Originally Posted by Gilla
I got it! ----- I got it! ------ I got it! Right here at my house. BUT it is still in the car as I have to wait for our son to come over and DH to bring it in the house. It looked gorgeous and it worked. It needs lot of cleaning, but I can do that.
5 1/2 trip and a tank of gas.
Yooohoooh!!!!!!
Congratulations! I've cleaned many an old machine in my day. Mild soap and water works great, with a soft toothbrush for the tiny crevices. Have you oiled an old machine before? I just take off as much of the case as I can and put a drop on every moving part (sewing machine grease on gears). After oiling, I usually "burn in" the new oil by running the machine without a needle full speed for about 3 minutes. If you smell any burning, though, stop as that may mean that the motor brushes are wearing out and need replacing.
For the cabinet, once you have the grime cleaned off and any parts that need it retouched with stain, I can recommend Howard's Feed-N-Wax to restore luster to the wood. Found this at Home Depot and just love it for all furniture. Formsby has some good stuff too, but I generally use that only for very beat-up cabinets. Yours appears to be in great condition.
There are several good email lists on Yahoo! about vintage machines. Try Singer, Vintagesingers, and Wefixit. I think you are going to love this machine!