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Cleaning and repairing the Shellac clear coat on Vintage sewing machine heads

Cleaning and repairing the Shellac clear coat on Vintage sewing machine heads

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Old 09-04-2017, 11:16 AM
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Default question on shellac step

Glenn..
I see you only describe above putting shellac on top of the decals. What about the rest of the sewing machine? I am trying to fix some areas on a Featherweight that have the top coat removed, and are hazed over. Thank you for your great tutorial! Pat


Originally Posted by Glenn View Post
Now we are going to repair the shellac clear coat as best we can. If you like you can clean the decals with sewing machine oil before starting this. Now wrap your index finger in the t-shirt and apply with a couple of drops of denatured alcohol and and a drop or two of linseed oil and begin to clean the surface in a circular motion and ending in going in one direction by bringing the finger down and lifting off the surface at the end. Now stay away from the decals at this time. This will keep you from sticking to the surface. You want to go in one direction to eliminate the swirl marks. Do this until the surface of the machine is as smooth as it will get. Now remember this will not reverse age of the finish but will improve it 100%. Now wipe over the decals with a little alcohol and linseed on the finger with one little swipe(lighlty). The machine should begin to look clean and shinny. Now dip the wrapped finger in shellac and apply a few drops of linseed oil and go over the decals, this will apply shellac over them to protect them. Do this several time because this method only applies a thin coat each time.
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Old 09-04-2017, 01:19 PM
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You can use the french polish with the shellac on any area of the sewing machine. This will brighten up the black finish. If you have any other question please ask and I will help you.
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Old 09-04-2017, 04:10 PM
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To add a note on the shellac, always check the date on the can and get the most recent. My local hardware had some very old cans.
Originally Posted by WideAngleMind View Post
Thanks Miriam. I just came from Home Depot with a bag full of chemicals. Including shellac. Now I'm all set.

Question Glenn - should I use a hard wool Dremel polisher or a soft flimsy one? I just bought a Dremel recently and this will be my first project.

Thnaks so much! - Tori
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Old 09-04-2017, 07:08 PM
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I have no idea how to use a Dremmel on French Polish.
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Old 09-07-2017, 08:28 PM
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thanks Glenn!
Hi all... here in Cape Cod with a Featherweight find from the Wellfleet Flea Market! Keeping busy with it as I look out over the ocean.. Back to Jersey soon, but, I have a few questions.
My new to me FW has spots where someone tried to clean up paint. There is an alligator like effect on the bed of the machine where the shellac melted.

Is it possible to spot fix this with the french polish method you describe? I'm not sure how to do this.

Thank you kindly. I am new here.. and I've read lots here from very helpful folks!

Pat-- in cape cod for now...
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Old 09-08-2017, 12:41 PM
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Here is a pic of what I'm trying to do. Just spot fix some top coat damage instead of the whole bed of the machine. Thanks for any advice.[ATTACH=CONFIG]580242[/ATTACH] Pat in Jersey/Cape Cod
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Old 09-08-2017, 12:56 PM
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You can french polish the bed to improve the appearance. Use the tech I mentioned in the tut. Although you will have to polish entire bed to make things look even all around. No dremel tool here, just a rag around the finger with shellac and linseed oil. You will have to polish for sometime to get the effect you want. Go in circular motion and then straight wipes to get rid of the swirls. This will take some time but well worth the effort.
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Old 09-08-2017, 04:08 PM
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thanks Glenn!
So if I'm correct, I have to do the whole bed, and not just spots? Remove with alcohol then do the polishing?
pat
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Old 09-08-2017, 04:25 PM
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thanks Glenn!
So if I'm correct, I have to do the whole bed, and not just spots? Remove with alcohol then do the polishing?
pat
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Old 09-08-2017, 05:52 PM
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No just start the polishing program
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