The storage container was more sarcasm than anything ;) Here the biggest concern is the hot to cold. It's not unheard of to hit -40 (which is the same in Farenheit as in Celcius) for a day or two in the winter, and the freezes are good and solid because of the length of them - I'm told that's what causes the aligatoring of the finish. That machine's in the town I live in. It's colder here than in the city by a few degrees on average too.

You are correct the going from cold to hot and then back again will after months of this abuse in storage will aligator first the thick clear coat of shellac and if the machine continues this hot cold treatment the japanning will start to chip and aligator even beyond repair in some cases. This does not only apply to machines but anything stored incorrectly. Correct storage is in a control environment. Unfortunately the laymen with one machine is not going to do this so we end up with lots of damage on the finish of the machines and the cabinet. As you know we see this damage all the time. Grandma's machine is a good example, the family does not want it so the stick in a dirty hot barn or shed and years later a member tries to sell it and with the damage done wonder why the machine will not sell for the $100.00 + they expect to get for it. I saw this to often when I had had my antique restoration shop and it was so sad.
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I once used to go and visit an OSMG. He had 3 sheds full of machine heads, and most of them were alligatored. He still wanted a mint for them ($60 for a rusty old 66, I needed a slide plate and some screws, but thought a parts machine would be good) and told me that he used to give them to people to put in their cars when they sent them to the crushers to up the weight. :( I feel guilty putting machines and cabinets in the basement.

I have two machines here that have suffered some alligatoring. One is a 201, I "brushed" the broken shellac off, and it will likely go to someone as a workhorse. The other one is a 99 in a cabinet. It's been here over a month and I haven't gotten around to looking at how bad the damage is, but my impression is that it's not terrible. That one, I may do your shellac treatment on, the decals look good, and put it back in its cabinet, but not til I get around to repainting the featherweight. It's been disassembled for months and waiting patiently for me to deal with it. I think it should probably go first. :) If I were to go tomorrow, at least DH wouldn't have a pile of FW parts to dispose of, he'd have (another) functional FW to re-home.

We are in the same boat. I have three VBS machine in the corner of the den floor waiting to be cleaned and get functional. My DW is after me to get them done so she will not have to deal with them if anything should happen. Actually she said no more will come into the house until I finish up with what I have. I hope I don't find a very good one along the way anytime soon or I am in trouble:o

That's what good friends with garages are for. :D

I usually talk it over w/ DH, but he's never the voice of reason, so we usually end up with the machine anyway. So far, it's mostly under control though. I have 3 machines waiting for service (a Pfaff 361 that's irked me last time, so it's in time out, a Elna something or other, looks like a supermatic, but looks older - It was a "gift", and that little 99) plus the FW. That one I will paint soon, I just have to decide how and when I'm going to remove the existing really bad paint. I'm thinking of using Dave McCallum's method, it seems like the "cleanest" method.

I have a garage but my wife does not collect sewing machines or even sew(I have to make all her civil war dresses for reinactments) so she collects antique cars so you know what is in my garage. Not much room left for me but I do have two treadle stored in there. She did leave me a corner for a work shop. And we have two garages:D

A lousy picture of a lousy picture of a sewing machine ... priced as if it's a museum piece.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Sewi...f7#ht_39wt_982

If it is working and a walking foot, it is not over priced - you are right the picture is awful.

Only $3 shipping though.

She is a very generous wife to let you have a corner ;) I just commandeered the spare bed room. Originally it was supposed to be for sewing. Now there's no room to sew anymore.