I think that's the shellac coming off.

I believe that is a "La Vencedora" decal set.
http://www.ismacs.net/singer_sewing_...encedora2.html

There's also a Redeye on page 3.

What an amazing haul. It would be overwhelming.

don't know to laugh or cry is an understatement. I am excited for you in all your discoveries.

CD. what a trip! and the pictures are great. you did jump in, in a big way!

karen

That is the shellac powdering. Look at some refinishing tutorials. Read up on the finish before you do anything. It is pretty easy to fix. http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...r-t235747.html
Glenn has a lot of info, too. I think there are links on there as well.

O my, this has been a real fun read this afternoon. Both of you are lucky beyond belief to fall into something like this--but I have an idea this is what is going to happen when I am finally six foot under--I have one son who won't sell anything, but the other one and my daughter will be watching for his back to be turned and all my stuff will go into the back of that big truck that can be rented for about $250. I'll be watching and remembering this post as you two work your way through this little adventure. Congratulations.....

:D:D Don't I know it! Same, same here. :D

I call this "SEWING MACHINE HEAVEN!"

Wowza, what a great group of machines!

Miriam, thank you for the link. I'll be needing that information for sure! I'll see what other machines I haven't posted yet, I washed a couple cases, and then got totally absorbed into the green 15. :D I've been cleaning for hours but it's very rewarding work! Here's a nice crinkle finish blackside 128. This old Standard is attached to a board and frozen solid. I found this one interesting. It's a Household Sewing Machine Company. I love the cool initial plate. ISMACS had diagram of it or I never would have figured out what it was! http://www.ismacs.net/household/1879.html

Mrs. SewNSew,
Nice haul of machines. Have fun!
The Singer 128 with the spoked wheel would be wonderful to convert to hand crank. It would be very happy at my home with all her sisters.
Sharon in Texas
:D

I should have time tomorrow to finish up machine photos but wanted to ask about tools. The same family that I got my machines from is garage sale-ing this weekend so I stopped by thinking that anyone who worked on sewing machines for years and years probably had some tools I might be interested in. The question is...what should I be interested in? I grabbed a bunch of stuff today but hubby was in a hurry so it was a quick peek and grab it. I found a COOL oil can that I love, some shorty screwdrivers, all types of weirdly shaped tools that look like maybe sculpting? tools but might be good for getting into tiny spots, some weird clamps, jars with grommets and rubber feet, little c spreaders..some really cool old? pinking shears. I think I'll go back tomorrow. Is there anything I might want to be looking for? (They had a BUNCH of "sad irons"with no handles)??

At least a few of the thingies are painting/palette knives. Two in the upper left corner and the diamond-ish spatula thingy in the center. And some of the other things look as if they have been used to shape material for sculpture, but may not have been intended for it originally. So much fun!

here is some cool info about tools. http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...s-t243276.htmlThis isn't all anybody uses but there are some good hints and ideas. I was working on a couple machines I bought in a herd a couple years ago just yesterday. Both were black lines. One had horrible rust. The other had some dried on grease. Both now work. One I never dreamed would work: http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...ml#post6660748 Take your time and go through each machine. If you start with the worst you can't ruin it. On the other hand if you start with the worst you may need more knowledge than you do right now. Feel free to pm if you get stuck. If you start with the best you might have an easy enough time to be encouraged to go on.

Thank you. I seem to choose them order of what I know I CAN do, and then each one takes me a step further in learning! I found a machine yesterday I nicknamed Frankenstein. It's the worst of the bunch. It's an old 15, rusted, missing parts, no motor. That's the machine that will likely teach me the most! I wonder if I could get it running and convert to a hand-crank like yours? I have spare faceplates, back plates and a whole slew of needle plates. Who knows?

I'll read carefully through the tool tips. Not only could there be more tools there, but the idea that there are antiques that could end up in the dump at the end of the day haunts me. I checked the scissors I found yesterday and they are a Model A and would have been produced in the 1930's. Probably early in the 30's because they are marked "patent pending" and the patent was issued in 1934. It's items like these that I would hate to see end up in the dump. Either I would like them or I am sure others would miss out on real life history!

Odds are since it is a 15 that you should be able to make it work if you can find enough parts. It has a motor boss so it will hand crank. It has a smaller spoked wheel so it isn't quite as old as you might think. If you can clean off the serial number you can figure out what it is. Yeah I wouldn't start with that one but those are the ones that intrigue me now that I've done a few. What does the bobbin area look like? There isn't much to go wrong with those 15 unless the parts are missing. Evap-o-rust is your friend but lately I've been putting the parts I want to clean the next day in a zip bag - cover with water & sprinkle a tiny little citric acid or just soak in vinegar. Then I wash up with Dawn. Get the parts good and dried. Then you might want to wire brush any residue rust. Usually it comes off quite nice. You want to coat things in oil a little so they won't re-rust. If that doesn't do it get a Dremel tool with a wire brush and polish it up. The paint is shot on that one but you might be amazed at how it would clean up with some touch up paint & Glenn's method of French polish. It could do wonders. When you get it done you would have a machine you could beat the crap out of and it would sew 2X4s together.... well not quite...
I would for sure go back and dig through the tools but I'm into tools.

(Old Rusty 15)
 

Put it on a cookie sheet, dribble plenty of 710 on it, let it set somewhere out of the way, and check it every couple of days to make sure that the 710 has completely covered all parts of the machine, top and bottom.

Then later, after you get the rest of them worked and come back to it, you’ll be surprised at how easy it will be to remove parts and fasteners to get it cleaned back up and put into service.

CD in Oklahoma

What is 710?

(Tongue in cheek) I was hoping you would ask me that.

It’s a “secret weapon” that I discovered. Singer used it on some of the industrial machines, such as the Singer 31-15, and even marked on the machine where to use it.

Here are photos of the 31-15 that I recently brought back from a rusted state, using “710”.

CD in Oklahoma

Ahahaha! CD That's too funny! I'll have to adopt that one! "710" :thumbup: I have a couple that can use that treatment.

Miriam, I checked the SN and it's a Dec. 1935 date. This is the best pic I have of the bobbin area I have at this point without getting it down again for another photo shoot.

710 LOL CD you are too funny.
It kind of goes with one D ten T

That does have some bobbin parts missing.

Sorry Miriam, I hope that my joke didn’t backfire on me. 710 is simply the word OIL read upside down and backwards.

I found an auction a while back on that auction site that listed a Model 710 sewing machine, and the photos of it included a shot similar to mine of the word OIL upside down. I got a big charge out of it and decided to adopt it as my “secret weapon” maintenance product for sewing machines.

I thought it was hilarious, but then, it doesn’t take much to entertain me, and sometimes I crack myself up with goofy stuff like this......

CD in Oklahoma

ADVERTISED a 710???
1 D 10 T
CD I must be easily amused, too.

I love it! That’s the first time that I’ve heard that one, and yes, it’s pretty much the same kind of thing.....

CD in Oklahoma

Fantastic find loving watching this site.

Nope. I hadn't heard it before. I just pulled it on the wife, and she hadn't seen it before either. We're having a nice giggle.

CD in Oklahoma

CD thanks to your info on 710'ing my frozen machines and the info in the tool tips thread I picked up a few more items at the garage sale that will be useful! They had some large industrial type baking pans that had probably been used the same way! I found another stash of benders, stretchers, cutters, pokers and prodders along with several oil cans and a grease gun. I'm guessing I should empty those and fill with my own choice of oils and grease?

I also couldn't resist a snuff box and a folding iron. The iron actually still works!

While I was there yet another sewing machine was found outside bringing the total to 40 sewing machines and 1 serger. They weren't sure I would want this one, but in for a penny, in for a pound.

You might be surprised at how it cleans up... I thought I had a front pic. So here is what I have:
Before:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]470602[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]470599[/ATTACH]
And some of the work done:
The slide plate was replaced. The rusted bobbin area cleaned and working. The nose & tension cleaned and working. The machine's finish is still not where I want it to be and I'm not sure what that will be. The bottom of the machine was in very nice shape. The bobbin winder cleaned up but I'd like to figure out a HC or treadle. The big fat wheel that could go on it doesn't match the bobbin winder. bummer... no motor.
Here is after some of the TLC:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]470603[/ATTACH]

Wow Miriam! You give me hope! I nicknamed her the Silver Lady and figured there is always hope ..remove the rust, unfreeze the parts, replace what is missing and you are most of the way there! *Of course this is all in what I've read...in actual practice I have an education ahead of me!

You could start with one of the worst ones - if it doesn't work it is not a great loss. It is likely though that it could be made to work - it will never be show room looking unless you were to strip everything down a lot more and re-chrome and repaint. It might be fun.

Well for now, I have more than I should cracked open..before taking these machines on I had a White on my table waiting for wiring and now I am halfway through Rain's series on potted motors so I open up the motor on the green 15. :o I seriously need to focus on one thing at a time!

When you get a bunch like that it IS hard to know where to start. I wish you were close - we would all be over to just look and stroke them all. I was lucky, my sister came up from Mesa and spent a week and we went through a lot of them and cleaned and oiled - I didn't say repair... I just wanted to see what moved and what didn't. I sort of made notes what each one needed as I did that. Some will be ok with a little TLC and some will need major work. At that time we didn't want anything to do with the really derelict machines. Now they are my favorites. Today Wilbur who is 4 came over and we worked over a 1980s White. Then while we were waiting for Daddy we looked at before and after pictures. I think that put things together for him. He knows the guts of a machine as much as a 4 year old can. He has seen a machine that wouldn't move perk up and move with Tri-Flow. He knows lint needs to go away. Today I let him take apart a bobbin area and put it back. His little fingers don't have enough co-ordination yet to do it all but he gets the idea. You may find a young friend who would benefit from learning and would love to help you with some of the cleaning and oiling. You may decide to part with some of the machines rather than keep. You may have to decide whether to sell them as is or all fixed up. Parts machines are very nice to have. I have some for parts and they save lots of time & money compared to buying on line from who knows why something was parted out. You may find some will do up rather quickly and could be sold and gotten out from under foot. Then some that need extra TLC can just wait until there is more time and space.

Oh, my, Mrs. SewNSew, what fun it has been to read this read thus far! You have a lot of followers living vicariously through your posts and photos. Thank you for sharing!

And reading about CD's bounty was fun, too! Wow.

I am new here and excited to read and connect with all of you, and to learn more. Thanks for telling me about this place, Mrs. SewNSew!

SD

CD isn't the only one - I got 60 some once. We loaded them in a van in 2 loads. It was hard - DH is a loading genus - there are 40 machines plus some cabinets in there:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]470636[/ATTACH]

They were layered with plywood on top of machines - the machines were wrapped in t-shirts
[ATTACH=CONFIG]470638[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]470639[/ATTACH]

After getting them home you have to put them some place....
[ATTACH=CONFIG]470641[/ATTACH]

Then we went after the other load....
It is easier said that done to get that many machines. First you have to locate some - and I don't think it is an every day thing. Then you have to figure out prices and all that. Then you have to haul them and store them. Then most of the time they need TLC. I will say you learn a LOT just working on what you have.

I missed out on getting 62 or so at an auction but I did get 12 that time. Then a few months later I got my 60 but I haven't seen that many for sale around here since that time. I still add to the hoard when ever I see something. And I have been known to let some go. We are prohibited from selling & promoting on this board so if you plan to sell you will need to try ebay or CL or something.