Casgliadau Arlein

For sewing all kinds of saddlery and harness, belting, canvasses for lorries, school bags, police bags, bus bags etc. A needle feed Lockstitch Machine, having a Presser Foot which automatically adjusts itself to material varying from one sixteenth of an inch to three-quarters of an inch in thickness. Uses thread from 3 cord No.18 to 10 cord No.18, and the length of stitch is adjustable from 4 to 12 inch.

A treadle operated machine, with two sets of pulleys and a rubber belt on the back. The top pulley is on the same axle as a large, solid, cast iron flywheel with a handle, situated on the front of the machine. Turned clockwise, it starts the machine, then continues turning as the treadle is used. Fitting into a long slot in the back of the flywheel is one end of a cast iron bar. The other end is attached to the mechanism moving the needle. The bar is pivoted in the middle. As the wheel turns, the bar moves along the slot and in a see-saw motion, and makes the threaded needle slide up and down rapildly. The thread passes through a wax trough at the top of the machine before it reaches the needle. At the same time a second length of thread is also fed through the needle from a bobbin inside a shuttle, which slides back and forth in a slot beneath the needle.

Flywheel with starting handle stamped on rim with 'No 6972', top of machine above needle stamped with the number '10728' [RP; 05/12/2007]

The machine head is painted black with gold line decoration, and is bolted to a cast iron stand on a wooden platform. The company also made a version without the stand, for fixing to a bench for lineshaft drive - see illustrated leaflet in accession file.