You can probably get the answer on the antiques forum or the quilting forum. I have several old singers upstairs, but they're put away and I think you will get an answer on those forums.

Never seen rust on an old treadle either. Sometimes a little on the iron of the treadle works. Did you mean 1887? Depending on the date of manufacture, appropriate needles can be hard to get, but there are online sources who carry original ones if you can get a size on them. The bobbin should be with the machine, or several in fact. If it's a round bobbin you may have better luck replacing them. My machines are all long bobbins but they're available as well online and are old salvadge originals. The bobbin chase is another story, so hopefully all parts are intact. It's also hard to get good leather replacement belts. I buy belts from Lehman's hardware in Amish country, but they carry rubber ones and they are not nearly as good as leather. I have no clue on how to remove silver spray paint. I successfully removed gilt paint somebody used on a pair of 1930s lamps with acetone nail polish remover, but I guess it's going to depend on the solvent carrier in the paint on your machine. What a pity. By all means, try to get that serial number. It'll nail your manufacture date on an old Singer.

Hi Elizabeth, i've only written in this forum twice, but read it everyday. i have a newer Singer treadle from the 30's, the cabinet hasn't even a scratch in it, was left to my sil when her aunt passed on (we got a lovely desk) and she was supposed to have it shipped to her home and it lived in our garage for 6 months till i brought it in the house and took it, have had it for 6 years and love it. here at machine you have would go for about 125.00 (sorrY), but you can go on the singer site and get some great info about your machine! yours is a beautiful machine make sure you use it and love it, i have a feeling your neighbour knows that you would take good care of it and love it. debbie

Aloha Lamguy, What a sweetie you are to buy a treadle for your wife even if you don't see exactly what she would want it for! Consider it sort of the same as using hand tools to do woodworking. As a craft, woodworking or sewing with handtools has a nicer "feel" to it. I use a treadle for many of my sewing projects because it is a much more controlled machine than the electric ones. It also makes a better stitch and I find the treadle action to be soothing. I also use hand planes to finish wood and my husband doesn't understand that either. He did buy me a nice double action air sander - with an air compressor, too - which I'll use for the rough sanding, but will probably use the planes for the final finish for the flat areas. ( I'll do that when he isn't looking.) My newest treadle showed up last week, a White rotary probably made in the late 1800's. It is in real good condition with a fancy cabinet, but does have a few issues here and there. I've been doing a bit of restoration to the cabinet and it looks like the original finish is shellac. If the finish on your wife's "new" sewing machine is also shellac, it is an easy finish to renew. I've been using very fine steel wool moistened with a teeny bit of soapy water to clear off the accumulation of old wax and polishes. (Probably more elbow grease than water.) After getting the old stuff off, I'll just put another light top coat of new shellac on it using the "French polishing" method. One of the darker shellacs, probably either seedlac or garnet shellac. Very easy and will hopefully be the same as the original finish. The other way this is an easy finish is that it is renewing the existing finish and not entirely refinishing it. Much less work and then I'll be able to start sewing sooner. A hui hou, Cathy