Rocket

.what will melt the grunge , hard as a rock, probably dried oil, soot and nicotine one hundred years plus old on some of ( most of ) my old machines , without destroying the finish . Don’t say SMO , kerosene, bug and tar . The only thing so far that’s worked isTR-3 resin cleaner . It takes forever and uses rolls of paper towels. The scary part is you have to rub so hard for so long . Also the bed of some machines is just to damaged sometimes to just oil or wax . Please don’t say French Polish . Way to many things can go wrong there over that couple week process. It’s 2019 and this ain’t France . I recently had this problem with a model 66 , I cleaned it , masked it and sprayed it with an automotive lacquer and it turned out great. Why don’t I read about more folks using more modern quality materials like lacquer or poly ? Have I made a mistake that I just don’t know about yet ? Any suggestions other then creating a two week old fly paper.

Pam S

Take a look at some of the videos on The Featherweight Shop website. They have instructions on how to clean FWs without compromising the clear coat finish. Haven't had to try it myself but you might find something to help you.

Rocket

Thanks , but having a wife who loves her featherweights , a 36 , 39 ,and a56 all of which I had to bring back to life , I’m well acquainted with the Featherweight Shop . Personally find it a great resource and a steady drain on my social security check . Just spent another 3 hours today , ( 2 hours last night ) rubbing and rubbing with the TR-3 and it definitely takes the grunge off however I’m considering buying stock in the Scott Paper Towel company . For 109 years old she’s cleaned and waxed now and ready to go back together. I should look that good .

KalamaQuilts

if it is her hobby, let her do the rubbing. Sorry, but you asked for ideas then listed all the things you don't want ideas about.

Rocket

I like fixin stuff , she likes sewin stuff so I go with what works. I was looking for more ideas then the two or three I stated . I wasn’t looking for criticism. Sorry ?

Mickey2

Don't be too afraid of shellac, it's easier than you might think. Modern transparent lacquers are durable but can go wrong in many ways, and are often impossible to redo without damage to the original japanning.

What ever you decide to use, the initial clean up process is the most important step to get a nice result. You need to choose a lacquer and polish that doesn't react to the finish already there; if it's not done right it can start flaking later on, turn whitish, blister like things can form,... Polyurethan lacquer is just as much job to get nice, if not more, and it smells stronger.

Shellac is disolved in achohol and often applied with a cloth (shaped like a round ball) or it can be sprayed on. It doesn't take two weeks to get layers of shellac on a machine, the indivual layer dry within a minute or two, very fast, and the next goes on one after the other. If you are fuzzy, you spend time polishing the last top layer with oil (if I remember correctly). Shellac have a slight tendency to shrink in the last hardening off process, to make it it even and flawless you smooth and polish it with a cotton rag. The smoothing step prevents any minor flaws appearing, the shellac finish will turn out shiny and transparent either way. One of it's main advantages is it's not prone to react badly to any previous treatmens of the machine. It's a very hard, durable finish.

Japanning in good condition can be cleaned with a damp microfiber cloth, well wringed up not to leave any dampness on the finish. For a clean up process you generally start with the gentlest methods, carefullness and patience is definitely required, and you amp it up from there. Some machines are easier to clean than others, and you don't really know until later. It just takes time what ever you do and there aren't much that speeds up the cleaning process. I don't like kerosene ether, it's very smelly and messy.

After cleaning, the whitish liquid type car polishes (with a very fine grit) will further lift up dirt and grime from the finish. Shellac seems to handle it well, but if the top layers are worn down to decals you need to work around them. You can sacrifise a vevety microfiber cloth or cotton rag for the application and inital swirling on, I don't use paper towels, but prefer and old washed out sheet or t-shirt, maybe cotton flanell, something extra soft for the buffing. I discard if after use.

Some lacquers might be more modern and stand up to dampness better, but they aren't easier to work with than shellac.

Rocket

Thanks Mikey . I m not afraid of shellac however I would probably prefer to spray it . How do you feel about that process ? It’s not just that I’m lazy it’s that hub bub I’m always reading about French Polish throws me off when I read about how many fingers to use , dip in this ,dip it in that , swirl , strait , lift and so on . Just seams as though so many chemicals and steps are screaming for variations to go wrong. I recently redid a bed on a 66 with lacquer and from my perspective it turned out very nice . Granted this ones only about a month old but it all appears still tight and hard as nails . I’d like to try shellac but of course I’d like to spray it . How do you feel about that . Do you think shellac would be as scratch and chemical resistant and as hard as shellac?

Mickey2

I don't think any of the Japanned sewing machines actually are French Polished. I was tought it years a go by a furniture restorer (carpenter), he did a very thorough job, sometimes retouching, sometimes full refinishing of veneers.

To get the exceptional sheen on wood they use an especially prepared cloth (easily put together) various staining and "wetting" of the wood before the lacquer is applied, and then sprinkle a fine dust of chalk dust on the first couple of shellac applications (to fill out and polish out any pores in the wood). The remaining layers are done with out the chalk dust. The steps sounds like it's much more fuzz than it really is.

As mentioned, I don't think any Singer machines or other brands actually are french polished, but done in a more simpler application method suitable for large scale production. Singer sprayed the shellac on, but I have never found any info on the details. I have seen aerosol spray cans with shellac in stores, rather expensive compared to the flakes you dissolve in a jar of alcohol. If you have spray equipment it can be used. There are ready made tins of shellac available too, but around here the flakes are most economical and exactly the same thing. (The lowest grades and prices can be less puried, and you might noticed traces of something in the bottom of the jar, some filter it out through a nylon stocking). You don't need the blondest most purified types, the medium to darker hues turn out transparent and are said to be more durable. With a few odd exception matching it, I have never seen a finer or deeper gloss than with the french polish technique.

For the spray method, it should be doable. The cloth application is easy tough, the making of the bundle is easy too; soft cotton wrapped around a bit of the same type of cotton. Make sure the surface is even; to prepare it; soak in shellac, then add one or three drops of clear sewing machine oil to make in run smoothly over the surface. Either method should give a flawless result and it's not a lot of work compared to other lacquers.

Rocket

Thanks again Mikey , you do I admit make the process sound much more simple then many other posts I’ve read . Right now I have about 9 or 10 Singers waiting for some love . All a hundred years or older. Probably 2 , maybe 3 will probably end up in the parts category. I’m looking forward to trying this Hand Applied Shellac Method ( notice I didn’t use that FP word ) on one of these less fortunate machines . Hell , I only paid 8 dollars for the last one . How long would you wait in between coats , would a second coat even be necessary and if so would it soften the first coat while applying?

Mickey2

For restoring machines, I guess Glenns method is as good as it gets (the sticky thread on top of this section of QB). I use a bit of black paint to fill in chips and deep scratches, shellac can fill out quite a bit too. I have not yet done complete strips and refinishings on machines, I have done it on table tops.

Between the layers of shellac, you wait about a minute or two, you notice when it's dry, achohol evaporates pretty quickly. A bit like with spray paint, you apply it thinly and gradually build up cover and thickness. Some advice is to use a glass bottle or jar to keep the shellac in, for some reason metal is warned agaisnt, I dont really know why.

If you brush on a thick shellac solution, it might take a bit longer to dry off between coats. The "cloth-ball method" is good and the best for an even smooth finish (a small one for machines, larger for table tops). You do quite a number of coats to build up enough thickness.

Make a generous amount of shellac (usually not a lot), enough to allow for wetting the cloth and a bit of testing on a piece of wood or metal you might have around. The the main thing with shellac is to develp a feel for it, it isnt excessivly time consuming or difficult, but there are a few tricks; keep the cloth ball moving, it can stick if left too long on the surface. Try not to go over the the same spot twice until the layer has dried, keep a steady speed. A drop or two (literally) of oil is added now then to prevent sticking, and make the cloth ball run smootly.

You will find a lot of variations on shellac polishing, but the basic steps seem to be much the same. The lucky part with machines is all the fuzz with preparing the wood surface doesn't apply and is omitted. Some experts would insist you go over with a last layer the next day, but then it's mostly about smothing out to deal with the shrinking effect shellac have when it's left to harden off. These are finer points, and I have noticed the finish on most sewing machines probably never was that fuzzed with.