Originally Posted by Janis
The only thing wrong with painting the antique machines is that you remove the antique value of it. If the finish on it isn't in good shape, it might be warranted to do. But I'd think first before I did it. That's like refinishing antique furniture, it reduces the value. Just a thought..... I'll keep mine just the way they are, loved and used.
I agree with the premiss about declining value. But in this case, the rough areas were so bad that they needed to be cleaned up to allow for sewing. The fabric would catch on it. There was actually rust. If you don't cure the rust there will be nothing of value to brag about as an antique. This, after all, is just a tool. I know people get attached to their machines and name them and think they are the next thing to sliced bread, but in the end they are just a tool. In the woodworking world, there are those folks who search out old tools and place them up on a shelf and look at them and never use them. There is nothing wrong with thinking of them as art objects, but again, they are just a tool. I use all my tools, both sewing and woodworking. Some of them are very old, but I clean them up and use them. I have repaired furniture for people who paid lots of money because they bought some piece that was a couple of hundred years old. But if you look at the inner workings of such pieces there were some pretty bad carpenters/craftsmen who made those things from the standpoint of quality of construction. Everything old is not good just because it is old. I guess I don't worry about the value of some of these things, if they don't allow me to use them. Call me crazy, but I like to use them not look at them.
John