What a transformation! I had purchased a Singer 311 folding table and 2 legged extension a few months ago, and they have seen better days. A little rust on the legs, and table top wear similar to your before picture. Nice to see such inspiration. I haven't done much refinishing. Does Tung oil give a nice firm finish? Many of my treadles have shellac or varnish that gets gummy in hot weather.
I much prefer tung oil for everything except high-traffic furniture. (The coffee table that everyone puts their feet/drinks/whatever on? Durathane.) It's easy to work with, more forgiving than the 'thanes, especially if you're working outside and inevitably going to get 'stuff' on the wet finish, and (to me) just feels nicer to touch. It doesn't get gummy like old varnish or shellac. You put it on with a rag, so there are no brush marks, and you don't have to clean your brush when you're done. And it dries fairly quickly, even when it's sticky humid out. (In fact, the legs took the longest to dry!)
Can you post a picture of your table with the extension? I don't think I've ever seen one before and now I'm curious!
janiesews
06-25-2012 03:55 AM
Looks very nice. You have inspired me - may have to work on mine. Good job.
Linda - K.
06-25-2012 09:15 AM
MrsBoats, Yours looks wonderful! I got a table off Ebay and the pic showed it would need work refinishing. They had duct tape on it!! I did have to buy some short screws to secure some parts that were missing them but all I had to do with the rest was get it cleaned up and refinished. You did better on the black part than I did! It is so nice to have the table for the FW.
Monroe, you are so lucky to have the extension table with yours. I've tried bidding on them on EBay but they just get out of reach for me. They seem to be very scarce out there.
SewExtremeSeams
06-25-2012 09:29 AM
It's so beautiful.
Monroe
06-25-2012 10:13 AM
Linda K.- I'd never seen one til I looked at a post on Craigslist for a Sewing machine and table". You never know what will be in the picture IF they bother to post one. I'll post some pics next week of the folding table and extension in the Vintage Machine photos section. Someone on the Board pointed me to the Ismacs site, and I think it was shown under 311 and /or 312 card table. I got it a few weeks ago. The extension has a flange along one side that fits into a slot on the table edge. I purchased a black 301a longbed last night, and will see if it fits. I need to stop looking at CL, and spend more time following Mrs Boats' example of making things useable and pretty! Thank you for the information!
