[quote=Prism99]
Originally Posted by Gilla
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!
Thanks, that is exactly what I needed. I have cleaned up the box that came with it just now with Soft Scrub and warm water. It turned out nice. The cams I just washed and dried and some of the feet, if they didn't have any parts, I brushed with a toothbrush and dried. Now they are all back in their places. The machine is still outside as I cannot carry it, my DH can't do it by himself, and our son hasn't shown up yet.
The cabinet is very nice. The top has some webbing on it that my husband said could be fixed if refurnishing it. The wood is solid and drawers in excellent shape, but dirty. But I probably won't do that and use what you suggest to just clean and shine it. I really haven't had any opportunity to see the machine run. The guy had it plugged in and it ran, but I don't know how it sews, etc. If all else fails there are a couple of good service guys in the area and I may have it serviced. But first I'll try oiling and lubing it.
There are some parts that I'll never use and some are missing.
What kind of bobbins can I use. I have 100's of Vikings and other Singer bobbins, but this only had only two.
Thanks for your help.
Gilla