FW in house fire-what to use to clean it up
 

I 'inherited' a 221 that was in a house fire, not in it's carrying case. Smoke damage took the japan finish off the head and base. Wheel turns, feed dogs work, gears look pretty good, smoke got in there too. Chrome all got blackened. What is the best chemical to remove the smoke coated parts? Smoke also caused some rust. I think some will need to soak a bit.
I have no idea what it would cost to take it down to bare metal and have it re-painted, new decals, etc. Motor looks in good shape, checking the bushing, like new. Would it be worth restoring? May have to re-wire.
Suggestions and comments welcomed. Thanks, Libber

If the damage is cosmetic, nothing inside warped from heat or the like, then it might be worth it to you. I'd probably take it on if it was mechanically sound just because I like to rescue the saddest machines. :) You may have to tear it down to get it really clean (perhaps with kerosene for the mechanics). Try some Bar Keepers Friend on the chrome bits. I'd definitely pull apart the motor and clean up inside there and probably have it re-wired to be on the safe side. Sounds like a candidate for a cool repaint too! It really depends on how much work you want to put into it.

Would love to see some pics if you decide to take it on!

My DH just cleaned my new FW up with FURNITURE polish!! Try that and see if it works...I think it was the oil in it that worked. Also, after my housefire, I found out that the ash/soot gets into the insides and will corrode the metal parts and you might not know it for 6 months to a year. Be sure to go in and clean as much as you can!

Thanks for suggestions on my FW house fire machine. Nope, the metal did not get hot enough to melt or warp anything. The smoke did get on all the metal parts, hence I've found rust has formed on interior pieces. Slowly and surely I am taking it apart piece by piece because I wait 24 hours for the lubricants to seep in and dissolve a bit of the rust so the parts can move freely. There is a lot of soot on the face plate, needle plate, etc. The thread was still in the bobbin in the bobbin case, it did not melt. All the gears work fine, everything turned from the get-go.

I wish you luck. Just want to add that while you can have her ckeaned and repainted, you will not be able to replace the decals. Once they are gone, they are gone.

But....if you do want decals, you can purchase them online. http://www.keelersales.com/servlet/Detail?no=715

Get a tube of Peek metal polish, available online from www.tri-peek.com If that doesn't work, nothing will.