I'm so Weak, I Admit It. 1927 15-30 in a No 24 Open Side Cabinet

First off, I got a job at Philmont Scout Ranch this summer, so it's not like I've got time for more machines.  That's why I haven't been blogging the last month.  Too busy getting my act together to get out to New Mexico at the end of the month.

But how do you say no to this -

I mean how often do the parlor type cabinets come up.  And this one was only $75.  Sure it was over in New York again.  But in the Prius that's like five bucks worth of gas.  So, sigh, yes, it's mine now.  There are now two treadles in the kitchen, plus the six in the dining and living rooms, along with the four electrics in cabinets, oh and the irons on the front porch, back porch and in the bed of the truck.  The wood for those are in the basement.  We really need to find a house.

It's a pretty hard used machine.  It belonged to a guy named Hyman (Hymie to his family) Workman, who purchased it new.  He worked in the garment district in NYC for 50 years.  This was his home machine that he made ladies coats on according to his granddaughter's husband.

While the Tiffany decals are pretty darn great, Hyman was pretty hard on the mechanicals.  I don't think I've ever seen where someone had managed to snap off bobbin winder before (above).  And he also managed somehow to pull off the brass badge.  Luckily I have a source for replacements.

The machine also has a goodly amount of surface rust and the wood was given another layer of stain at some point.  The rust is easy enough to banish, but the finish of the wood is going to take some work at some point.

While Hyman might have been a magician with garments, he wasn't too much into the whole maintenance thing.  It seems like his idea of maintenance was "has anyone seen my oil?"

There are some amazing lint collections on this thing.  A few of the screws I've tried are pretty well fused in place by solidified oil.  I see lots of BlasterPB in it's future.

Since we hauled it home in the Prius I took out the foot pedal and dress guard to avoid things flying about on bumps.  It will also make it easier to clean out the base tomorrow.  It has that homey-musty-really-needs-cleaning smell.

For any 1930s Mob fans out there.  Hyman was the cousin of a gentleman named Charles 'The Bug' Workman of Murder Incorporated.  Charles was noted for being the hitman who killed Dutch Schultz.  He spent nearly 30 years in prison for the crime and came out a reformed man.  He stressed to his grandkids the need to stay out of trouble and, like his cousin Hyman, went to work in New York's garment district.

So, cool, another machine with a story.  Those are my favorite finds.