Very nice work Steve. Sorry that you got the wrong die the first time. That had to be frustrating to do all of that work and have it ruined by someone else.
I have been doing some restoration work on a Singer 27 from 1896. The poor old thing has some real issues. Can it be saved? Yes! I may not be able to restore the paint to the original condition, but I can restore the mechanicals and it will sew again. I wanted to share some of my progress.
It was so rusty, I did not even know that there was a design on the inspection plate until I saw a picture of it that I had taken of it before I started working on it. It took some work, but I am happy with how it came out.
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The head was a mess. It was covered with years of dust. The foot bar was seized and the foot lever was so rusted, I thought that it would have to be replaced. It sparkles again after using a Dremel with a buffing wheel and some jewelers rouge on it. The paint in there even shines.
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I think that many machines that seem like a lost cause really are not. This machine has been handed down for generations. It is important to the family that it is no longer neglected and that it is restored. It might take some doing, but it will come back to life. Sometimes it simply depends on how bad you want it.
~G~