bkay

This was my late Mother's machine. I'm cleaning and polishing the machine and refinishing the cabinet. I'm planning on it being my FMQ machine, a skill I wish to develop.

I broke down some of the cabinet today. Now, I'm trying to decide my goals for this machine. I'm pretty secure in my refinishing skills (or can tap a friend if needed), so the cabinet is not a problem. I'm more unsure about the machine. I'm not too concerned about the mechanics, as my mom had it serviced every few years. It probably has some dried up old oil in it that needs to be cleaned up, but that's about all.

I have some questions about the machine, though. I've watched videos on cleaning and oiling the machine. They take out the whole bobbin mechanism and clean it. If I do that, will I have to re-set the timing? Also, is there something missing here (photo below)? I don't have another 15-91 to compare it to.

Is there any possibility, short of refinishing the machine, to convert this bad surface to a much nicer finish? I've started with sewing machine oil, but it doesn't clean it at all. I over shot my PBblaster and it cleaned it where it touched. I don't think it's a good thing to do again, though. Is French polish a viable option? Will it make a nice shiny surface? Is car wax something that would clean this? If so, does it matter which one? Someone said TR-3, others say carnuba.

Oh, I neglected to say that the little chips on the edge seem to have shown up while I was cleaning it with the machine oil (but some of the PBblaster could have been on my cotton ball, too), so I quit and took photos for this post.

What about the decals? Is the discoloration just dirt, or are they "rusty", for lack of a better term? If they're gone, they're gone, but these are discolored. Is there a way to remove/replace them without repainting the machine? I have four nice machines that I consider keepers that need this kind of attention, This one, 2 201-2's and a Pfaff 130. I've been reluctant to tackle them, as I don't know very much about what I'm doing. So, it's time to move on and quit stalling.

bkay

cashs_mom

I can't speak to any of the things except car wax. Being a car person I'm way to familiar with car wax. lol. Car wax won't necessarily clean it up, but it will make the surface look better and make it shiny. I would use carnuba. We use synthetic wax on the cars we drive every day because it lasts longer when exposed to the elements. But the show cars we use carnuba because it gives a better shine even though it won't last as long when it gets rained on. Since your sewing machine is most likely not getting rained on, lol, I'd use carnuba.

The edge looks like the paint is chipped. I'm not sure there's much you can do about that. Also, I'd be careful what you do to the decals. They are decals and you can rub them off. I'm not sure just how durable they would be at this point.

Edit: One other thing. Car wax will not make the surface in the second picture look smooth and shiny. The crinkly look will still be there. I don't know that there's much you can do about that short of repainting, but I don't do machine restoration. Some of the people here who do will be a lot more help.

Mickey2

For waxing I lean towards resin based car wax for practical reasons (the liquid type that dries quickly and buffs off easily). It doesn't shine up to as high a degree as the show room waxes (like some of the carnuba-blends), but it last longer and gives better protection in the long run. There's also Micro Crystaline Antique wax, made for museum pieces and is fine on shellac.

You have to spend some time to even out the rough spots, I don't know if new layers of shellac will make it disappear completely, but it will fill in the crazing and uneven parts. Check out the sticky thread on top of the vintage forum. French polishing does wonders but it takes a bit of time and research. Your machine is in good condition, I would suggest keeping the original finish, be careful with decals and stick to a lighter touch up of the japanning.

Shellac is a very strong durable finish, but it should not be left damp, don't use alcohol (unless you plan to remove it) and be careful when cleaning. That said, I know experts clean shellac finishes with various methods. The most common advice is to start gently, cotton balls and sewing machine oil, amp it up from there if needed. Microfiber cloths well wringed up in soapy water will get off a lot of grime. This should not damage shellac in reasonably good condition; if it's flaky be more careful.

Resin based car polish will lift up dirt and shine up further. When taking on a very dirty machine we have to get inventive to get stubborn grime off, but once it's cleaned and polished, the basic cleaning routing should be a gentle one. There are resin based polished with out the grit, they are clear and transparent often called glaze or sealant and recommended as a second step after the basic polish. These will be more gentle in the long run.

Take out the bobbin case, bobbin plate and needle plate with out worry; it will not affect timing. Some have been unlucky and damaged decals with WD-40 PB-blaster and various spray can stuff. They are safe to use on the internal parts but don't leave it on the paint, wipe any spills off as you go along. A good metal polish will shine up needle and presser bar like new, as well as the chromed plates.

The hole were your red arrow points is suppose to be open like that. I think it's the same on model 66 as well. Detect all oil points, check with the manual and keep on oiling and turning the mechanism the next few days. The potted motor is a chapter in itself, there's lots of info on the web.

tscweaves

How nice for you to have your mom's machine. My mom also has a 15-91 which I will inherit someday, but I am not in any hurry. I am planning on leaving it as it is, she bought it in the 50's and sewed on it almost her entire married life and I don't plan on taking away the history or the wear. If I were you, I would clean it up and use it to celebrate your mom.

bkay

I got it all cleaned up. I used a little bit of everything. it's oiled and ready to try. I'm one screw short, though. The light was missing a screw.

It was really dirty. I must have used 50 q-tips, plus rags, t-shirt strips and twine. Apparently, the "service man" did not know how to service the grease cups. They were almost empty and and had lots of greasy debris in them.

I've decided not to mess with this machine's finish. I used machine oil to clean it as best I could. I have a 201-2 that I haven't touched yet. It has no sentimental value, so it's going to be my finish guinea pig. I've been studying up on shellac and lacquer. Apparently, french polish is a furniture refinishing/repair technique. There's lots of information on it out there.

I'm going to find the screw tomorrow and I'll post an "after" photo as soon as I get the light back on it.

Thanks
bkay

Mickey2

French polish as I learned to do it is the high gloss finish we are used to on guitars and violins. It's built up from clean new wood / furniture, but it allows for repairs and retouchings later on. What the teacher there called French polish was when he dulled the high gloss finish down with a fine pumice powder and finished off there. It gave a very silky smooth finish. What they call french polishing most other places is the high gloss finish, and I haven't found an explanation for it. Either way, it's the same procedure; layers of shellac applied with a cloth.

From a video on the web it looks like Singers Japanning was made efficient at a production line. The cast irion bodies was dipped in a sort of black paint, and then spray painted layers off shellac on top. Finished off with decals and a good layer of shellac to protect them. When we touch up an old machine, it's often best to use the rag method or fine brush to fill where paint has chipped. Could we spray it on at home? I don' think Singer used the pumice powder.

Is the rough spot on your machine where the light goes? It might be caused by heat? These days we can get LED bulbs and they get just slighly warm. I just wonderd what caused it, can be lots of things.

I have so far kept my machines original, just cleaned and polished them. I have been thinking of touching up a bit here and there but not come that far yet. I accept a few signs of wear and age and I still think they are very nice looking when cleaned up.

bkay

Based on where it is on the machine, I think it's caused by handprints. It's on the front of the bed where your hand would be while sewing. It's also on the horizontal arm where you would touch it to lower or raise the head from the cabinet. I had forgotten about it, but my mom had it in storage (Public Storage type) for several years. It was dry, but not climate controlled. I'm in Texas, so it got hot. I would think the damage was some combination of those things.

I'd like to see the video. Can you post a link?

In a youube video showing French polish, the guy takes a few flakes of shellac, puts it in a cloth and then wets the cloth with alcohol. I'm glad I saw it, as he gives specific information about the kind of shellac and alcohol to buy. They opened a woodworkers supply company not far from me, so I should be able to get those items. I got my mahogany veneer there a couple of months ago.

Oh, I did disassemble and clean the bobbin area, but it didn't need it. It was the only clean spot on the whole machine. So, I decided not to do the tension knob. If it shows any problems, I can always do it as it looks pretty easy.

Thanks, Mickey.

bkay

Mickey2

As far as I know, you have to dissolve the flakes in alcohol first, keep it in a jar or something. Some brush it on then use the prepared cloth to smooth the lacquer out. It dries surprisingly quickly, and many layers can be added in a short time.

I can't find the vide at the moment. I think it showed a work day at the Singer factory in Clydesbank in 1930. It wasn't on youtube, but some kind of museum - history site.

bkay

Here are the after photos. I'm pleased with it. The new screw in the light fell out while I was taking photos. I didn't take it off to find out what the problem is. So, I'm not sure if it's the screw or the hole. I'll figure it out before I put it back in the cabinet.
bkay

leonf

Well done, bkay. Those screws can be tricky to find.