Rodney, the machine I bought as a "parts" machine (which will no doubt end up being almost all of the remaining machine) is pretty clean to start with. The bed of the machine (around the decals) is a little rough, so I think Glenn's method of applying some shellac is called for. We drove to Mount Dora, FL Tuesday night to pick it up, and the weather was horrible on the way down, not too bad on the way back, and we took a main road (US 441) back instead of all the back roads. I started trying to clean a little of the machine (just the slide plate/needle plate (and this machine has two plates). My great-grandmother's original machine is pretty much a rust bucket -- my uncle had no concept of caring for a sewing machine and put it in his "shed" which, naturally sprung a leak, and all but obliterated the machine. There was just enough left that you could read the "Minnesota" and "Model A" and that's about all of it. I already have a shuttle and a bobbin which I got from a member of the quilting board, Betty from New York (last January or February). I'll get those pictures and post them ASAP.
Jeanette