I messed with two frozen up Japanese machines while my car was being fixed. One was a Capri sewing machine - it has all the pretty stitches on a dial. The machine was missing the throat plates, the bobbin was stuck on the shaft, none of the knobs moved, the inside of the machine was all stuck up. The plates and all were actually under the junk in the bottom of the case. I used some Triflow, moved the wheel, cleaned the gunk off, got into the top inside and moved parts around with my fingers when I could. I traced the moving parts and oiled. Then I tried to turn the hand wheel to no avail. I oiled all the knobs, inside and out. I turned the machine over and oiled the bottom and inside. Those things that look like wrenches seem to hold dried up oil real good - I cleaned and oiled those things and anything else that moved. All of a sudden the machine started to turn. Finally all but one knob moved. Then that knob moved but the guts didn't turn except they turn easy by finger inside the machine so that will have to have a cure. I think it might be a pretty nice machine - a lot of the internals look like a Kenmore zz from the late 60s early 70s.
The other machine I messed with was a frozen up really old Japanese 15 - it had a mouse nest in the bottom of the case. I looked it over and thought it might end up being a parts machine... that's ok I need one... but I thought I'd at least oil it and give it a chance before I scrapped it out. I cleaned a mountain of rust colored lint - so it wasn't rust after all... The poor machine was never given a name decal. It was bare. No clear coat. The machine was used (it did have a lot of lint) What decals are on are pretty good though - the chrome was all grimy and not attached in places - the tension still is very grimy. I didn't make it that far. When my car was done, I was going to go to FedEx to mail a package - I left the address at home... It will keep a day or two. Back to the poor little machine. The inside was like glue - lots of dried up oil. The bottom was dried up oil - The bobbin area was dried up oil. Once I got that all cleaned up she started to turn. I kept cleaning and oiling - those wrench things sure do gunk up on those machines. I got things clean and all of a sudden that machine was ready to do a happy dance... Well except for the pressure foot bar. It wouldn't move. I though maybe the spring had died or something. I kept cleaning and oiling - I took off the foot and thread cutter, needle and clamp - got some dried up oil off - it looked like rust - it was awful. Cleaned up the levers and anything else on there. I had to kind of coax the pressure foot to move. Once it moved it moved nice... then it would stick again. I scraped some more dried up oil off and I think I got it all free. I never did finish the tension - needs to be removed and cleaned thoroughly. I believe I would rather see dried up oil than rust. I have to figure out the motors on both machines. I bet they aren't fit to use. I've never done on of those sewing races but I bet with the right motor this machine would shine in a race - only one slicker might be Melinda's yellow - it turns very freely now. I think before a race, I would oil the works.
Yesterday we knocked out the kitchen walls. It kind of felt good to pull out nails. AND DH figured out where the stink was coming from - it was a vent pipe not attached - no more stink!