Amateur's First Effort to Refurbish Antique Sewing Machine
 

I thought *some* people might be interested to watch a COMPLETE amateur attempt to follow Billy's and others' instructions and coaching while I refurbish my very first antique machine.

I found this Singer 66 Red Eye (1910; serial #G7561436) at a junk store south of Keene, NH last August. You might recall me posting messages about it ("should I get it??"). It was $45 with a really ugly cabinet. The bobbin was fully threaded; the needle still sharp. A fair amount of rust sprinkled over most of its metals. It's got the rear attachment for the presser foot, which -- if I don't replace it -- will limit me to the presser foot it came with (if I understand correctly).

It is electric with attached motor and light, but has the right kind of hand wheel to be converted to a treadle. Which I want to do.

Picture 1: at the store

Picture 2: back at the in-laws

A really pretty machine.

Will love to see the progress! It looks like you have a great machine to start with, not too bad at all.

The rear-clamping feet can be found online without too much difficulty. I have a back-clamping Red Eye (which I've already used to piece a "jelly roll race" style top for my 1st treadle project). I just found another side-clamping one for a really good price and intend to change out the presser bar since all my other machines are side-clamping low-shank Singers and I already have a ton of compatible feet.

It looks like a great machine. Have fun be sure to post pic's as you go along. I have one like this it is a 1917, in a red oak cabinet.

I've had it home for six months now. I removed it from its horrendously ugly cabinet and placed it atop my bookshelf in the living room. Figured I'd start refurbishing it next spring.

THEN... recently, I read on my neighborhood listserv that a neighbor had a TREADLE BASE she was giving away. While it had been the base of her grandmother's sewing machine (which she, regrettably no longer had), for the last 30 years, it served as the base of their round kitchen table. I nabbed it. Here it is:

Starting to take it apart
 

So THEN I went in search of how to make a top for this treadle base, and in doing so, discovered TreadleOn-- the web site (http://www.treadleon.net/sewingmachineshop/) and listserv. I subscribed to the listserv and also downloaded some great instructions from the web site.

One of the things that Billy's cleaning instructions do NOT deal with is the issue of RUST. As I said, I have a fair amount of it. As it turns out, a discussion about rust was one of the first things I found on the TreadleOn listserv, including mention of the product Evaporust. This morning, I found Evaporust at my local hardware store. Yippee!! Inspiration. I went home, pulled up Billy's disassembly instructions and started to pull things apart, placing the rusted bits in a tin of Evaporust to soak. They needed more than 30 minutes (the apparent minimum) but not the overnight (for really bad rust problems).

I took photos as I went along (taking things apart) so a) I'd know how to put them back together again, and b) I'd have "before" shots. THe problem is that my current "camera" is a piece of doo doo blackberry. So most of the closeups are near worthless. But I'm figuring that between my photos, Billy's photos and your sage wisdom, I'll be okay.

Here are a few of the better before pictures:

The rusted bits are now pretty much rust free, but "pitting" remains-- damage caused by the rusting, I'm sure. not sure what to do about that. But will continue on.

In the meantime, I'm stuck at the removal of the handwheel because I can't get the internal wheel to budge. I removed the little screw, but I can't get that bugger to turn one iota. WD 40, tapping, screaming, mason jar lid rubber remover thingies... Husband now home, I'm going to put him on it, but I don't think he's going to make any better progress, and I don't know any heavy weights/linebacker types... Any other suggestions?

In the meantime, I'll return to my 1977 Montgomery Ward Signature and do some... quilting.

I applaud your efforts, she's a beauty well worth the effort! Pulling up a chair to watch the transformation!

For stuck parts, I've had luck with Liquid Wrench (bottle, not spray). Let it sit (overnight even), try again. Use a little more. Let it sit. Maybe hit it with the hair dryer some. Other suggestions I've seen are to use PB Blaster with pretty much the same method.

Also, since it's a 66 model, the TFSR site goes into a lot of detail on how to refurbish those and troubleshoot. They even have a section on the balance wheel. http://www.tfsr.org/publications/tec...achine_manual/

refurbish antique machine
 

For pitting, get yourself a vibrating tumbler from a gunsmith site or maybe amazon. Fill it with chopped walnut or corncob. Place your evaporust treated pieces in it; I frequently let the thing go all night. To start, check it every 3 or 4 hours, though. Then use some metal polish after the tumbler has done its best.

Also, if you have a rusted piece that you don't want to remove for whatever reason, soak a cotton pad in evaporust and wrap it around the piece. Check frequently, like every hour. Do not wash off the evaporust; just wipe with a soft cloth.

For the handwheel (I've had several of these puppies stuck like they were welded): turn the machine on its side, handwheel up. I use an elaborate box/styrofoam holder. Anyway, once the machine is secure, apply Kroil. Yes, it's expensive, but it works. Apply several times a day, and use the hair dryer from time to time. It will eventually loosen up without damage to the machine.