I learned to sew on a FW (I'm 53) - made many clothes on it long before the days of knits, sergers, embroidery machines, etc.
If you have the buttonhole attachment, it comes with a plate to cover the feed dogs.
And they make THE BEST buttonholes - better than any newer machine I have tried (I have had two other singers, now have two Vikings, tried Pfaffs and Berninas before I bought the Vikings - their buttonholes don't compare to the little humble FW).
Watch out for the light bulb though! Many a wrist have been burned on those bulbs!
For the moldy smelling cases - fabric softener sheets closed up in them help. My mother would never let us set hers on the concrete floor due to moisture.
Great machines!