I have just acquired a Franklin treadle sewing machine, the number on it is 157717. I'm trying to restore this machine and do not know what year it is so that I can buy parts. I need a throat plate for it and the sheath, and probably also bobbins to go with it. I am sure that I will need other parts for it as I go along. I would appreciate all the help that I can get. I have included the two pictures front and back. Maybe this will help with finding out the age of this Franklin machine. Thank you very much for all your help.
Franklin machines are nice machines and you'll probably really like this one when you get it going.
Not all of the machines were made at the same factory so the model numbers may not be in the same place on every machine.
Since you are going to need several parts and maybe a manual I would like to suggest that you join one or more of the sewing forums as they have very knowledgeable members and can lead you through any problem you have. I really love this site as they have the machine expertise but so much more such as sewing tips or help as well as a lot of sewing information.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Does any one know what size sewing needles I need for a Jones Rushby hand crank sewing machine 1920; serial# 268238 is the number on the machine? It came with 3 needles and no size on them or owner's manual. But, I have found some help online on how to thread the machine and how to take out the shuttle and thread it as well as how to fill the bobbin, but no one can tell me what size sewing needles I will need.
By Bonnie
Hi, I have a Singer hand crank sewing machine. (I LOVE it!) Mine uses the same needles in the current models. Try and see if this works for you. Happy cranking!
You have a vibrating shuttle machine (wowsa, that is a genuine antique, they generally stopped building VS machines around 1910), and you're right that it's going to need specific needles that accomodate the way the shuttle 'swings' through the bobbin area during stitching. Also, you CANNOT use parts not milled for the VS machines, the parts really are not interchangeable between the VS and other type machines. (See below)
You can try taking a needle with you to a sewing shop, they may carry the needles there. You can also do a search using the term 'machine needle other parts for Jones vibrating shuttle machine'-be sure to omit the punctuation marks.
Ebay also sells some parts for the various VS machines out there. Use the same search term there.
A good source for info (and maybe a user manual on a free download) about your machine is ISMACS-if you are new to the machine ISMACS may be the first place to look:
www.ismacs.net/
Use the alphabetic search feature to look up Jones machines, then look for the manual listed for VS machines-sometimes you have to look at a couple of different manuals to find the one for your model, for example the VS2 manual may be what you're looking for but might not.
Good luck, I hope you and your VS are back to sewing soon. There is growing interest in the VS machines, so it's good to see you asking about it. So many of us sew on the vintage and antique 66, 99, and variations of the 27s because those parts are pretty much interchangeable. As above, parts for the non-VS machines are NOT interchangeable with yours.
You have a very different machine that forms stitches in a completely different way than the lock-stitch or oscillating machines and putting the wrong parts in your machine can cause a lot of damage.
Whoops, the model manual you are looking for doesn't use the initials VS, it uses CS. Use the ISMACS link, go to J, and you'll see Jones CS manuals-free download, looks just like your machine:)
Also, the 'Rushby' part of your machine name is probably 'branding', something a lot of the sewing machine manufacturers did then and do now for department stores. Same machines, just with the branding, so the manual that looks closest to your machine is the one that will work even if it doesn't say 'Rushby'.
The manual for a Jones CS shuttle machine is extremely helpful. Now to try and find a replacement shuttle to make it perfect. Also needles!! (in case I break the 1 I have)
I am currently on the hunt for cams that fit a Montgomery Ward 21 Jewel sewing machine. If anybody could help me locate some it would be greatly appreciated.
Hi. My suggestion, and it works for me when I am looking for something unusual is to go eBay or Etsy and type in a generic search....for example Vintage Sewing Cams and look through the listings (provided there aren't thousands of listings that is then I may be slightly more specific).
I say this because oftentimes vendors have no clue what they are selling and will have what you need but under a generic name. Also, sometimes they have things misspelled, and what I want will show up through the misspelling when I go more generic in my search. I have won several auctions for interesting items because the item name or company was spelled wrong and no one else found it!
I did an eBay and an Etsy search for you to see what I mean:
www.ebay.com/
www.etsy.com/
Hope this is helpful and that you find exactly what you need!
I believe you may need the actual model number to be able to locate cams that will fit your machine.
