u/glosnail

I got this guy today for $10 USD (yes you read that right) and I'm trying to find information on where and when it was made. I can only assume 1821 would be a year of manufacture but I've yet to find records to confirm. It needs bands, a footman, and parts of a distaff, and there are some chips in the whorl that may or may not need to be fixed for it to work. They're very borderline IMO. He's screw tension and looks like some parts may have been replaced before. My other wheel (an A. Borduas CPW that I'm still in the process of fixing) has cast iron fittings and a cast iron treadle plate, but the only metal on this wheel is the rods through the flyer and the drive wheel. All the joints are done with woodwork joins. The drive wheel diameter is 20.5 inches.

This was my mother's Passionflower vine before she passed of a long battle with cancer. I don't know which species specifically but I know it was supposed to be a Passionflower (it has never fruited or flowered for me to be absolutely certain, but I do have the pack of seeds she used and it is labeled passionflower). She grew it from seed and I'm desperately trying to keep it alive.

The vine is probably 7 or 8 feet long -- much longer than I am tall at 5'4" -- but these are the only leaves on it, because every time it puts out new leaves, the cats go after them and shred them. So the most recent time that happened (maybe a week ago now), I potted it up into a 5 gallon bucket, built it a trellis out of the bamboo that grows in my back yard, and moved it to my bedroom where I keep the door closed anyway since I have reptiles and whatnot that I don't want the cats bothering. There are several plant grow lights in the room since I do bioactive terrariums for all my tank critters, one of them is maybe two feet to the right from where these leaves are resting on the trellis, so it should be getting plenty of the appropriate light. The lighting is all on a timer automated to match the local sunrise/sunset data pulled from the internet. So these grow lights are on for literally as long as the sun is up where I live (like 10+ hours a day at this time of year).

The substrate is a mix of topsoil, coco coir, and play sand. Heavy on the coco coir because I noticed that this plant will use quite a bit of water whenever it's available. I also left a layer of coco coir chunks on the top just for looks. I've been giving it quite a bit of water (literally a gallon plus a day) because if I water in the morning, it is soaking it all up and leaving the substrate bone dry by the time I go to bed at night. These photos were taken right after watering.

I noticed it was not doing well after potting up, so I also tried giving it "all purpose plant food" made by Miracle Gro according to the directions on the box, to make sure it was getting enough nutrients. That seems to have made no change. It continues to dry out like it's not had a drop of water in years.

What am I doing wrong? I'm growing other live plants just fine (aquatic and terrestrial) so I know it's not the lighting or the substrate, since I'm using all the same items there. Does this species really need That much more water than anything else I've ever had?

I was at the US127 yard sale today and acquired this antique sewing machine made by National Sewing Machines somewhere between 1890 and 1953. I'm trying to locate a more specific date, but running into a wall in every direction. The back of the machine says across the arm "Improved Eldredge B" but the only machine made by National that I can find record of under that name, is an electric machine, where this is clearly not. There was also a car made by National under that name, which is not helping my search.

I'm reading that there may be a serial number under the bobbin plate, but I can't get the plate off. Watching videos of similar models on YouTube, their plates slide right off, but mine seems to be stuck? Does anyone know what I'm missing or what I should do about it?