Can this machine be rescued?
#161
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,334
Grant, did you take the tension apart and polish each piece? I'm so afraid of taking the tension apart.
You do such beautiful work..... I need to get at the machine I got a few weeks ago..... just have had too much company.... maybe next week.
Jeweler's rouge??? where do you get that?
You do such beautiful work..... I need to get at the machine I got a few weeks ago..... just have had too much company.... maybe next week.
Jeweler's rouge??? where do you get that?
#162
Nanna, Thank you for the kind words.
You can get Jewelers Rouge at Walmart, or on line. It is a buffing compound.
I do take apart all upper and lower tensions and polish each piece. Nothing to be afraid of Nanna. When I take them apart I set them down in order. I clean them in order and assemble as I go. I also recommend taking a picture of it before you start and all of the parts in a row in order too after they are all out. Clean each piece and put it back together. If you are doing it for the first time I would recommend doing it with no interruptions so your memory is fresh. After you do it a few times you will see that there was nothing to worry about in the first place. Note where the spring is pointing when you start and try to get it back in the same spot when it is done. There are two types of removing of the center post. One is a set screw, and the other unscrews from the head. I guess I should do a tutorial on my Sew Restored page. The tension knob can be difficult to clean. I use a brass brush to get heavy gunk off and scrub the rust out with it on these knobs. Then I go over it with a buffing wheel.
It sounds intimidating and difficult but it is much easier than you might think.
Here is a before and after of the upper tension. I have the parts laid out in order of how they go back together. The part all the way to the left is specific to the Free Westinghouse this tension goes to.
~G~
[ATTACH=CONFIG]434004[/ATTACH]
You can get Jewelers Rouge at Walmart, or on line. It is a buffing compound.
I do take apart all upper and lower tensions and polish each piece. Nothing to be afraid of Nanna. When I take them apart I set them down in order. I clean them in order and assemble as I go. I also recommend taking a picture of it before you start and all of the parts in a row in order too after they are all out. Clean each piece and put it back together. If you are doing it for the first time I would recommend doing it with no interruptions so your memory is fresh. After you do it a few times you will see that there was nothing to worry about in the first place. Note where the spring is pointing when you start and try to get it back in the same spot when it is done. There are two types of removing of the center post. One is a set screw, and the other unscrews from the head. I guess I should do a tutorial on my Sew Restored page. The tension knob can be difficult to clean. I use a brass brush to get heavy gunk off and scrub the rust out with it on these knobs. Then I go over it with a buffing wheel.
It sounds intimidating and difficult but it is much easier than you might think.
Here is a before and after of the upper tension. I have the parts laid out in order of how they go back together. The part all the way to the left is specific to the Free Westinghouse this tension goes to.
~G~
[ATTACH=CONFIG]434004[/ATTACH]
#163
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: San Lorenzo, CA
Posts: 5,361
Grant, Great job!! Gotta get me some of that wadding cloth....
You can get rouge at most big hardware stores or some craft stores.
Frequently listed as metal polish with Coarse-Med-Fine.
Rouge is the fine one.
You can get rouge at most big hardware stores or some craft stores.
Frequently listed as metal polish with Coarse-Med-Fine.
Rouge is the fine one.
#164
Most of this came off with the buffing wheel. Wadding polish is available at auto parts stores. It works FANTASTIC on gunked up needlebar and presser foot bars too. A toothpick can get a lot of the big stuff off first and go over it with the wadding polish. It makes removing them so much easier. Also, I forgot to say what Steve just said about Coarse-Med-Fine. Thanks again Steve.
~G~
#165
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,334
Thanks Grant and Steve. I know I should take the tension apart on the machine I got this summer. Maybe...... I'll have enough courage to do it. .... usually I'm pretty gutsy about taking things apart and putting them back together. Once the company is gone after tomorrow..... I'm going to get at that machine.
#167
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: San Lorenzo, CA
Posts: 5,361
Thanks Grant and Steve. I know I should take the tension apart on the machine I got this summer. Maybe...... I'll have enough courage to do it. .... usually I'm pretty gutsy about taking things apart and putting them back together. Once the company is gone after tomorrow..... I'm going to get at that machine.
1. Clean around the are to be worked on (de-gunk)
2. Take at least two photos from different angles (not just close and far)
3. REMEMBER these things usually have springs in them, proceed slowly and with care. (NO Fear)
4. Have a clean piece of paper of fabric on the side, as you remove parts lay them down in a line in the order of removal.
5. When you remove the tension note the number of turns it took to remove it, (helps get you close on the reinstall)
6. If you have to remove part A to get to part B, STOP and take a picture before removing B
7. Photograph the laid out parts as soon as they are all out (because you WILL move things around)
8. Clean each part one at a time and return it to the location you got it from.
9. have your photos ready
10. reverse the above and you are done
#169
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Springfield Oregon
Posts: 1,481
Attachment 403214
Lois, I hope this makes you feel a little better. This is the same machine as it sits on my bench this morning. Some of the finish is in good condition. Sometimes you can't tell what is under all of that gunk. I thought that the motor was frozen but it was just packed full of seeds. It may sew again. But I am having a hard time getting the handwheel flange off of it. Any ideas anyone?
~G~
[ATTACH=CONFIG]403418[/ATTACH]
Lois, I hope this makes you feel a little better. This is the same machine as it sits on my bench this morning. Some of the finish is in good condition. Sometimes you can't tell what is under all of that gunk. I thought that the motor was frozen but it was just packed full of seeds. It may sew again. But I am having a hard time getting the handwheel flange off of it. Any ideas anyone?
~G~
[ATTACH=CONFIG]403418[/ATTACH]
#170
(M). 1940's to 1960's Japanese machines like almost any old car wax. I try different waxes until I am satisfied with the results. If I am not satisfied, I try oil. Some other times it needs both oil and wax to make them look the best.
But mostly I have good luck with car wax. I use a Meguire's wax and something I have had from a body shop made by a company called Wizards.
But be warned, do not use a buffing compound or a polishing compound. They have abrasives and will hurt your paint.
If there is an area that has already silvered, stay away from it. The paint seal has been compromised and can become more damaged by just wiping it with a dry towel. It should be protected and sealed from further damage FIRST before trying to shine it up. There is a good tutorial here on how to do that.
So my short answer, Car wax and / or Sewing Machine Oil. Neither should damage your paint if you are careful.
~G~
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