What should I do ? (Singer 28K)
 

Hello,

I bought this 28K because it came with a hand crank, totally rusted but usable. She was totally frozen, I must say that she was outside under the remains of her bentwood case since years. The price was low (5€, 5.5$), and after some discussions I could bring this piece of rust for 3€. According to Ismacs she is from 1909.

I own another 28K in good condition, so I ask you an advice about doing something of this machine. I oiled and clean the mechanism and now all move freely. The only missing parts are the tension assembly and the front plate, but I have some modern in my toolbox, and find a vintage one is not too expensive.

So, there is some options :
- keep it as is with varnish on rust.
- sand it and repaint, in blue, or in green with pink dots.
- use it as a door stopper or anchor.
- trash it.
- ...

I am open to all advices.

Many Thanks
Philippe
[ATTACH=CONFIG]526294[/ATTACH]

Steampunk is in style.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]526295[/ATTACH]
This machine was gross. I scraped all the rust and garbage off but the base looked bad - see pic. I put shellac on it and it evened out - felt smooth - sewed smooth. I put it in a wooden frame. My husband put some dots of velcro on the frame and some on a sheet of thick plastic. You can watch it make stitches. We put a steering wheel spinner knob on it. I took 10 machines camping with me. That one sold first.

Since it works, put a tension on it - you can get by with a spring, two disks and a nut. Put a little shellac on the base, then put plastic down and watch it sew.

Nice save.
Option one or two are both good. I think it looks pretty good as is. On the other hand your machine isn't exactly rare. No one would feel put out by someone repainting a machine in that condition. If you want a custom painted machine that one is a good candidate.
You got a bargain in my opinion. The hand crank alone goes for much more here.
Rodney

I have ony just like yours and I like it the way it is. I use it for decoration. It does have a shuttle bobbin, a needle in it and does crank freely. I am missing a front cover like yours. Keep it just like it is.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]526325[/ATTACH]

My 28 was missing the front slide plate and I got it from Sew-Classic.com. Some of the newer ones may be longer, but can be ground down according to a well-respected, local SMM. I like the repaint ideal with new decals from Ebay on "Singer decals" They come in different colors too. If money is the most important, then leave it as-is, except do get the plate.

If you are ever forced, by circumstance to grind down a plate, be sure to grind the back, the part you can't see. Thank you for saving another machine.

Many thanks to all for your replies. I think I will sand and repaint it. Rust is very deep and I found some under paint. I already buy some new plates from sew classic, they were not too long but a little bit too large and after a little grinding they fit perfectly. The plastic one is also a good idea, I must find some acrylic glass but the one I could find locally is a little bit thinner.
I will post photos of this restoration here, but first I must finish a 48K.

The plastic I used was some I was supposed to throw away at work. I had more than enough for my work so I took the rest home. It is the clear stuff I put between magazines. Nice and heavy but not bulky.

Paint it and refresh the whole thing and get the parts, it is a treasure, antiques can not be replaced. Save the machine to pass down too or sale, just don't trash it please!!!!!!

I began to work on this machine two weeks ago during my holidays, now I am back to work and it may be more difficult to find time ...

Here are some pictures.
First removing many of the moving parts :
[ATTACH=CONFIG]528214[/ATTACH]

Then move it to the garage, the driver is my son :)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]528215[/ATTACH]

Then polish visible, and sometimes hidden parts, I use a nylon brush on my drill, then polish with paste on fabric discs and "mirror" to finish, I think that for you it's something like Brasso. On the large plates I will make more polishing to try to remove the black spots, in facts they are less visible that on the photo.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]528216[/ATTACH]

Last Saturday, I strip the paint on the body with an horrible chemical thing, but the result is pretty good :
[ATTACH=CONFIG]528217[/ATTACH]

So now I will continue to sand it to remove all rust spots and begin to paint with a first coat of paint.
I will put some pictures as soon as possible.

Have a nice day from Brittany