Queen German Sewing Machine

Queen manufactured by Haid and Neu shipped from Lichfield Staffordshire England to my Victorian home--arriving September 18, 2018. 

It is a very small machine, and features Crown center medallion and crowns around the perimeter of the bed.  It is a Transverse Shuttle--meaning the shuttle slides back and forth, left to right to form stitches.

Researching serial number shows the Queen hand crank was manufactured by Haid and Neu somewhere between 1925 and 1930.

Its beefy hand wheel has a Stop Motion Pin, that slides to release the presser bar when winding a bobbin.  

 Transverse Shuttles--shaped like a boat.  Wound bobbin inserted into the shuttle, thread comes from the botton of the bobbin, and through two long grooves, then passes over to the other side of the boat to another groove/slot.

From here, the thread travels upward through a slot and around to the left and continues through the long tension spring.  Three or four inches are pulled from the boat shuttle and it is inserted into the machine beneath the Transverse throat plate.

The photo above shows a tiny screw, and if you imagine the screw slot as a hand on the face of a clock,  I turned the screw counter clockwise from 12 o'clock to 11 o'clock and pulled on the thread--until the thread broke--the tension was set too tight and was the reason the machine couldn't make good stitches.

Turned the screw to 10 o'clock, then 9 o'clock, and finally settled on 7 o'clock--a firm but unrestricted flow of thread pulling off the wound bobbin.  

I re-wound the bobbin with All Purpose Coats and Clark 50 wt. sewing machine thread.

Thread from spool pin to first guide on the top left of the machine, then downward diagonally to the right, under a wheel, then upward through a slot, then up and over a plate toward the inserted bobbin.  Release the Stop Motion Pin, and begin cranking to wind the bobbin.

Threading pattern for upper thread.  Finishes with thread passing front to back.  Long groove of the needle faces the operator.  

I began the cleaning and oiling process by removing the front end plate.  There are lots of places to clean--rear access panel removed and underneath the machine are BIG areas to clean and oil.

For the big metal gears I use the Featherweight Shop's lubricating grease--its just the best.  Be sure to watch their video comparing their grease to others noting temperature tests and viscosity from thin to sticky.  Good video!

https://singer-featherweight.com/blogs/schoolhouse/motor-lubricant

Photo above with a penny--compares size of decals and boat shuttle.  Note the sliding throat plate traveling to the left--if cleaned well enough the mechanism would eject the boat shuttle for removal.

The lid is quite handsome.  I use Howard's Feed n Wax beeswax and orange oil to clean and condition the wood.  And it smells good too!

Cleaned, oiled, and gears greased as well as under the machine.  I'll let it sit for a week, then oil it a second time, and spent more time deeper cleaning of metal bits.

Thank you for looking at my photos.  Please leave me a comment--I love hearing from you