Bought a stiff but pretty 99K
DH & I were finishing off a lunch break today and we stopped in a thrift shop, and my darling enabler husband spotted a little 99K for me! I was in a rush to get back to work so I gave it a quick glance over, decided it looked nice and clean and intact and bought it on a whim. $45 for the machine; no accessories but it has the pedal and a full case that's in pretty good shape. Looked up the serial and she's from 1956. UK machine (I think the K means it's from the UK? But it also says Made in Great Britain.)
I didn't realize how stiff she is, though, until I got her home. If I disengage the clutch she spins wonderfully, the motor sounds fine and doesn't smell weird. But with the clutch engaged the motor isn't strong enough to push the machine. Cranking by hand is difficult too, so it's not that the motor is really weak.
I've peered into and under it a bit and I THINK it's just old hardened oil gunking things up. Moving it by hand has already freed it up a little bit and nothing feels wrong or clunky; it's just stiff and gunky feeling.
So, I'll be re-watching some YouTube videos and doing some scrubbing of old gunk....maybe not THIS weekend, but probably next. I'm thinking a toothbrush and sewing machine oil will be my two primary weapons...
I'll have to post some pictures. The machine is very pretty IMO - the decals are simple but nearly perfect, there are only a couple minor scratches on the bed, the shellac is gorgeous and shiny, the cord is intact and limber.... No rust anywhere that I can see so far. The light is there and works. The case has some little damage on the corners but is otherwise in good shape. (It's the boxy 50's case, not the cool bentwood kind.)
I'm hoping I can get her up and running...not sure what I'm going to do with her yet but she was just so cute and small and pretty I couldn't say no!!