Happy Birthday Ms White - 108 years old today

This day, 26 of February in 1906, far across the Pacific Ocean in the grand US of A Ms White -- that's what I've named my White vibrating shuttle sewing machine -- was rolled out of the White Company factory.

The treadle table Ms White is built into has the nicest acorn and oak leaf design, much fancier dare I say it, than any Singer sewing machine table I have seen.  For Ms White's birthday I thought I'd give her a makeover - or a least, a wax.

To start with I tried a commercial cleaning/polishing cream called Neopol, which is also good on leather. The Neopol smells wonderful, kind of lemony, it's a great product and I have been using it for years.

So imagine my surprise when the homemade beeswax polish I made worked even better, giving the wood a greater depth of colour and bringing out a hint of red.
See the top photo, far lefthand drawer

top photo: left = homemade beeswax polish, middle = Neopol, right = original condition
middle photo: top = after waxing, bottom = original condition
bottom photo: all beeswaxed

It made me wonder, what other homemade products might be out there that I could make? Have You made a Homemade cleaner and like better it than store bought? If so, Please let me know.

If you'd like to make beeswax wood polish yourself, here's How I Made Mine

the cat helps with buffing while the chicken just stares. lazy chicken

One question remains, at 108 years old, can my White treadle sewing machine still sew?

After considerable time figuring out the correct needle position to get the needle thread to loop over the boat shuttle to form a stitch...I am proud to say: Yes. Sew in a straight line however? That's another story.

Turns out treadling and steering the fabric is an art I have yet to master...

my first attempt at using a treadle sewing machine. Not quite a straight line...