adopting stray antiques

this machine followed me home today. 

I wish I knew more about its history, but the museum curator had only this story to tell: 

... once, not very long ago, an elderly gentleman donated it carelessly, haphazardly, with some mild hope that it could find a use or purpose among the museum's collections, but also with perfect willingness to chuck it in a dumpster if not. 

the curator could not leave this old thing to such a fate, but nor could he keep it for the museum. its lack of reliable provenance and the museum's lack of storage space meant that someone else would have to rescue it...

so I did.

the machine itself has plenty of stories etched all over its varied wooden parts. after poring over a few books from the guild's library, I'm learning to recognize some of the signs-- grooves along the flyer where twisted fiber has rubbed against the wood over and over again enough to leave a mark. the extra-smooth dip along the front of the treadle where someone's foot put energy through the crank and drive wheel, into the twist that made the yarn. there are even tiny bits of fiber left on the bobbin hooks, from who knows how long ago. my guess is that it's wool fluff caught and torn and matted around the metal, but I'm not sure at all.

after carefully propping the pieces of this wheel into my car's back seat, I rushed over to the local yarn store to see what books they might lend me. this evening, I read through the entirety of The Care and Feeding of Spinning Wheels. I know what all the parts are called, now: wheel posts, tension screw, footman, maidens, and so on.

this poor lost wheel is less broken than it looked at first. I've already acquired a new drive band for it, thanks to Karma at Fiber Creek, and for now some cotton string is holding the footman and treadle together. a few missing pegs will need replacing somehow, which doesn't seem too difficult. 

the whorl and bobbin shaft seem quite rusted together, so that may be a challenge to deal with. one of the small bobbin hooks is broken, but that isn't so important in the grand scheme of things-- all the rest are there. 

the wheel's front leg is crusted with wood glue from some sort of drastic repair, but so far it's sturdy enough. maybe I'll see about replacing or repairing it more elegantly, someday.

here's a photo of it all assembled again, after a basic cleaning and dusting.

it needs more cleaning, probably some sanding and oiling or polishing too. then I can see about using it...

my brief evening of research has informed me that this is a Saxony wheel, maybe a century old, or more. it looks quite similar to this one, but much less damaged. this one is pretty similar too, though it looks newer (or at least cleaner-- my new pet has sections that are caked in grime).

I have tons more research to do. what are the odds I can finish all the cleaning, refurbishing, and polishing of this beauty before fall semester starts?