Wertheim Superba c1895

Found a real Wertheim Superba recently & it arrived yesterday, unscathed in the shipping: ) The MoP crazy paving border attracted my eye, but I didn't know it was a Wertheim at that point. (Thanks to Olaf & Unknown Artist on VSS for the ID: )


Came with a shuttle & a single bobbin but missing the RH slideplate. Mechanically it is as good as you will find. Turns over smoothly, has been well maintained, no rust anywhere & all the brightwork is shiny & clean! Bobbin winder is complete & smooth & works as it should.


It is badged as Robert Nelson & Co, the UK importers. Decals are 70% I would say, just some wear on the table as you would expect on a used machine 125+ years old. SN is S6530387 which I believe is mid 1890s.

Looks good from all angles & after a clean & polish it will gleam I'm sure: ) Very happy with it you could say. The woodwork is very nice, the cover also but it is missing its handle & no key for the lock... I can live with that & likely find replacements. Not sure of the needle size but I'm guessing 13x1. I'll bet it stitches when I get round to trying it.

The red poppies(?) are nice highlights against the gold decals & MoP. I look forward to cleaning it all: )


Underneath it is all clean & bright, no old oil stains/rust. Even the stitch length regulator mechanism is free & smooth. Just needs a little oil!

To be continued.

27th March 2024

First test stitching today & looking good.

Leather is probably not the best for this, but here it is:

Starting top left with guessed tensions, missed a few stitches in the beginning but the last 3 lines are perfect: ) Did not adjust the tensions at all, just stitch length. No idea what caused the missed stitches, maybe it has not been used for 20 years, but it cleared itself. Probably surprised at actually stitching again: )

Starting bottom left here, the more it did the better it got. Nothing wrong with the tensions but I'll give the upper tension a good clean next. All it had before testing was a basic oiling! It deserves a proper service & a good clean & polish next: )






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