makes reproduction decals
for the W&W machines. They could easily have been cleaned off.
> 4. what kind of bolt should I use to reattach the fly wheel to the wooden
> pin that connects to the footrest?
That's the hardest question you've asked. You won't find it at a hardware
store. :-/ You might get one on ebay, if you find someone selling parts.
>
> and is there anything that I really shouldn¡¯t do? Thanks
The machine and woodwork were originally shellacked, and shellac dissolves
with alcohol, so don't use any cleaners containing alcohol. Decals tend
to not like water, so, even though you don't have many left, you should probably
avoid water-based cleaners too.
Welcome to the group! (We're a quiet bunch, to say the least. Don't expect
a lot of chatter!)
paul
=----------------------
paul fox, pgf@... (arlington, ma, where it's 28.3 degrees)
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Lucky you!? I was given one in similar condition (the junk store owed me rent money), and had never even heard of them before!? It was so much fun to get it operating.? There was a fairly readable manual in a drawer.
Best, Liz
On Thu, Dec 7, 2023 at 5:41?PM Anna from MN < miepsusa@...> wrote: Hi all,
I am Anna, ?I am not a collector.
I found this little sewing machine at my local Goodwill in Minnesota for 29 dollars and could not leave it behind.
It¡¯s a D9 serial number 2360363. This was love at first sight. After I took it home, I did a little research and found your group. Thank you for admitting me.
Somebody obviously used it as a planter table at one point. And the ?footrest attachment ( right term ??) is missing a bolt to attach it to the fly wheel.? The flywheel turns. The wheel on the machine turns and the sewing machine head bobs up and down nicely, a lot of tools and the leather belt were left in the drawers of the table. The needle is still in. It feels, as if it¡¯s ?been used and set aside for years after last use,?
I have some questions, because I want to clean it up, however I don¡¯t want to damage it.
1. I was thinking of cleaning the wood with a simple wood cleaner ( Murphy¡¯s ?) and try restore and finish?
2. maybe just use something to blow off the dust. The machine turns nicely without any resistance, should I still use oil?
3. The logo has either faded or has been cleaned off. is there any way I could restore this? I don¡¯t want to use decals.
4. what kind of bolt should I use to reattach the fly wheel to the wooden pin that connects to the footrest?
and is there anything that I really shouldn¡¯t do? Thanks![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
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Re: Auction of wheeler & wilson sewing machines #3
What a nice collection! I live in the east coast, so not going to work for me. I would love to have one of those W&W in a table....sigh! Probably over my budget anyway. Hope they all go to good homes! Good luck!
On Nov 5, 2023 3:53 PM, Harry Schenck <harryschenck@...> wrote: Thank you for offering?to help. I kept a model 3 that we have had on display, but wanted to offer the other Wheeler and Wilson machines and know that your group really knows how to make them work. But I realize that the members live all over and may need a local person to help.
Meanwhile if you have any questions I'll try to answer them.
Harry
I live very close to here. I have a WW already so can¡¯t fit another but maybe can assist someone who can take one of these. Not sure what would be needed but if something can be done let me know.?
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Re: Auction of wheeler & wilson sewing machines #3
Amazing collection of machines. I¡¯d be interested in a few if I lived closer. The word should be spread all over the Groups.io and Facebook pages. Good luck. ?
Carol
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Re: Auction of wheeler & wilson sewing machines #3
Thank you for offering?to help. I kept a model 3 that we have had on display, but wanted to offer the other Wheeler and Wilson machines and know that your group really knows how to make them work. But I realize that the members live all over and may need a local person to help.
Meanwhile if you have any questions I'll try to answer them.
Harry
I live very close to here. I have a WW already so can¡¯t fit another but maybe can assist someone who can take one of these. Not sure what would be needed but if something can be done let me know.?
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Re: Auction of wheeler & wilson sewing machines #3
I live very close to here. I have a WW already so can¡¯t fit another but maybe can assist someone who can take one of these. Not sure what would be needed but if something can be done let me know.?
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Re: Auction of wheeler & wilson sewing machines #3
Wow!? What a collection of antique sewing items she has!
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Auction of wheeler & wilson sewing machines #3
Judy's Sewing & Craft Museum in Morro Bay CA is closing soon and is trying to get its collection of about 90 sewing machines, including 7 Wheeler & Wilson machines, into the hands of those who know and love them. They are being auctioned individually on the following website -??
The museum website is https://jsewcraftm,com/
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Carol Tallytwo Kio
Anne Graham
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