Thread: Vintage Sewing Machine Shop.....Come on in and sit a spell

Originally Posted by grant15clone

Steve, I am doing a machine as an example of an "Over The Top Restoration" to show what is possible. In this case, it was about the same cost for Nickel as it was for Chrome. I opted to go with the extreme.
~G~

Grant ... looks great, and I agree ... over the top - which was your aim.

You have me thinking sideways about something. My husband and I own a small manufacturing company - we make sowing machines (yes I spelled that right - they're for greenhouses). Our machines are mostly aluminum with black. For our 10th anniversary my husband is having some of the milled aluminum parts black anodized. I've seen the samples and they're lovely. So yeah - now I'm doing a sideways think about black anodized parts on a sewing machine ... hand wheel perhaps. Will have to ask my husband if it's possible - my knowledge of metallurgy is limited to spelling metallurgy.

Originally Posted by DogHouseMom

Grant ... looks great, and I agree ... over the top - which was your aim.

You have me thinking sideways about something. My husband and I own a small manufacturing company - we make sowing machines (yes I spelled that right - they're for greenhouses). Our machines are mostly aluminum with black. For our 10th anniversary my husband is having some of the milled aluminum parts black anodized. I've seen the samples and they're lovely. So yeah - now I'm doing a sideways think about black anodized parts on a sewing machine ... hand wheel perhaps. Will have to ask my husband if it's possible - my knowledge of metallurgy is limited to spelling metallurgy.

I might be wanting to do that too. So many neat ideas. Anodizing is something I would love to try on a machine after this project, that is, if this project goes well. Maybe one of those 1950's flat black painted Singer 66's with anodizing the chrome to a Gunmetal color. Now that would be a cool looking Stealthy machine! Maybe one with some red or gold anodized pieces too. OH BOY! You got the wheels turning now!
As far as the parts to be plated, anodizing needs aluminum to bond to it. Whereas Nickel or Chrome need steel. Hmmmm. Most Sewing Machine parts are Steel or Iron. Rarely did they do aluminum. Especially before WW2.
~G~

Originally Posted by grant15clone

I might be wanting to do that too. So many neat ideas. Anodizing is something I would love to try on a machine after this project, that is, if this project goes well. Maybe one of those 1950's flat black painted Singer 66's with anodizing the chrome to a Gunmetal color. Now that would be a cool looking Stealthy machine! Maybe one with some red or gold anodized pieces too. OH BOY! You got the wheels turning now!
As far as the parts to be plated, anodizing needs aluminum to bond to it. Whereas Nickel or Chrome need steel. Hmmmm. Most Sewing Machine parts are Steel or Iron. Rarely did they do aluminum. Especially before WW2.
~G~

Grant, I have enough crappy machines to experiment with on that one...

I messed with a Spartan 327 - I sort of wonder if the same 'body' was used for the 328
It does a nice stitch - it's spool pin was broken off - needs to be drilled out or something so I can put in a new one
Ok so someone changed how pictures go on here??? I can't do it at all now... bummer.

Originally Posted by makitmama

Hey I scored a 227 tonight. The CL pic was so bad, I thought it was a 185, only tan. Anyone have any experience with these? I hope it cleans up well, but it is boonnne dry. The owners manual has little notes from the original owner on how to thread, etc. Also got some attachments....

I got one for Christmas. Rusty as heck, the slide plate missing, and bobbin rusted in place, but it cleaned up better than I thought. I borrowed the slide plate off my 237 and sewed a little with it, but haven't had much chance to play with it. Can you scan the manual? I cannot find one anywhere. It seems like a fairly strong machine, with an industrial look to it, to me anyway.

A Touch and Sew is aluminum and would be a worthy candidate for any experiment - if it doesn't turn out you could take it to the recycle place. If it turns out it would be like gilding a lily with mud... but it would be practice...

so if Melinda wants a copy of my manual, and I have access to a copier that will scan to email, is that the best way to do it? this is a 3x5 book so I could unstaple it and mess around I guess.
or should I use my ginormous regular scanner, blow up the pages, and then save them as a .pdf?
any ideas?
No, I haven't touched the 227 yet. Or the new 12k. And I have two others that need me, also.
BUT, my DH is being furloughed due to sequestration , and I am taking on extra projects for the hours. When I do, you can bet I will have questions.