Patty's Great-Grandmother's Davis Rotary

When Leon and I started collecting machines, I asked my brother if he might

have our Grandmother's old Singer. He said there was a treadle machine at his house but he didn't know anything about it. When we showed up to collect it, I realized it wasn't the Singer I expected, but one that had belonged to my late sister-in-law Patty. I called her sister Aleta to learn more.  Aleta was delighted to find it! The machine had belonged to their great-grandmother. She thought it had been lost.

Leon and I decided to restore the machine for Aleta. It would need the electric motor removed, the foot treadle replaced, a new belt, and a few other things. Leon immediately began cleaning and oiling it.

The machine is a Davis Rotary from about 1919. It came with bobbins, and a few odds and ends in the drawers. The manual was still there! (I immediately scanned it.) It was an expensive machine in its day. It has a chain lift that raises the machine when the lid is lifted. As the machine comes up, a panel folds back to allow room for the seamstress to put her feet on the treadle. Each drawer has a keyed lock and there is ornate scrollwork around the drawer pulls.

Learning to use the machine was a challenge. First, I discovered that it uses a needle called a Davis long that is no longer made. However, I was able to buy online an equivalent Boye needle that worked. Next was threading the machine. The tensioner didn't work like any of my Singers and the illustrations in the manual didn't quite match this model. I did a bunch of head scratching.  After a bit of trial and error, it would sew, but was the tension off! Together Leon and I struggled to get that set. 

Before we gave the machine to Aleta, we made four videos demonstrating the Davis. I will attach them as soon as I figure out how. :)