I really think that dealers like that need to be outed. Not here of course because we're not allowed but I had a lady contact me one time to sell a machine and she mentioned that it had been sitting so the timing would need to be reset. I told her that was wrong and explained why but she was adamant because her dealer had told her that. :(

Morganfam7, if you get a chance, try to take some pictures with the macro setting on your camera or phone. I'd love to see what this crud looks like now that you've been working on it..

I'd love to see the plastic brush on a dremel that you're using, too. It sounds like exactly what i need for scrubbing out bobbin cases and other grungy places.

I finished the first 66 and almost done with the 15-91 that I use all the time. The 2nd 66 and the Tuffany 27 are still being cleaned - the decals are so fragile that I went back to plain sewing machine oil.

I think I might try tinting the Tiffany decals with transparent oil paints after the machine is clean - the green and peach are very faded and I have a lot of paints leftover from my painting days. And with all this linseed oil, at least it would stick. :)

I'm half way through reading all these posts and just have a question - what are the pros and cons of using spray shellac from a can?

Good quality denatured alcohol is difficult to find in my area of Australia (ditto naptha) so if there is another acceptable solution i'm all for it!

Nothing wrong with using spray shellac but there is no substitude for the denatured alcohol when using shellac.

Thanks Glenn :)
So can the spray shellac still give me a nice coat? It's looking like the only reasonable option for me

What about the substitute (because Denatured Alcohol is banned in the province I live in) that I used just after Christmas? ;) It's popular with a lot of the people who do shellac on musical instruments.

I can't get Everclear in Australia with any ease either ;) our other option, Polish rectified grain spirit, is $60 a bottle and I'd rather spend that on another machine! :p

The Everclear wasn't cheap either but I figured I could use it on many machines and if needed, I could add it to recipes if I just had that much left over. ;) The funniest part is that I could find that within blocks of my house which was easier than denatured alcohol - which I would have had to go at least one province over for.

Tammi, Miriam, and all, I just had to make waves -- I mentioned to my son about the dealer saying that the machine, because it had been sitting unused for a while, needed re-timing. He said that's bovine scapology! LOL!

Jeanette

bovine scapology!
yup