KenmoreRulesAll

Well, here I go again, this time a dirty, smelly 1930 66:



The shellac is really bad on this one. I need to remove it and re-shellac the machine. It smells like incense -- bad incense. Incense and peppermints. And cats. And now I'm deep into cleaning it and it's going to take days.

Jeanette Frantz

Beautiful machine -- just be careful of the decals! (sorry, I'm not an expert, but they are so fragile)!
Jeanette

KenmoreRulesAll

Right you are. I'm trying to work around them, putting oil on the decal sections. The varnish is melting with kerosene so the chrome/steel bits are gradually cleaning up. I think this is one of those cleanups that I'll put down for a few days, then come back, rinse, repeat.

NJ Quilter

If only you weren't on the left coast....l'd be willing to pay you to get my 66 up and running!

Mrs. SewNSew

I know she'll be worth the effort. I have a 66 waiting for me to learn the french polish method. I am a slow and careful study. Congrats on the new machine!

Skyangel

I have my Grandmother's 66 to restore, it's a 1928 model. It is frozen and needs a lot of work. It was stored in a shed for many years, then a storage unit. I dumped a bunch of oil in it and put the cover back on. I couldn't tell for sure, but it looks like you have the same cabinet, in about the same condition, also needing refinishing.

Rodney

Congrats on the new machine. I just gave away one of my favorite 66s. It was one of my first vintage machines. The lady I gave it to is a good friend and I wanted to give her a reliable machine. I think you'll like yours once you're done cleaning it.
Rodney

oldtnquiltinglady

I have one that looks just like it, except for the location of the tension thing--mine is on the back of the machine. I keep saying mine is a 66, that is the number ISMACS says it is, but others have said it is a 15 or 127. DH has made a HC out of it for me, and it sews beautifully--not so good looking as some I have, but it is cleaning up good. It is in a portable cabinet, but is so heavy that you have to pick it up from the bottom, so you don't drop it.

ArchaicArcane

JoAnn, without going too far into it, it's very easy to tell the difference between a 15, a 127 and a 66.
the 15 will have the tensioner on the nose, not facing you.
The 127 will have a long bobbin or what we sometimes call a bullet shuttle.
The 66 will look like the one that KRA picked up - horizontal bobbin to the left of the needle. (The 201 has this configuration too, but with other differences)

This should help you figure out which one you have.

Those lists at ISMACS can be read wrong too.

G2606143 and G260614 would both be in the G list but only one of them is the 27 that I have that was allocated a serial number on Jan 6, 1913. If a person were to stop at the "first" instance of G2606 that matched, they would have stopped at a 15 allocated in 1910, but it wouldn't be correct. Make sure that if you have a letter then 7 digits that you're at the bottom of the list. If you have a letter then 6 numbers the correct serial number is at the "top" of the list.

jlhmnj

Enjoy your new project.

Jon