Restoring the FW case (removing the exterior fabric/staining)
 

Hi All:
I am a new FW owner! My case came in bad shape - the wood on the top lid is coming apartfrom the sides and doing the same a little bit on the bottom. The one side of the cas had the fabric exterior peeling off. Does anyone know how to best remove the exterior fabric...some is coming off easy but other parts it is still glued one good.

I have heard some have reglued and then stained the case - and that is what I hope to do based on how mine looks.

THanks in advance for any suggestions. If anyone has done this - did you leave the interior paper/fabric or strip that also?
Kim/PA

I glued the fabric back to the case and then sprayed high gloss black paint on it. It looks good and saved the fabric, however I wouldn't be afraid to apply another type of fabric, if needed.
Donna

Try using Downy to get the old fabric off. Then let us know if it worked. It works for wallpaper anyway... :cool:

Weather it will work for a Singer FW case I don't know, but I used moisture, not a slopping wet towel but a moist one to get the covering off a machine case I recovered.

Joe

I used plain yellow wood glue to re-stick the loose fabric on my case (and one loose wood joint) . Then I went over the whole thing with high gloss black shoe polish. It's been about 5 years and still looks like new. Other people have posted on replacing the black fabric - it's called Tolex, it's also used on musical instrument cases.

I just got possession of my family's 1955 FW and it and the case also need lots of work. Since I've mainly been working on machines of late, I decided to start this project by working on the case first, just for a change of pace. The case has splits in the dove-tailed corners of the lid and the fabric is totally missing in several spots on the bottom portion of it, so I am opting to re-do the case entirely. I found some "tolex" fabric and some fabric that should work out quite nicely for the inside of it. I've started to slowly peel off the fabric (mainly to get to the hardware as they are brads that have been pounded over into the insides of the case and can't be pulled out straight without damaging the wood), but now I am stumped as to how the handle is to be removed. The top of my case has the slide in plate for the foot pedal. Does anyone know how the handle and slide plate are attached? Thanks for any help anyone can offer.