The low down on vintage machines in carry cases?
 

I now have several of these and the cases are very worn, torn up, filthy and trying to lift those heavy machines by the handle is terrifying my feet, ankles and toes. :)
They are not plastic cases but the heavier ones so they are not cleaning up nicely.

Do most people toss them and just put the machine in a cabinet if it is a keeper or ? Can all machines be switched to a cabinet? Then if you ever sell it the cabinet goes with it? Does it hurt the value or help if we keep the original case?

If you do keep them what do you use to clean them with? I was thinking a little Dawn dish soap?
Sorry for so many questions. I tried researching it here but nothing came up about the cases or how to refurbish them, which might be fun and kinda like redoing a vintage chest or trunk.

I'd like to know the answer for this one too. I bought a good Singer 301 in a rather gross case. It doesn't look or smell good so now it is sitting on a basement shelf and I have the machine stashed in a new red sewing machine case that I bought from Fabricland on sale for $22. I'm now looking for a cabinet as 301's do not fit a standard Singer cabinet and either need the one made for it or the adapter metal basket support to make it fit a regular cabinet.

Hopefully we can get some great ideas from the peeps here because I am not sure exactly what the options are.

If I buy a machine in a case, I keep it in the case, though I have yet to buy a machine in a busted up case.

If the case is in good physical condition, but looks bad cosmetically, they should be pretty easy to refurbish with a new covering material.

This has me thinking. There a couple of decrepit cases lurking under furniture here. Decoupage? I skinned one just to see what it was like. Dovetailed plywood? Jeez. Like I don't have enough to do. I'll be back.

Look at this http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...r-t199606.html

A person should always carry a heavy machine by the bottom of the case using both hands. The handle on the top is good for lifting the top. But we don't always carry them that way.

As shown in the thread above that Quilt Novice posted the link to, I rebuild the cases. All it takes is time, effort, glue, some 1/4" plywood for the bottoms, some paneling nails and something to cover it with. It's not easy, it is time consuming, but when done they look pretty nice. So I think the end results are worth the effort.

Here's a couple more threads to look at:
{ http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...d-t200795.html }
{ http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...x-t202882.html }

I don't like the plastic cases, so I'd rather spend some money for supplies and fix an old case then buy a new plastic one.

Joe

Joe, have I mentioned lately that you rock? Lol, well ya do!

I worked on the case for a couple of my featherweights. First I cleaned them throughly, one of them just ran yellow with old cigarette smoke. ( I think I just used spray cleaner like 409, plue an upolstery cleaner called "Tuff Stuff" ) The peeling fabric I re-glued with wood glue. It's been several years and it hasn't come back up again. Then I went over the whole case with a liquid black shoe polish. The one I still have still looks really good.

I have some other cases to clean. Another black FW case, a 301 grasscloth, and one that is 50s vintage that is maroon and tan-maybe grasscloth on the bottom. The last one holds my grandmother's 66 and looks really bad. But, like Joe, I would rather save them than buy a plastic case.

I do have a couple that are in plastic cases. I've been wanting to try the Retrobrite treatment (peroxide recipe devoloped for old yellowed computers) to remove the yellowing. Has anyone ever done this: http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/

I'm going to tell you all a dirty little secret... drum roll. I've bought out a couple old sewing machine shops. The machines in the dirty messed up cases held up much better than the machines in good tables. Now this might not be the same if you have it in the house and are using it. LOL. Joe does ROCK. You can't buy an new wooden case. (wink) but a plastic case would be better than no case. Using a machine is the very best way to take care of a machine. There is lots of info on here about how to clean and get the smell out of a case.