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