OurWorkbench

Courtney

Courtney tells what he has been up to this month including some quilts finished (no pictures, yet) and a way to power some of his machines.

I am pleased to report that I have worked on a couple of projects during April. First. I did complete the three quilts I planned on entering in the men’s show sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum. All three quilts are not only completed but also entered! They range from a rather small wall hanging titled After Picasso (23”x37”) to a larger full-sized Cowboy Sugan (50”x73”). In between was another of my mathematical quilts titled the Fibonacci Series (33”x49”). I think the Picasso quilt is rather cute so if it is not chosen it will be hanging on a wall in the bedroom, The Cowboy Sugan is a bit smaller than usual because I plan on wrapping up in it in the winter while watching TV. At the men’s show in 2024 I displayed a quilt which was the geometric proof of the Pythagorean theorem. During the show, an old friend happened to come by and ask in jest “What’s next, the Fibonacci Series? The third quilt is my answer. I hope at least one of this year’s quilts is accepted because I do enjoy participating at the RMQM.

My other project has been an exciting hardware project. I have several sewing machines that often just sit around because I don’t have an easy way to power them. I thought a hand crank might be appropriate. I found a couple of 6-inch circles at Dollar Tree that I could glue together to form the crank wheel. Things were starting to move along and then I made a wonderful find on the internet. I ran across a site which has a number of free, noncommercial, programs for 3D printing titled Thingiverse. Thingiverse has a number of sewing and sewing machine related 3D printing projects. The one I found to be particularly interesting was a handcrank wheel for a Willcox and Gibbs machine by smwombat . Actually, I think he must have created the handwheel crank just for me. I had also found a knob on Thingverse that I liked so I asked an undergraduate up at school to run off both handcrank wheel and knob. They came out wonderfully. So off with the wooden wheel and on with the 3D printed wheel and knob. Since I had already started playing around with the wooden wheel, I simply used the base I had already constructed of wood. My base was simply two pieces of wood which I had screwed together with pocket holes and is held in place by a screw that goes in the slot of the treadle top and is held in place by a wingnut on the bottom. (see picture 1) This allows me to easily adjust the crank at various distances in front or behind the sewing machine. I had also drilled holes about 1 inch apart up and down the support so I could experiment with the wheel at various heights. I used plastic tubing as the belt to connect the handwheel crank to the machine because it was cheap and easy. (see pictures 2&3)

When I accidentally ran across an old drawer-front in the garage, I decided I now had a good use for it. I have a very old W&G machine from about 1859 but no way to power it, so I set to making a hand crank for it. I tried the crank in front and behind the machine and decided behind would look best. I then dug up a piece of oak about 0.75 inches by 1.25 inches and cut it to about 7 inches long. I attached it to the drawer with pocket hole screws. I got my student to run off another handcrank wheel and knob in black this time. For this combination I decided a leather belt might be more appropriate. WOW! When I got it all put together it resembles an English hand crank machine. (see pictures4&5) This machine now looks (and works) much like it could have 166 years ago when James Buchanan was president! (For those of you who don’t remember your American History, Buchanan was the president before Lincoln.)

Next Month I hope to have tried the handcrank on some other machines. Will let you know in my next report how things have progressed.

Special thanks go to:
Thinkverse for the web site at https://www.thingiverse.com/
smwombat for the handcrank wheel at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5248970
dcrozier for the knob at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3732172

I had a lot to go over so I hope this report actually makes some sense. I was quite excited with what I accomplished this month!

Courtney











to be continued...

OurWorkbench

Thanh

Thanh tells of a retreat he is attending.

Hi everyone

It’s been a long time since I’ve had any news to share because I just haven’t done much sewing this year. Well, I hope to kickstart things back up with a week long quilting workshop.

While I mainly sew garments and the occasional bag, I’m currently at an art workshop called Alegre Retreat that focuses on quilting. My wife and I were researching upcoming classes with Paula Kovarik who taught a free motion quilting class last year in Tennessee, and discovered Alegre Retreat in Gateway, CO. Unfortunately, Paula’s class was full, but I was able to get into a class that explores painting fabric with different tools and techniques taught by a quilter from Austin, TX named Sherri Lipman McCauley.

We just finished day 1 of 5, and I don’t have a lot to share yet but will have some photos next month. In the meantime, I’ve attached photos of quilts from this year’s teachers and a couple of next year’s.

Regards,
Thanh












In Closing

Thank you for reading and to our contributing members. Hope you are all enjoying the spring. We will post next month.

OurWorkbench

This spring, March 1 through May 31 average of all the highs and lows, Denver ranks as the 15th warmest in the 154 years of records in Denver. June 1st Denver had a high of 86°F but then yesterday was cloudy with some sprinkles with only a high of 55°F. Everyone must have been out enjoying the good weather as we only had Courtney with a report this month.

Courtney

Courtney tells about how he mounted 3D printed handwheel for a 24 and of his recent sewing machine acquisition.

Hi All,
This month I have continued playing with the 3-D printed handcrank wheel I mentioned in last month’s report. The Willcox and Gibbs machines were easy compared to what I tried this month, a Singer model 24-26. The Singer, like the W&G machines, is also a chain stitch machine but its drive wheel is shrouded with a cover on the wheel and a cowling across the top of the wheel. This means that the drive belt must come from the below the machine. I at first thought I would simply build a box and mount the machine on top. The problem is this would put the needle plate of the machine more than 8 inches above the table top, which is very inconvenient for sewing. I tried something else that did seem to work better. I started with a board horizontally on the table with one end sticking over the edge. I attached another board vertically on the end of the first board that stuck over the edge and then mounted the handcrank wheel to this second board. It sounds a bit weird but does work. It does not feel quite as natural as having the handcrank wheel at about the same height or slightly above the machine and I think you would get tired much faster being a bit hunched over, but it is simple and it does work! I have enclosed a couple of pictures of this arrangement.

I have also made a purchase that I will use in my featherweight workshops. I bought a Standard Sewhandy sewing machine. I have always wanted one to show off in my workshops, but recently the price has been through the roof. I happened to see one for sale on our local Craigslist for a reasonable price, so I purchased it. It seems to be in average condition. Many of the Sewhandy machines were green and sold by GE. I was pleased that this one was black and carried the Standard label, as it shows more of a kinship to the Singer Featherweights. It did come with the little black box, all the cords, instruction book and accessories. I have not had time to clean her up yet (perhaps another report.) She does sew and the only problem I have found so far is that it is missing the front slide plate. I will try and keep my eyes open for another slide plate but in the meantime, I will try and make one of plastic or maybe try 3-D printing one. All in all I am well pleased and have included a couple of photos (unfortunately the photos are quite harsh, it looks much nicer in person.)

Courtney










In Closing
That's all for this month. Thank you for reading. See you next month.

KathyS120

I would be more interested in a coffee or afternoon get together. I can’t be away overnight due to my husband’s health, but I would still like to meet like-minded people to talk about our machines. I live in Aurora.

OurWorkbench

Thursday the 19th was 93°F, June 20th Denver hit 99° F, which tied a record high from 2017. Saturday the official high was 96.1°F, but was hotter in other areas of the front range. It was a little cooler on Sunday 91.9°F Then on Wednesday, June 25th, Aurora was hit with a major hail storm where Aurora crews hauled away 170 tons of hail and there was still piles of hail piled up an one of the Parkways 24 hours later.

Enough of the Denver metro weather. We have a short read this month.

Courtney

Courtney has a very good friend that helped him by making a very small Willcox & Gibbs missing screw.

Dear All,
Most of my sewing machine time this month has been devoted to working on a couple of Willcox and Gibbs machine. The first machine is a very early machine from 1863. It was rusty and frozen up when I got it. I got off the major dirt and rust and a bit of kerosene got it moving again. So the next challenge was to see if it would sew. The machine is a slight bit out of time and the needle taps the spinning looper at the very bottom of a stroke. Unfortunately the nut which holds the machine timing is still stuck. I think I will be able to get it unstuck with time, kerosene, and Liquid Wrench. I was impatient though. So I took my Dremel and removed about a 16th of an inch from the top of a needle. When I tried to make it sew I was successful. This is not a good solution but it will buy me some time to let the Liquid Wrench do its thing.

My second project was to get the W&G machine I have been using at History Fest for the 4th graders working properly again. It is a very pretty machine from 1917 with all of its decals still nice and shiny. I bought it from a second hand store in Las Vegas, NM about 10 years ago. When I purchased it it was frozen up but Kerosene and Liquid Wrench quickly got it working again. I like to use it on a small treadle table I built that is open and easy for kids to see how it actually works. The pretty little machine on top of the little treadle makes a great demonstration for the school kids. At history fest last fall, all of a sudden it stopped sewing and just made rat’s nests under the needle plate. I tried everything to get it working again but it all failed so I had to replace the machine on the treadle. Fearing similar problems this spring I simply used another machine. I finally decided to track down the problem with the pretty little machine so it will be ready to go for next History Fest. The problem was the very tiny (a bit smaller than a grain of rice) set screw that holds the looper in position had fallen out. A trip to Ace Hardware was unsuccessful as they had no set screws small enough to fit. I contacted an old friend Bill, who knows much more about working with metal than I do. Bill helped me repair my Bernina 930 that I talked about a few months ago. We finally determined that the missing set screw was 1/8 inch in diameter or a #5 screw (a very unusual size) with about 44 threads per inch. Bill took it as a challenge and said that he would try and make a screw for my sewing machine on his 75 year old metal lathe. Over the next couple of days I looked on line and finally found what I think are the correct screws but before I could tell Bill he had sent me some pictures. The first shows the final screw. It is resting on a small metal ruler 1 inch in length. The second shows him cutting the slot in the small screw. (the screw is in the center of the picture on the left hand side) Finally, the third picture shows the screw inserted into a W&G shaft. Now all I have to do is put properly align the looper, lock it in place with the new set screw, and set the timing of the machine. Hopefully, next month I can give a brief (successful, I hope) final report. The last picture shows the pretty little machine in the small treadle table I built for it. It also shows the bright green belt I use so the kids can easily see it as I treadle.

I had to spend some time this week getting ready for one of my Featherweight workshops on Thursday. Ready to go now.

‘till next month,
Courtney









In Closing
That is all we have for this month. We will post again next month.

OurWorkbench

Denver hit the first 100°F day on July 9th, which tied the record high for that date. Then on the 29th Denver began Tuesday with muggy conditions, tying its highest dewpoint in 17 years. Which made it seem very muggy.

Cheryl

Cheryl tells of her recent cute little acquisition.

I actually acquired a new-to-me sewing machine this week. A little toy sewing machine called a Stitchwell. It is probably the heaviest toy sewing machine I have ever owned. It also seems to have a mechanism that keeps it from being turned backwards. I haven't cleaned it up and tried sewing with it yet. I've been busy sewing teeny tiny doll clothes by hand.

C & C





to be continued...

OurWorkbench

Courtney

Courtney has been busy with his 1863 Willcox and Gibbs machine and working on a quilt and ideas for another.

Last month I discussed the 1863 Willcox and Gibbs machine I had purchased. I mentioned that it was pretty rusty and I was having trouble with the timing of the machine because of a stuck nut. A bit of heat helped get the nut free so I was able to get the timing correct. I still have a bit of clean-up to do but at least is is sewing now. I did not have a way to power the machine so I had a kid 3D print me a hand crank wheel and I made another of by hand crank bases I reported on about 3 months ago. The base was an old one with a dark finish that I repurposed (see picture.) This gave me a chance to compare the dark finish to the light golden finish of the earlier ones. I think I prefer the lighter finish. I used some of the green poly for the belt because is makes the cranking so much smoother than the old leather I had laying around. The little W&G ferrule holds the poly belting nice and tight.

While I was looking around, I also found a treadle top I had made about 10 years ago. This inspired me to also get to work on getting a little treadle table I had cut the pieces for last years before I had to vacate the shop. I had to quickly cut the pieces so I was not sure how well they would go together but they seemed to go together easily. I still need to do some sanding, staining, and finishing but at least the table is together and sturdy (see picture, still have to attach the top!)

Once everything is together and finished, I have a project in mind. Since the W&G machine was made during the Civil War, I plan on making a Civil War quilt. I hope to use the specifications as requested by the US Sanitary Commission for donated quilts. I have purchased the fabric and plan to make a “potholder” style quilt similar to those made in New England during the war.

In other quilting news, I have also gotten started on some of the squares for my Blazing Star quilt that I was working on some time ago. I have all the pieces cut for the squares and have started to sew them together.

Thanks!
Courtney





to be continued...

OurWorkbench

Dorothy

Dorothy tells of a machine that she hadn't seen before.


Hello,
I had a request to come look at a serger picked up from a Thrift store.
I did meet the owner to find the machine was an old all metal Brother. I regret not writing down the model number which was 509? It was a 4 thread model which I assumed would be a 2/ 3/ 4 thread stitch pattern machine.

To my surprise, it turned out to be a 2 thread chain stitch with a 2 thread over edge! Spacing about 5/16".
I have never seen a dedicated domestic serger that did one stitch only. I assume it made a lot of shirts in its day!
Later,
Dorothy





to be continued...

OurWorkbench

Leon

Leon, our member at large from Kansas sent his news of a great thrift store find.

Iris has been a gardening fiend this spring and summer, wearing me out.. I still have time to hit some thrift stores when I am parts chasing or getting mulch though. News below for all.

I found a Necchi Supernova Ultra in a thrift store a few weeks back. I was excited till I did not find a controller with it (sigh) Last week I went to the same store and saw the same pink machine. Later on, by another machine I found a little plastic bucket. It had a cam box labeled Necchi.. OOOOOH.. what else may be there? Yes, a controller, and more cams, and feet and manuals for the machine and the cams. You bet I snagged it then. I cut out a thread nest. Oiled it. It took two tries of threading before it started making nice stitches. It still has a few frozen controls, but I've just started the process. GF, Iris, is falling in love with it.
Wishing I was in upper altitudes of Colorado.











In Closing
That's all for this month. Thanks to our contributing members and faithful readers. Will post next month.

OurWorkbench

August the 7th Denver tied the high of 99° which tied the record high from 1980 and recorded its hottest low temperature in 144 years on Thursday. The temperature only dropped to 74 degrees Fahrenheit at Denver International Airport. That marks the warmest low temperature in Denver since July 3, 1881 when it was 77 degrees.

Lisa

Lisa tells of what she has been working on and some upcoming events she will be speaking at.

...I will be hanging out on Mackinac Island with my husband and daughter who will be joining us from Washington DC.

I am working on getting some organization back to my workshop and selling a couple machines – a beautiful 1941 Blackside, Wrinkle (Godzilla/Crinkle) Singer 66 in a student wooden-legged treadle and a nice Singer 500A Rocketeer in a cabinet. Let me know if you know anyone who may be interested. I also have a box top of unknown maker, it is similar to the lid on my Frister & Rossman but not exactly. Free to anyone who would like it.











to be continued....