Repair of clear coat(shellac) on a 15-88
 

I recently helped a friend clean and repair her great great grandmother's 15 the shellac was shot so used my techinques as instructed in my tutorial. Here are some before and after pics.This machine belongs to Debbiejj a QB member who lives south of us.

work of art. you've done a nice job.

Wow - it is beautiful!

You are an inspriration! That is such a huge difference!

Glenn,

That ... is ... absolutely ... incredible!


Joe

Wow! That turned out great!

Beautiful".......

you do great work Glenn. I believe your technique sticks with using SM oil and Boiled linseed oil. Others, and my self tend to want to find some miracle elixir that speed the process. Can you say roughly how many hours of labor went into getting that particular machine from the before to the after? Thanks

That's an amazing after. It looks almost new again.
Very nice work Glenn.

I tried to copy the alcohol/BLO/shellac method you use and I think I managed to do it wrong-wrong proportions maybe. I seem to do better with just straight shellac.
Rodney

Thanks guys. Jim this is a slow work to make sure I did not compromise the decals or cause anymore damage to the shellac clear coat. I think I have a about 30 hours in this machine. This includes cleaning and polishing the shiny bits and the mechanics. Sorry no miracle elixir to speed the process. It is slow and labor intensive to get results needed to make the machine look good.

Skip

You are a miracle worker! Beautiful job.

Oh goodness, that machine has risen once again. She's a beauty! You sir are an artist! :D

Very nicely done! Could you post a link to your tutorial on your cleaning process?

While in the process of restoring an older Necchi BF, I used a diluted mixture of Simple Green to clean the exterior with what appears to be disastrous results (streaks, peeling of the original (shellac?) finish, and milky white spots).

Hopefully, your tutorial will help me to get the kind of excellent result you have achieved here.

what a beauty! wonderful job

Skip did a wonderful job on my machine! I show it off to everyone who dares to darken my doorway! I still need to refinish the cabinet and treadle, but once it is finished, the machine will be loved and used just as my DGGM used it. I can hardly wait 'til that time! Thank you again Skip....and I'll never be able to thank you enough!

Oh, and I named her "Nancy", my DGGM's name. I just couldn't name her anything else...

OMG, that is stunning. You did one beautiful job on that machine.

Not only did you did you bring Debbie's G-G GM's machine back to life, but you made sure this family heirloom will continue to be treasured in coming generations. Can you imagine? Someday a member of Debbie's family will be able to say "This was my G-G-G-G GM's sewing machine!"

Looks great!

WHY do people even want "miracle cleaners" or "shortcut" processes. The finish on these machines took decades to get into the condition they are in, why do people want to reverse that in such a hurry? Being able to get the best results would seem to be the most important part, not the time taken.

These machines use natural materials (shellac = bug parts for example) and modern chemicals NEVER react well with them.

(With that said, I use Brasso on metal parts ALL the time, but SM Oil only on the painted surfaces)

Glenn: AMAZING job, I think I am going to hold my next event with the intent to raise funds to get you out here for an in person class session...

I've seen you do miracles too SteveH, apparently in one evening? I do spend inordinate amounts of time , basically cotton balks, SM oild and a wee bit of alcohol away from decals. I have many hours in the eves over a few months on ONE DavisvNVF.c I'm just curious if thats the norm. I'm not in a hurry

LOL, ya know, I thought about that as I was typing this, but still... It was done quickly because focused on it hard for hours after lots of practice, not because I used an "accelerator"

That is a beautiful job, Glenn/Skip, makes me more anxious than ever to come down and meet and visit with you and your wife. How 'bout a trip down there with a blackberry cobbler soon?

Finishing, refinishing and restoring a finish all take time if you want good results. There is a lot of time spent just getting the surface ready for the new finish.
Restoring a finish takes the longest because not only are you trying to get something to look good again, you're also trying to preserve as much of the original finish as possible.
Glenn is a master at restoration. He has a lot of years of experience in restoring old finishes and it shows in his work.
Rodney

It's the American way. We want it now, we want it cheap and we want it on credit because we don't have the cash to pay for it. Taking the time to do something "right" is a rare find today. I'm a perfectionist, so I'm with you Steve. But, I do think quick and cheap is the way 90% of the US leans. It doesn't matter that cheap also means low quality or poor craftmanship....

That is a great idea and I love blackberry cobbler. You will have to wait until after the second week in Aug. We are leaving in week to go camping in Ky and In and will be gone for two weeks then I will have Tx Jan fly in from Tx and we are going to the Tenn Toga for three days in Winchester Tn. I think you should try and come to the Tenn Toga July31 thru the 2nd of Aug. We have a lot of fun at the Toga. Log on to the Tenn Toga yahoo group for all the details. Everyone is welcome. Lots of old machines to see and play with and we even do projects on them. I would love to show off my collection to you and your hubby when you make the trip to Huntsville. It will be lots of fun.
Skip

I would love to come for an in person session but funds....... I am retired and on a fixed income so not so much money to play with.:(
Skip

OK for the Tenn Toga thing. I am going to check that out for sure. should I bring a machine? or two?

Of course, bring you favorite HC or treadle to do the project on and so we can see. Lots of chit chat about old machines and such you will have a good time.

If you are addressing me and my approach to cleaning the exterior of a sewing machine, I learned a very valuable lesson here: test your solution in an inconspicuous place and do not be in a rush to complete the work.

I made my original post to learn more about what appears to be a very successful exterior cleaning and finishing restoration process and one man's approach to this process.

Had I known more about the nature and composition of the finishes on the exterior of these vintage machines and, especially, the best practices that have discovered to approach the cleaning and/or refinishing of a vintage Neechi sewing machine, I would have done the work of cleaning of my Necchi using one of these practices.

I got to see Skip's collection of machines, and I'm still drooling! And his house!!!! Don't get me started on that beauty! He and his wife are so gracious, and they made us feel like old friends, even though it was only the 2nd time we'd ever met in person. Have fun Skip & Pat on your trip. Tenn Toga sounds like fun, but I probably won't make it this year.

Oh, we have ALL learned that lesson the hard way... even IF we were lucky enough to begin by reading here. I did it to a White Model A (VS1) 1876 I lost a 1/2" diameter area of hand painted designs before I realized what i was doing. That image is burned in to my brain and makes me go slow. Kinda like a medical approach, first, do no harm...

I don't lean towards quick or cheap.I enjoy the time I spend on them, but I work, and have other commitments, & probably too many vintage machines. So when a longtime QBer mentions something like Dawn, ot Bug & Tar Remover, or TR-3 I give it a little test to see how it works. Somethings have a delayed reaction, like Dawn/water on a Davis's decals. For the most part I stick with SM oil and cotton balls. But I become obsessed with removing all the old shellac in the non decal areas. I was just wondering if others go thst far too, or are ok with just getting whats still there a little more even and shiny looking. Overgeneralizing statements about "we Americans doesn't particularly help.

Jim thanks for that. I don't feel as bad about having to remove most of the shellac on the Singer 99 I'm working on right now. I had to remove most of the shellac due to it was lifting off the machine. That was the only reason I did it though. If the shellac was in better shape I would have left it and just built up the areas where it was missing to match the rest of the finish.
Rodney

Hi guys and gals. I only remove the shellac that has gone south. I clean the shellac down to the good and then start blending the new with the old. Hopefully I will get a smooth and shiny surface will not be perfect but will look pretty. If you remove all the shellac from the black japann it will have to be re-coated with a clear coat of shellac for protection and to make sure it is build up even with old shellac over the decals and never hurts to protect the saved decals with a little extra clear coat.
Skip

Wow, what a difference!

Incredible! It's an understatement! Beautiful job, Glenn!

Jeanette