Attachment 403214

Lois, I hope this makes you feel a little better. This is the same machine as it sits on my bench this morning. Some of the finish is in good condition. Sometimes you can't tell what is under all of that gunk.:) I thought that the motor was frozen but it was just packed full of seeds. It may sew again. But I am having a hard time getting the handwheel flange off of it. Any ideas anyone?
~G~

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Great job on both machines Glenn.:thumbup: Can you show how you did the lettering and what was used?
~G~

Okay, I have what is probably a dumb question, my favorite type of question by the way, how did you guys learn to restore these lovely old machines? Trial and error, favorite website, books, etc? This is fun!

I have to agree with those who said this thread was a great read. I also cannot believe how some of you have brought back to life what looks dead to me. I will be looking at old dirty machines now with a different eye. Cannot wait to read more posts on this thread and to see more miracles. Thanks to all of you for not giving up on these "old ladies".

I have learned to refurbish my machines from ALL of the good people here on the Vintage Machine Board. I am wondering though, if we added up all of the years of experience of everyone here, what would the total be?

I'm an old gearhead. Trial an error has been a great teacher and the web is a great resource, but there are many people here on QB that have helped me a lot.
~Grant~

I am finding out that I am more mechanically inclined than I would have thought and I am not afraid to get in the guts of the machine and pull it apart and put it back together. Even getting dirty with gunk and oil doing it after all, I clean up with a little soap and water. What I am lacking is knowledge of whether or not I am doing it correctly. Which is where this site is going to be invaluable.

Gail

Good Morning. I am new to the forum and was enjoying reading about the vintage machines that are or have been restored. I have an old Seamstress (hand crank, with the groove in the wheel so that it can be used as a treadle) which was given to me. It has been tentatively identified as a National Expert B.T. Vibrator, 3/4 size model. The cabinet is long gone, and the machine sat in a shed for many years. Some of the decals are damaged and there is rust on some parts of the body. The actual mechanisms inside and on the bottom of the machine are moving freely now, but she really needs a good cleaning inside and out. Any suggestions for what to clean it with?

Thank you.

For me it was growing up poor in a really rural area. I learned to fix things if I wanted to have things. I found out that a lot of people throw things away at the first sign of a problem, so I take those things and fix them. (Like the $50 Kitchenaid 6qt Pro that just needed two replacement gears and a replacement motor housing. Parts were available on the company website for less than $60, runs like a CHAMP now.)

My first car was a 1960 Old Delta 88 convertible that I spend three hours in the guys driveway making it run so I could drive it home.

I usually cannot afford really nice new things, so I get old used things and fix them up. I have access to more sweat and time than I do money.

As far as the skills, I think it started with a jewelry making class I took in High school. It was the first time i learned to manipulate materials rather than just take apart, clean, and put back.

I used testor's gold paint with pen and brush. The decal shadow could faintly be seen so painted them kinda like paint by numbers. You have to have a steady hand so no coffee until thru or maybe a cold beer.