Cleaning and repairing the shellac clear coat on vintage sewing mcahines
 

Supplies needed: Shellac
Denatured alcohol
Linseed oil (boiled)
Rags (old t-shirts or old tighty whites)

1. Clean the head with you favorite method to remove dirt and grime.
2. Wrap you finger with a couple of layers with the t-shirt.
3. dip finger in alcohol and place a few drops of linseed oil on the finger
4. now start rubbing the bed with light circular motions, add more oil if finger sticks to the finish.

We are now melting the old shellac into a smooth coating trying to eliminate the dull brown spots of old shellac.
5.Now go from left to right in a straight line ligthly lifting the finger and the repeat. you can also go from right to left if you like. Now we are trying to get rid of any swirl marks that were left by the rag.

Stay away of the decals at this time. Cont this tech until you have a smooth finish on the entire head.

When you hav a smooth and clear finish on the head(as clear as it will get and you will know)

6. Now go over the the decals with the same method above very lightly.

7. Let this cure for about a day then with new rag on finger dip it in shellac and place a few drops of oil and with a circular motion go over the decals and the head. Cont. dipping finger in shellac and a few drops of linseed oil and do this over the entire head and decals. this is adding more clean shellac to protect the decals and the japan coating. Always ending in the straight line finishing to get rid of the swirl marks made by the rag.

8. Do this until it looks good to you and smooth and shiny. Let cure for a week and then wax if you want. You favorite brand of wax is okay although it is not needed now.

Please note: I recommend you practice this french polish method on an old machine first so you can get the hang of it. Please do not hesitate to ask questions anytime. I am always here to help.

Before and after treatment
 

Here you can see the before and after treatment. The last photo is an old used singer oil bottle I load with linseed oil and the little mouthwash bottle is full of denatured alcohol. Makes it easier to but on the finger rag.

Thank you, Glenn, for putting this in one thread.

Thanks for the info! This was probably asked before, but I am assuming the linseed oil is to keep the shellac from drying too quickly and give you more working time? This sounds very much like what I've done with a couple of pieces of furniture to "revive" the shellac finish.

I have a little FW with some of the decals already rubbed off. Would you recommend this method?

Yes you are correct the oil gives you more working time and to prevent the rag from sticking to the finish. It is the same tech we use when restoring furniture and French polishing finish.

This method will not restore the missing decals but will protect the decals that are left. I recommend this on any vintage machine to improve the appearance.

You may want to add naptha or lighter fluid to the supplies. The naptha is used to wipe the the head to get rid of any oil or cleaning agents used to get the dirt off. Just one wipe down with naptha and a clean rag will do it.
Skip

My machine has precious little of the decorative decals left....is it madness to completely strip them off? I am not intending to re-sell or anything...

This is a matter of personal choice, I would not if it was my choice. I would just clean it up and use it like it is.

Yes, I think you are right....I will let the old girl hang on to some remnants of beauty.

Thanks, Glenn.

Great tute Glenn thanks ever so much for your time of doing this for us.

Glenn,

Thank you this fantastic information and easy to use instructions.

Cathy

Thank you for the tute. I am a little confused as to whether it is Glenn writing or Skp using Glenn's account. Either way, thank you. I had just found your postings yesterday in March 31st posts. This tute beats the time it took to locate the info. LOL :D

Thank you Glenn for posting the tutorial and answering our questions! Now on my to do list for the outdoor cleaning of machines. I will post photos of before and after once I get around to this project. Thanks again!!!

I sure did miss a lot by sleeping... My husband actually got busy and did this on my Vindex and on an old FW. No pics of the FW yet. Here is a pic of the cans - enough to do 100 sewing machines. [ATTACH=CONFIG]328971[/ATTACH]

before picture of my Vindex Special. [ATTACH=CONFIG]328972[/ATTACH]
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ok this is before I put all the pretty pieces back on - I don't have a picture of it all put back together - that should happen one of these days - she might star in a school play.... Fiddler on the Roof but who knows the teacher might want a modern machine that doesn't weigh ssssoooooooo much.
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Thanks Skipper Glenn - I would never have believed that machine could look so good and take so little time. It is back together but still needs the screw I found to adjust the stitch length installed. The treadle cabinet is in rough shape. Maybe a tutorial how to fix those some time?

I have a FW which has been repainted no decals & the paint is coming off How should I go about refinishing. It sews well & I probably will keep it til it Dies. Where & what kind of paint should I use. I found an outlet for the decals. Thanks for your help

Miriam, Thanks for posting the pictures of your "star" Vindex. She sure does look very pretty!! Again, Thank you Glenn!

Auto paint
http://www.keelersales.com/servlet/Detail?no=655

very good tute, thanks! :)

Ok I shot a pic of my Vindex Special all put back and I shot the FW after the Skipper Glenn treatment
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Phil you did a great job on these two machines Pat your self on the back.

I am not as happy with the FW as the Vindex Special. I think he got in a hurry... Don't tell him I told the whole world. Oh well, there are 9 or 10 more that need it... maybe Phil will get good at it.

Thanks for all the hints about the shellac, but I am wondering has anyone ever use polyurethan on the cabinets?

When did machines change from shellac to enamel? Are all black machines the japaned finish? I wouldn't think so.

You can use poly but all the shellac must be stripped off first or the poly will not stick good and will flake off. I recommend you stick with shellac since that is the original fisnish. The Water base poly will give a plastic look and will not have that amber glow of old furniture. You can use oil based poly but it will take days to dry and will collect dust will drying. Shellac will dry tack free in about 30 min or less.

Ok....so here's my Singer 201-2...before and after:

These are the "before" pics...

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And after....still not perfect, but MUCH better, and at least the decals are protected!

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Thanks Skip!! :)

A rule of thumb is if the machine is black with decals it is japan with a clear coat of shellac to protect the decal. The newer machine that are green, brown, tan, white. pink or multicolor are baked enamel and will have no shellac on them. So if you have a machine with decals the clear coat is shellac. I will have to do some research to find the cut off dates of japan vs enamel. This is a very good question.

Charlee you did a great job and the machine looks much better. Keep practicing this tech and you will be amazed at what can be done with these old ladies. Pat yourself on the back. Skip

Very interesting info. Thanks.

Charlee, your machine looks wonderful!

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to write it in my 'everything' notebook.

We have a 1925 Singer with wood case intact. But the wiring in bad shape. Can a person get into the motor to put in new wire or do we need a specialist. Also we have a treadle with blond table. The table looks like either someone tried to sand it a little at one time or finish is worn. We wondered about a light sanding with super fine sand paper, but what would you recommend we use for finish?

Can I save this thread somehow so I can find it when I need it?

Joe and I are going to be doing a tutorial on that pretty soon. I have a ton of machines to do - he says he is coming over to Indianapolis from Illinois and we are going to document what we do. Rain has information on his blog - good information. You can also join his blog as a follower and he will send email when he posts - I love his work. http://vssmb.blogspot.com/ dig around - he has done a LOT!!! He visits QB once in a while - I wish he would come to the vintage sewing machine shop and chatter with the crazy people there.... I mean the really nice people who also work on sewing machines. Myself included.