Caravan Survival.

[fsr]

Chapter One.

Artie’s Story.

In the Beginning.



My working days are officially over after a case of “work place violence”. While everyone else sniveled I stepped in and took care of business despite my injuries. What was my reward for this? My coworkers freaked out that I stopped the attack and demanded my dismissal for saving their lives. All I did was give the gunman a right fist to the jaw when he ran out of ammo.



After a long hospital and rehabilitation center stay I am finally home. The doctors told me I should do something fun. This time I agreed with them. I needed to do some things before having fun. I started my three quarter ton pickup truck, the big GM diesel engine fired right up.



I sorted my mail into a keep and burn before reading pile. I can’t believe all the Lawyers wanting me to sue the company even after the way they took care of me. I dugout my big heavy lifetime coolers and put some ice blocks in them to cool them over night. Since I am not supposed to travel alone I make a phone call to friend of mine.



The person I call is my friend Anna and the response I get is “Don’t ever call me again, you are too violent you hit that poor man with your fist.” She went on to question my ancestry, my moral beliefs and she hoped I would die slowly and in pain.” I hung up without saying a word I have no more time for sniveling.



I need to say a bit about my truck. It’s 1996 Chevy Diesel. I turned the contractor cap into a home built pop up top camper complete with wood stove, bunk and kitchen sink. All of these things are of my own design and build. The bunk has a real twin mattresses just like the one in my house. The dinette folds into a bed for guests.



As I am loading up my sister and her twin daughters pull into the drive. They get out and I get pounce hugged, not that I object. We talk and a few minutes later I sign some papers, now I am the legal guardian of nine year old twin girls. My sister the nuclear scientist has been called to Washington DC for some reason. She tells me to get the girls out of town until she contacts me. I add me twelve gauge pump shot gun, My SKS, my three fifty seven magnum and three twenty two rifles to the camper. After this I hitch up my box trailer load the canoe on top and we head for the DIY camper meet up.


Sharon’s story.



This is it! The one week I wait for all year long, the DIY camp meet up. My Honda Odyssey has a removable camp set in it and a tent that goes on the side. Talk about luxury camping in a van. I load my coolers into the van and arrange my clothing drawer. The last thing I put in the van is AR15 and it’s kit.



I start up my lawn tractor and pull my trailer up to the drive way. This is where I keep the diesel heater, fuel jugs, my inflatable boat and electric outboard and other stuff I don’t want in the van. I check my solar panels and the charge on my power supply. All is in order. My friend Artie pulls up just as I am finishing the work. I should call him a blister but he has been dealing with enough lately.



I ask Artie “What brings you by?” he tells me his sister says to get out of town. When she says to do something I listen. I do ask Artie what is going on and he says “I don’t know, but Sis has been called to Washington DC.”



Artie tells me he is still going to the meet up. I am going to go as well since I can work from the road thanks to the internet. We finally get on the road and head north to the Old Log campground in Roscommon County. We stopped at a truck stop for lunch and watched as the Army National Guard trucks went by. Nothing surprising there they were most likely on their way to Camp Grayling.



We arrived around seven in the evening and got our campsites. We were parked next to each other by my design so I could keep an eye on him.

[iamnobody]

What was my reward for this? My coworkers freaked out that I stopped the attack and demanded my dismissal for saving their lives. All I did was give the gunman a right fist to the jaw when he ran out of ammo.

The person I call is my friend Anna and the response I get is “Don’t ever call me again, you are too violent you hit that poor man with your fist.” She went on to question my ancestry, my moral beliefs and she hoped I would die slowly and in pain.”

Sadly, there are a LOT of those type of people in the world.

[udwe]

Keep going!

[texican]

fsr,

Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards.

Just noticed your tag which says a lot.

Thanks for all of the fun reading and "Caravan Survival" will be an interesting read.

Texican....

[fsr]

Chapter Two.

At The Meet Up.



Artie:

One thing about these meet ups is you never know what you’ll see. I am going around and looking at the rigs when I come to a converted school bus these known as Skoolies. The owners are Ben and Grace Watson and they give me the grand tour and introduce me to their cat Midnight. They tell me it took two years them to get the build to this point and I can believe it. All the wood including the counters are reclaimed barn wood. They promise to visit my rig a little later on.



The next couple I meet are Dan and Jill. They have built the opposite of the bus, they built a tear drop mini camper. Dan did a fine job on his build. They use a small solar generator for power and wick type kerosene stoves to cook on and a diesel heater to keep warm in cold weather.



The two couples looked us up in the evening and I gave them the grand tour of the truck. They were impressed with my wood stove. Dan and Jill along with Ben and Grace show up with a big pack of Koegel hot dogs, my absolute favorite hot dog. We talk and eat well into the night and form up a Caravan Club.



We register our group with the DIY Camper organization so next year we can camp together. It’s morning and day two of the meet up. I attend a couple of the classes on boondocking and solar generators. The solar generator is something I should look into if things go south.



I decide the girls need a treat so we walk over to the food vendor row and buy lunch. The girls get sandwiches and I get a bowl of chili. After lunch we go over to vendors row and I purchase two 600 peak amp units and solar panels. I am not trying to run a dozen different high watt appliances just recharge my cell phones, laptop and our three tablets.



Sharon’s Story.

I walk down vendor’s row and see so much stuff. Most of the prices aren’t bad but how much stuff can I put in my van? I do find something that I really want, a hand made quilt made by a lady who travels in a home built motor home with her son and daughter in law. This not some ordinary quilt these are designed with camping in mind. They are heavy and backed with thick cloth so they will last a while.





I stop and listen to some of the performers. Most of them are folk musicians with some other styles here and there. I walk over to the lecture board and don’t find anything that strikes my fancy.



I tour a couple of home built campers and wonder if it’s nineteen sixty five. This event attracts all kinds of people young and Old. Rich, Poor and In Between and they all seem to get along well enough.



The Sheriff’s office has a mounted patrol on scene as well as an Ambulance and Doctor on scene. This year the Fire Department is selling an old ambulance and are displaying it here. Probably in the hope that some will buy it to convert it into a camper.



The big surprise this year is the Motorcycle Club. Who knew that they make their own little campers that their bikes can tow? I listen to a couple talk about the motorcycle journey they are on.



As they finished we heard sirens.

[sniper69]

fsr - mmmmm koegel hot dogs. Nothing like some of the koegel viennas, or some of the koegel pickled bologna (have some in my fridge right now).

Thank you for this new story.

[ydderf]

Thanks looking good

[papaof2]

I think the units might have been "600 peak watts" - "600 peak amps" is the way a jump start pack would be described.

I can speak to using small solar power systems as our first choice backup for power outages is my solar-charged system with a 12 volt, 420AH battery bank and a 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter - it provides limited backup power for 8 to 20 hours depending on the season. In winter, we can run the gas-fired furnace for a few hours - its typical run time is 2.5 - 6 hours out of 24 hours, determined by the outside temperature. There are a few solar panels out to keep the battery bank charged and more could be added (1500 watts) if we needed to fall back to just solar power - and a much simpler life style: no hair dryers, no microwave oven, no coffeemaker, no freezer but we could have a small fridge. Having $1K for an Engel 12 volt fridge would be nice as they are VERY low power. Backup for the solar system is a 1600 watt inverter generator and a couple weeks of gasoline - primarily for cooling the fridge & freezer, running the furnace and charging the battery bank when there is no sun. Using the gen in that manner would use about a gallon a day for two 3 hour runs: in the morning and before dark.

The longest outage we've had at this house was 16 hours but the area gets occasional ice storms; 3 days without power where we were in 2000 and in 1973 some areas in town were without power for 2 weeks from a very big ice storm (don't have data for the unicorporated area where we are now but expect it was even longer) - so I plan for a known worst case of 2 weeks, but the solar fallback could work at a lower power level for a long time.

[fsr]

Nov 23, 2021 21:40:53 GMT -6 papaof2 said:

I think the units might have been "600 peak watts" - "600 peak amps" is the way a jump start pack would be described.

I can speak to using small solar power systems as our first choice backup for power outages is my solar-charged system with a 12 volt, 420AH battery bank and a 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter - it provides limited backup power for 8 to 20 hours depending on the season. In winter, we can run the gas-fired furnace for a few hours - its typical run time is 2.5 - 6 hours out of 24 hours, determined by the outside temperature. There are a few solar panels out to keep the battery bank charged and more could be added (1500 watts) if we needed to fall back to just solar power - and a much simpler life style: no hair dryers, no microwave oven, no coffeemaker, no freezer but we could have a small fridge. Having $1K for an Engel 12 volt fridge would be nice as they are VERY low power. Backup for the solar system is a 1600 watt inverter generator and a couple weeks of gasoline - primarily for cooling the fridge & freezer, running the furnace and charging the battery bank when there is no sun. Using the gen in that manner would use about a gallon a day for two 3 hour runs: in the morning and before dark.

The longest outage we've had at this house was 16 hours but the area gets occasional ice storms; 3 days without power where we were in 2000 and in 1973 some areas in town were without power for 2 weeks from a very big ice storm (don't have data for the unicorporated area where we are now but expect it was even longer) - so I plan for a known worst case of 2 weeks, but the solar fallback could work at a lower power level for a long time.

Or this is a set up for the main character? Sales people don't always know the product. 

[fsr]

Chapter two.



Sharon’s Story continued.

The sirens got closer as a fire crew went speeding by followed by some Homeland Security Vehicles. I wondered what was DHS doing in this County. I mean what threats do farmers and the like represent to anyone? I am sure that something is going on.



A little later the DHS Suburban pulled in and the occupants asked about finding the people in charge. Someone directed them to the organizers camp. Okay, now I am sure something is going on. I hope this doesn’t turn around and bite us.



I am going to find the twins and Artie. I want us ready to roll at a moments notice. I stop at my camp and grab my pistol and two magazines, just in case. I find Artie and tell him what’s going on.



Artie’s Story.

Sharon told me what happened and she wanted us to be ready to leave at the drop of a hat. It’s not a bad idea at all. I walk back to my camp and retrieve my three fifty seven magnum. I put it in a shoulder rig with two speed loaders. My revolver is a five inch barrel six shot Chiappa Rhino.



My first job is to find the girls and get them moving in the right direction. I find them at the petting zoo. They are learning how to milk goats today. I wait until they are done and we head back to the truck after stopping and talking with our fellow Caravan Friends.



Dan’s Story.

Artie stopped by and told us about the DHS visitors, I worked for a government “Alphabet Soup Agency” for years and I still have a few contacts, I make a call to find out what’s going on. I find out what’s going on and it is not good. I tell Jill to start quietly start prepping to leave just in case.



Like Artie I am now wearing my side arm. The DHS guys come around and start their Bully Boy tactics on me. I show them my Government ID and their tune changes real quick. I make one more call and they are told to withdraw at once. I may be retired but my contact has a lot of pull.



Jill’s Story.



Something has my husband spooked good and that just does not happen and I am debating about asking. I start securing things for travel. After I am done I make one more pass at vendor’s Row. I find an assortment of jams and jellies that I want and call it good. We are now ready to Bug Out on short notice. When I got back a DHS man was talking to Dan.



Ben’s Story.

Okay two people have told me that something bad is going down and we need to be ready to split in short order. This is not that hard in Skoolie. I walk around and make sure everything is in place and locked down while Grace washes up the few dishes we dirtied. Our cat is supervising us.



Dan told me that if I had a pistol I should be carrying it concealed. I do have my old M1895 Nagant revolver. For a long arm I have an 91/30 Mosin Nagant Rifle. Not the fanciest arsenal ever but it’s what I have.



Grace’s Story.



For some reason Ben is carrying his little revolver. I see why when DHS guys are walking the campground. Even the Sheriff Deputies are not happy about this. I think I will be packing my twenty two and no, I do not care about being licensed to carry or not this bus is my home and the Feds are not going to dictate to me how to live in my home. I thin k I will put a magazine in my Ruger 10/22.



Artie’s story.

I got had on my solar, sure it’s enough to do what little I need like charge a cell phone and our tablets. it’s actually 600 peak watts. And not 600 peak amps like the sales person told me. Oh well as long as it works every makes mistakes but to really screw up you need a computer.



Dan and a couple of DHS guys came over to visit me. What did I do this time.

[papaof2]

Nov 24, 2021 7:08:15 GMT -6 fsr said:

Nov 23, 2021 21:40:53 GMT -6 papaof2 said:

I think the units might have been "600 peak watts" - "600 peak amps" is the way a jump start pack would be described.

{snip}

Or this is a set up for the main character? Sales people don't always know the product. 

That's entirely possible. In "Jack's War" there's a comment by a vendor something like "You just let me run on about these things" with the reply "I prefer to do business with people who know what they're talking about".

There are times when neither the seller nor the buyer is adequately knowledgeable - those usually don't end well...

If you're curious as to what would work for a small 12 volt solar system for a camper or a skoolie, there's a spreadsheet here: www.jecarter.us/files/Small-12volt-solar-system.xls

Put in your devices, their power draw, the hours each is used in a 24 hour day and the battery data. If the included solar data doesn't caver your system, just put your panel watts in the "rated" column in place of an existing value.

[fsr]

Artie’s Story Continued.

The DHS man introduced himself as Hiram Wells, It seems my sister Alice had sent him to protect my party. I think the twins, Janice and Joyce were in her mind over me or anyone else, but what do I know?



We talked a bit and finally found out what was going on. There are some very real threats of improvised radiological attacks, read here dirty bombs against our capital cities and I am a “endangered person” because of the girls and my sister. It seems there are people who would harm us to get to her.



We come up with a plan of action, we will keep moving not staying in anyone place too long. The first thing we do is dump our cell phones. Hiram tells us not to trust anyone from the government at this point because some people have us marked as expendable. Why does no one ever ask me if I am expendable?



Before we can do anything we need to make sure our body guard is equipped for a mobile life. He has a good vehicle in the Chevy Suburban that the government issued him, he needs some camp gear like a sleeping bag, a mattress of some kind and a host of other things.



Hiram’s Story.

I am not a camping kind of person, my ides of roughing it is no cable television. We can pick up a lot of kit here at the meet up. I get a good sleeping bag and a self inflating air mattress, I also pick up a cooler that is supposed to keep ice up to seven days. I’ll believe it when I see it. The other thing I buy is a little single burner stove that can run of kerosene, or gasoline, the nice man shows me how to use it and throws in a skillet and a pan , a good ax and a twenty one inch bow saw.

Your asking why am I buying all of this stuff? Because Dan says each vehicle should be able to act independently as well as in a group. I really wish I had some help on this assignment.



Ben’s Story.

We are rolling. I am getting a little nervous about having a DHS guy joining our club but we can use his help. I check things over one more time. The hour is upon us and we are moving out into an unsure future.

Artie’s story.

We are on the road and will make a stop at a Walmart for new phones and supplies. I suggested we take back roads and two lane State Highways hoping to avoid detection. Everyone is keeping an eye on the road. Sometimes the trouble that finds you is not the trouble you expect.

[udwe]

Am really liking This story, keep it up!

[ydderf]

Thanks

[fsr]

Chapter Three


Hiram’s Story.

Walmart does have a camping section but I question some of the goods quality. I pick up a fire grate and some fishing supplies as well as a book on fishing. I walk over to the canned goods and stock up on things like chili, beef stew anything that is a “meal in a can.” I also pick up some clothing, socks, under garments some rugged work pants and a few shirts.




As we are leaving the store I spot a woman carrying a large back pack being accosted by two rather unsavory looking characters. I leave my cart with Sharon and pull out my badge and sidearm. I shout out in my command voice.,, “FREEZE, HOMELAND SECURITY YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!” one of them pulls out a knife I take aim and tell him “that’s not going to work, now drop it or die.”




They both surrender and I put them in flex cuffs and wait for local law enforcement to arrive. While I am waiting I get a statement from the young lady and learn some bad news. Two major cities have been attacked with dirty bombs. Lansing and grand rapids are now off limits to anyone not authorized to be there. This complicates things a it.




While we waited for the Sheriff’s Office I checked out her story with my boss and it’s true radiological devices have been detonated in Lansing and Grand Rapids. This is not happy making at all. Local Law Enforcement was a dream to work with, very professional. Once I told them my mission they cut us lose.




I asked the young lady if she had a vehicle and a place to go,. She told she did not have either, it seems she took the bus to walk the trails the whole summer. She does have a valid driver’s license but never bought a car due to the expense. The girls are talking and this scares me more than anything.




Sharon’s Story

We girls tell the men folk that the her name is Amy Sue Mills and she will be coming with us. The men are smart enough to agree without discussion. I ask Hiram “Will you get her back pack and cart so we can figure out where to put her things? Hiram being the guy he is volunteers to put her gear into the Suburban and we get under way .




Amy’s Story.

I am so glad that these people were able to help me and invited me to join them on their journey. I am riding with Sharon while Hiram is hauling all of my kit, what started as a long summer vacation has turned out to be a civilization changing event and yesterday’s fiction is today’s reality. it’s getting late and we are pulling into Huron National Forest to camp for a couple of days and get our bearings.




My tent is not really unique but it is made to my specifications, namely it is one pole teepee type hot tent with liner made for four season use. My wood stove is made from stainless steel buffet pans, I found the plans online and borrowed power tools from my neighbor. It does keep the tent and me warm in the coldest weather.




Artie’s Story.

I need to take off my prosthetic leg for a while since it is starting to itch. Sharon comes over and helps me tend to things a few minutes later and I am sitting in my camp recliner watching Sharon and Amy cutting wood for a campfire and for our wood stoves. I could get real used to this.




Dan’s Story.

I am feeling better than I have in years, I no longer have a mortgage to worry about or stupid meetings with the neighbor hood association that accomplish nothing to attend. No for the first time years I am happy despite being on the run from unknown enemies. Maybe I should talk to Jill about this. For now I will finish cutting up this smoked ham to put on the pizza that girls are making.




Jill’s Story.



I can see Dan is happier than he has been in a long time, I have some idea of why and I think it is to be expected of him just by his personality. For now I will continue making pizzas. The crust needs to pre bake a bit over the campfire and then I can put on the sauce and toppings. While i am waiting for that I turn on the radio, the news is lame I mean everyone is talking to Hollywood celebrities asking their opinions on what is going on. Who is mistaking these entertainers and Athletes for people of importance and why are people listening to them?




Ben’s story.

After diner we are sitting around a the campfire and relaxing when shots ring out. Everyone is near a long arm so we are able to return fire. I grab my 91/30 and pick a target. I squeeze the trigger and a man goes down. Hiram pumps a three round burst into a target and the man falls, Dan takes one more out with of all things an old 30/30 lever gun. Whoever these guys are they can’t hit a bull with a shovel. It does not take us long to finish them off.




Artie’s Story.

We look at the uniforms these guys are wearing and they appear to be UN forces, why am I not surprised? Dan and I search the bodies for anything that would ID them. They have UN ID’s according to Dan and Hiram. I take their word for it as I know nothing about UN ID cards.




While Hiram and Dan were running this information across their contacts I was comforting my nieces with hot chocolate and lap time, lots of lap time. Once I got them asleep I organized a watch for the night. Hiram and the men decide we need to get our girls some bigger arms. I asked Hiram if he knows where we can get some off the books weapons and he tells me “I know a guy.”



The night passes without further indecent but my sleep was fitful at best. When morning arrives we pack up to leave, we have to wait for a “clean up team” to get here and file a report. I make a pot of coffee. The “clean up team” had ton of questions that they needed answered to get to the facts.




I watch as the clean up team hands Hiram and Dan a couple of briefcases, that’s interesting, I wonder what’s in them. I guess they will tell me soon enough.

[eyeseetwo]

Thank you!

[NCWEBNUT]

I would of been keeping the UN guys weapons to add to the ones they already had. Not like they going to need them

[bluefox2]

Kind of liking the way this story is going. Especially the traveling setup

[texican]

fsr,

It is getting real.

Thanks for the chapters.

Texican....

[fsr]

Chapter Four.

Hiram’s Story.



Artie is right we need to get some of the group armed. The twins are good shots but they need larger caliber rifles or carbines. I head us off to see my uncle Archie. The man has forgotten more about working on vehicles, guns, metal working and a host of other things than most people will ever learn. He is also my last living blood relative so I want to protect him.



We are pushing into Kalkaska and will soon be at my Uncles place, I hope he remembers me. As we pull into his drive I see he is loading a big covered trailer like he is getting ready to leave. I call out to him and he answers “Hiram is that you boy?” I answer "yes sir, I need your help” he tells us to come up to the house.



Uncle Archie and Aunt Linda got us up to speed. It seems they had a visit from the UN forces asking after me. Uncle told me they were going on the road to avoid another encounter. I asked him about some firearms for the twins and those who do not have any defensive arms.



Uncle thought for a bit and said “come with me.” we went out to his big barn and he opened a couple of hidden safes and showed my some AK-47 carbines and a batch of Kel-Tec SU-16’s. I asked him “Uncle, why don’t you two come with us?” he said “I thought you would never ask.”



I saw the inside of his trailer and what a kick in the pants. it’s set up as a machine shop and a sewing shop! Amy will love this was my first thought. Their truck is one and a half ton Chevy with semi truck sized diesel tanks. For a camper they had a built on Avion camper that uncle had remodeled to his tastes and needs. While I was drooling over their rig I got a phone call from my boss with orders to meet a military contact at a truck stop at the I 75 and US 27 interchange. The orders did not specify why.



While were loading the twins were making friends with the Red Bone hounds and orange tabby cat my aunt and uncle have. All of them seem to get on well, how can anyone ask for more?



We are back on the road and headed for the interchange.

[udwe]

Getting really good.

[fsr]

Chapter Four continued.

Ben’s Story.



I am so glad I had the engine and drive train rebuilt on the bus last summer, I never would have imagined being on the run in my own country and I wouldn't want to try it without the turbo diesel. The biggest surprise for me is how Grace is taking to all of this. We are running for our lives and she is more concerned with the domestic affairs of the bus than UN soldiers.



Since this event is happening I am glad we formed a club with these people. Dan has connections with the NSA his wife is a Nurse. I am not sure what Artie did for a living but I bet it will come in useful at some point. He did share with us that his younger sister was called to Washington just before things fell apart. I am not sure what his relationship is to Sharon they seem close. Hiram is what everyone wants a Police Officer to be, he is good with kids and takes no nonsense from anyone. He is not from a camping or traveling background but he puts all that aside to do his job better.



Janice and Joyce Artie’s Twin Nieces are beyond adorable. Everyone thinks of them as family. They love to come over and visit our cat and do arts and crafts with Grace. I know Grace enjoys working with them since we can’t have children of our own. Amy is proving that to us that determination and imagination are potent tools to have in your tool box. She makes her own tents and the little wood stove she built is incredible.



We just met Hiram’s uncle and aunt but the man is amazing, he built and I mean built his trailer from the ground up and set up a shop in it. He customized his truck to his needs it’s a Chevy one and a half ton with a customized fuel system and a remodeled Avion pick up camper. He helped arm our party and he can reload ammo for our weapons including my Russian revolver.



He told us that his wife, Linda can sew about anything and she has a nineteen twenty six Singer hand cranked sewing machine and a hand cranked machine for sewing heavy materials like leather and canvas. Over all an amazing group of people.



We are pulling into the Truck stop and a soldier directs to a parking area that has been set aside for our use.







Artie’s Story.



This is something else, it looks like the Army has taken command of the place. I wonder why they didn’t call us to camp Grayling instead. I guess we will get answers soon. We are escorted into the truck stop restaurant. We meet General Alex Williams.



The General’s Story.



“I have a job for you folks if you are interested, we need you to continue your journey and gather intelligence for us.” I hate bringing civilians in on this but the military is stretched so thin right now. I am compelled to tell them everything.



“Artemis Jones, your sister is alive but trapped in a shelter since the enemy used a radiological device on Washington we are working on extracting her and her team.” “The President and Congress did not survive the attack so the shadow government is in session.”



“Agent Hiram Wells , you are to continue the assignment of protecting the Caravan.” This young man seems capable enough and I know he has seen action. “I can’t provide you with weapons but rations and trauma packs are another story.”



I need to tell them the whole story. “Camp Grayling has been sabotaged by traitors in the military, right now the Ordnance Disposal and repair teams are cleaning up the mess and when it is deemed safe we will move back there.” I ask who is in charge and everyone points at Artie. 

[gipsy]

Artie DUCK

[papaof2]

Don't think you'll find many of these because you need two hands to handle the fabric/canvas/leather -
nineteen twenty six Singer hand cranked sewing machine and a hand cranked machine for sewing heavy materials

Treadle machines you're more likely to see in all varieties because foot power coordinates well with hand usage. I learned machine sewing on my grandmother's Singer treadle machine. My wife's grandmother's Singer treadle machine is on the landing to the upper floor - complete with boxes of bobbins, needles and a spare round leather drive belt.

[fsr]

Nov 26, 2021 14:02:04 GMT -6 papaof2 said:

Don't think you'll find many of these because you need two hands to handle the fabric/canvas/leather -
nineteen twenty six Singer hand cranked sewing machine and a hand cranked machine for sewing heavy materials

Treadle machines you're more likely to see in all varieties because foot power coordinates well with hand usage. I learned machine sewing on my grandmother's Singer treadle machine. My wife's grandmother's Singer treadle machine is on the landing to the upper floor - complete with boxes of bobbins, needles and a spare round leather drive belt.

My Grandmother and Mother used both. It was not until Mom and Dad started courting that they got "modern machinery." Grandma even carried it up to deer camp to use on tents and such. I don't know what happened to it when she passed away but she could make those things do wonders.