CoalTownQuilter

I recently acquired this cute little Spartan 192k. For the most part I found her in very good clean condition. Honestly, it doesn't appear that she's been used very much at all. After a few adjustments she now sews a pretty little stitch! While cleaning the bobbin case I noticed this wad of red fuzz/felt. This is supposed to be left alone correct? Also, please note that the previous owner must have used something that damaged the finish on the bed. I don't believe there is anything I can do to restore the finish other than a new paint job. Another issue I discovered was the bottom of the case has a crack and most of the tabs that the machine sits on are broken causing the machine to not sit level. I need to get my hands on a nice sturdy wood base to set this machine in so she can be used.....or maybe find somebody that can make one for me. I don't have room for a cabinet unfortunately.[ATTACH=CONFIG]570236[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]570237[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]570238[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]570239[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]570240[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]570241[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]570243[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]570245[/ATTACH]

leonf

Red felt is supposed to be there, yes. It should be oiled occasionally to make things happy. Not familiar with the Spartan, but many machines won't sit level without a case around them.

Mickey2

I have a 99, which is the same machine in almost every way. It should run smoothly and is very well behaved. I too had to work with new feet for the base, a lot of oiling, cleaning, and more oliling before it was up to standard. I placed furniture felt under the base to stabilize it, the original rubber feet was gone. Cabinets for 3/4 sized machines doesn't turn up that often, but the cases do, usually with a 99 or a 128. My 99 came in a bent wood case and the base is very good, however, a DIY base can be just as good.

The base can sometimes be polish up with resin based car polish, and another way to revive shellac is in this thread.

Cari-in-Oly

Nice little Spartan. TR3 Resin Glaze is what I would use to polish it up, it won't fix the scratches but it will protect what's left of the finish. The original case/base has already been replaced once, the blue one is from a 185. The Spartans had a black plastic base which suffered from the same problems your base has now. Some people have had luck with replacing the fins inside the base with pieces of wood glued in place.

Cari

CoalTownQuilter

But see how the black finish has been scrubbed off? Will it help with that? With regard to the case, I have a bentwood case that another machine is stored in.....I wonder if this will fit into that. I didn't realize the blue case is not the original to the 192k. Thanks for your input!!!

Mickey2

Glenn's method in the sticky thread will improve scratched up surface, and a good job with shellac polishing can do wonders, and you don't have to strip the old off. For the other machine with case you have, if it's a 99, you might as well keep it there, some have taken a special liking to their 28 or 128, so it's hard to advice anyone to toss out the old for a new found Spartan. The Spartan is a stripped down version of the later 99 version stitch length lever; 99s had nicer decals, nicer cases and usually a cord that pluged into the machine. Not all had pedal, some had knee lever control. Nothing is wrong with a Spartan though, the machine itself is nice.

J3General

If you or dh are "diy handy", I do not think it is particularly difficult to make a wooden base. If not, there a number of newly made wooden bases offered for sale on Ebay and Etsy - just make certain you request a base that fits a 3/4 size Singer 99 style machine.

miriam

The blotchy finish is likely disturbed shellac which means it can be fixed. Touch it with a dab of alcohol to see if it goes sticky. If you follow Glenn's directions carefully you can make that machine look a whole lot better in a fairly short time. It could have gotten damp and someone tried to wipe it off or it could have been "Cleaned" with alcohol.
My husband uses reclaimed hard wood for the simple bases he makes so they set level.

CoalTownQuilter

Thanks Miriam for the advice! Does your hubbie sell the simple wood bases he makes?