Fizzyone

Hi all, I've been reading and learning quietly up until now. I now own 3 vintage Singers, a 1921 Model 66 Redeye/Redhead that I named Lucy... since she's a redhead and I love her, plus 2 Singer 27s, one from 1907 and the other (just picked up today) from 1893 (in addition to a pristine Kenmore 158.16012, which I've been using to sew). None of the machines are in cabinets or cases yet. I'm in the process of cleaning up the 3 vintage Singer machines and I'm having fun doing it--I have found lots of great tips on how to proceed with that, especially the pinned thread with Muv and Fav's videos and Glenn's shellac repair tutorial.

So, on to the cabinet I just picked up this afternoon, a Singer 7-drawer treadle cabinet that's in a little rough shape--looks like the wood has some water damage. The iron on the cabinet is in pretty good condition, very little rust and pretty solid. The top of the cabinet has some serious delaminating going on and on a few of the edges, the layers of wood between the laminate are separated; in addition, the curved part that sits underneath the machine when it's tucked away (don't know it's official name...) is bubbled from what looks like moisture damage. Here are some photos. First the "lid" and top surfaces (I have more photos, but this is what it looks like from all angles and the laminate is very brittle and bubbled up):
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This is the outside of the curved bottom of the place where the machine goes:
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The rest of the wood on the cabinet is in pretty decent shape--it's got 6 square drawers with the ornate wood carving, as well as the carved wood on the sides of the cabinet. The center drawer works, but the lock is missing (I'd love to find one...). Is the top surface salvageable? If so, where do I begin? Or should I enlist the hubby to make something to replace it... or maybe find something online?

I'm eager to get the cabinet in good shape so I can install Lucy and start using her.

Thanks for any suggestions!
Sue

manicmike

Hi Sue,

Obviously the veneer will have to come off. Depending on what you want to spend on this, you can either go cheap (leave it off and make the wood underneath look beautiful) or buy replacement veneer. The biggest problem with replacing the veneer is getting the old stuff off, but you seem to have had nature help you with 99% of the work.

Veneer in Australia is pricy but if you love your cabinet it's worth it. The veneer is the most difficult thing on a cabinet, too. They are very simple and easy to restore, and they don't have to be perfect if they're to be covered with veneer. Sometimes the other wood (drawers, I'm thinking of you) needs to be assisted with glue, but nothing hard and with either a traditional shellac finish (adds a beautiful orange tint) or polypropylene (very hard and shiny), it'll look like new. For the cast iron legs, enamel is a good option as Japanning would cost a bundle and there are probably no Japanneries in existence anyway.
The locks are almost useless so I'd just leave it, but you'll be able to find people on certain auction sites selling drawers with working locks.

Macybaby

I've picked up bookmatched 4' long pieces of veneer at Rockler for what I thought was a very affordable price. I've got a few cabinet tops to deal with, but that won't happen until my building is done and I've got a room dedicated to cabinet restoring.

There is no "salvaging" of what you've got - however since it's a Singer, the tops are sold quite often on eBay if you want to replace the whole top with something in much nicer shape instead of replacing veneer. A lot depends on your level of ability and interest.

Fizzyone

Thanks for the replies. Cathy, I just missed an eBay auction for one that would have worked--it had under 3 hours to go, so I ran into the living room to confirm the measurements on the top, and by the time I got back to my computer, someone else had snagged it with BuyItNow. GRRRRR!!! Story of my life, which is why I tend to be an impulse buyer.

Anyway, in looking at the completed auctions, I saw a few that sold within the last 5 days that were within the same price range with shipping, so I'm hopeful that eBay will be an option. In the mean time, as Mike suggested, I'm going to start peeling off the veneer and the second layer to see what's underneath. Perhaps I can use what's there until I find (or make) the perfect replacement top. And I'm heading out to the local home improvement store this morning, I'll take a look at what's available in veneer.

Sue

Rodney

The bottom part is the dress guard. De-laminated wood can be glued back down. Clean the areas to be glued as best as you can with a little water then work the glue between the layers with something thin and clamp it down until it's dry. It usually takes at least 24 hours to be safe to unclamp. If the veneer is bubbled you may need to cut it to force the glue between the layers then clamp it.
Small areas of missing veneer can be replaced but the pieces missing from your top are large enough that repairs will be obvious. It will be almost impossible to just replace the missing pieces and have the color and grain match. I have a cabinet in slightly better shape that I will be starting on soon and I decided to replace the top veneer on that one.
The wood your cabinet is made from is quartersawn white oak. The wood under the veneer is a cheaper hardwood and won't match the rest of the cabinet.
If you decide to replace the veneer, save your old veneer for future repairs on other cabinets. It's easier to match old wood with old wood.
It takes time to restore an old cabinet but the results are worth the effort.
Rodney

J Miller

Sue,

Just some comments:
>The veneer does not always have to be removed. If it is already mostly loose and coming off then you can carefully remove the rest of it and then clean each piece and reglue it.
>If the edges of the top have gotten wet and come unglued, then you can use a plastic credit card, or a hacksaw blade to work the glue under the pieces and then thoroughly clamp them overnight.
>Delaminated plywood is also fixable. It takes time and a lot of clamping but can be done to look good.

Having said that, yours is going to need much work. You will need to find pieces of the same kind of wood and carefully graft them into the missing places after you've glued the original pieces down. Finding wood of the same kind can be very difficult. Even modern veneer of the same wood may not match the original grain pattern. But it can be done.
When making patches use a straight edge to follow the grain and cut it at a 45º angle in the big part. Cut the patch edges at a 45º angle also then glue and clamp them together. Buy using angle cuts the edges glue down stronger and tend to disappear as you sand them.
If you choose to completely remove the veneer and replace it, you'll need to thoroughly clean and sand the base wood. The local wood shop I get my veneer from said they use a contact cement to put their veneer on the base wood. I used a wood glue and had problems when I did the top of my 9W-7 treadle. Had I to do this one over again I'd reuse the original pieces of veneer.

It will need to be sanded smooth and stained to match as well. It is a time consuming project but it can be done.


I have a three part thread here where I told about redoing a treadle that was once used as an aquarium stand. The machine was undamaged, but the wood was seriously damaged. Here's the three threads.
{ http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...e-t194998.html
}
{ http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...e-t204377.html }
{ http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...n-t218398.html }

Good luck, have patience, take your time and it will look good again.

Joe

Fizzyone

I'll say this, Joe, your "before" photos look an awful lot like mine, it's the exact same cabinet. In similar condition, only the veneer on the lid of mine is (was) peeling a lot more and it was extremely brittle; I was doubtful that I'd be able to reuse any of it because it shattered and splintered when I lifted it. So like you, Rodney, I decided to remove the veneer from the top. It took no effort at all to get it all off, first peeling the majority with my hands, then using some gentle encouragement with a putty knife to get the rest up. It's ready to be sanded, then I'll look into finding some veneer that's a close enough match (Thanks, Rodney, for letting me know what kind of wood it is!). The rest of the cabinet looks like someone decided to apply a dark stain and clear varnish, and did a rather sloppy job of it--the clear varnish is thick in spots and the wood is darkest, almost black under those thick places. I'll work with what I have, though. As far as the water damage on the pan, I'm going to reglue the parts that are bubbled and split. Should be fine, with some patience and care.

Sue

ETA: Joe, your cabinet came out beautiful! Quite a transformation, and it give me hope that I can transform mine--it's the exact same one. :-)