Singer model 27 "Ella"
08-06-2014, 10:05 AM
#21
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Centralia, WA, USA
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I did a bit more this morning. The heat is finally coming to an end. It's a nice overcast 70* or so at the moment.
I started repairing the dress guard's veneer. The top edge had a strip of missing and loose veneer about 3" wide across the top.
Singer didn't spend money on fancy veneer where they didn't need to. The outer veneer is plain sawn instead of the fancier and more expensive quartersawn oak they used where it shows.
The first picture shows some badly weathered and dirty oak plywood that I peeled some veneer from to use for this repair. Maybe not ideal but it may actually match better than new clean veneer would.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486537[/ATTACH]
The repair patch. The veneer was already lifting off so I helped it along with a putty knife and made the cuts with a straightedge and singe edge razor blade.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486538[/ATTACH]
There are some little steel brads helping to hold things together. I carefully removed them with a set of end cutters. I'll reuse them when the repair is complete.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486540[/ATTACH]
I didn't take any pictures while I was working (sorry) but I trimmed off the damaged outer veneer saving it for other repairs. The loose veneer was a couple layers deep. I cleaned out all the dust that I could that had found it's way in over the years and did a rough patch job on the inner layer working glue between the layers that had separated and adding pieces of veneer where the original was missing. The outer layer needs a smooth base to glue it to or it won't look right. Here it is all clamped up with wax paper to keep the glue from sticking where it shouldn't. I used a board to apply even pressure all the way across. It's impossible to have too many clamps.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486539[/ATTACH]
I'll continue after the glue dries by smoothing up the base layer and adding the outer veneer.
I'm hoping seeing these repairs will help people fix damaged parts when they can instead of having to find replacements though there are times when that's appropriate too.
Rodney
I started repairing the dress guard's veneer. The top edge had a strip of missing and loose veneer about 3" wide across the top.
Singer didn't spend money on fancy veneer where they didn't need to. The outer veneer is plain sawn instead of the fancier and more expensive quartersawn oak they used where it shows.
The first picture shows some badly weathered and dirty oak plywood that I peeled some veneer from to use for this repair. Maybe not ideal but it may actually match better than new clean veneer would.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486537[/ATTACH]
The repair patch. The veneer was already lifting off so I helped it along with a putty knife and made the cuts with a straightedge and singe edge razor blade.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486538[/ATTACH]
There are some little steel brads helping to hold things together. I carefully removed them with a set of end cutters. I'll reuse them when the repair is complete.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486540[/ATTACH]
I didn't take any pictures while I was working (sorry) but I trimmed off the damaged outer veneer saving it for other repairs. The loose veneer was a couple layers deep. I cleaned out all the dust that I could that had found it's way in over the years and did a rough patch job on the inner layer working glue between the layers that had separated and adding pieces of veneer where the original was missing. The outer layer needs a smooth base to glue it to or it won't look right. Here it is all clamped up with wax paper to keep the glue from sticking where it shouldn't. I used a board to apply even pressure all the way across. It's impossible to have too many clamps.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486539[/ATTACH]
I'll continue after the glue dries by smoothing up the base layer and adding the outer veneer.
I'm hoping seeing these repairs will help people fix damaged parts when they can instead of having to find replacements though there are times when that's appropriate too.
Rodney
08-07-2014, 08:58 AM
#22
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Centralia, WA, USA
Posts: 4,890
Sorry, no pics this morning. The batteries in the camera are dead. I removed the clamps and smoothed oput the inner veneer using some coarse sandpaper on a sanding block. I also removed some dried glue. After I decided the surface was prepped well enough I straightened the edge of the veneer patch until I was satisfied with the fit. No-it's not perfect. I'm not that good. I covered the entire surface of the area to be patched with glue and clamped the new veneer in place using a board to spread the force of the clamps. Tomorrow i hope to have batteries in the camera. I'll remove the clamps then and trim the veneer to fit. There are a few more areas on the dress guard needing repairs but the big part is done.
Rodney
Rodney
08-07-2014, 11:43 AM
#23
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Centralia, WA, USA
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I spent some time dismantling the treadle top. I was lucky. Singer put it all together with screws so I was able to take everything apart. It will be much easier now to do the necessary woodwork to restore it. The top of the lid has the most damage. The veneer is lifted and some is missing in the middle, most like as a result of spending time as a plant stand. There are also a lot of smaller missing pieces of veneer around the edges. My original plan was to replace all the veneer on that piece but now I'm thinking I'll patch it up instead. The veneer isn't highly figured so it shouldn't be difficult to blend in the patches. I think I can match the repairs enough that you would have to look closely to see them.
I have some quartersawn white oak boards here that I can cut some veneer from.
Rodney
I have some quartersawn white oak boards here that I can cut some veneer from.
Rodney
08-09-2014, 03:42 PM
#26
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Centralia, WA, USA
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I got some batteries for the camera and I'm still working on the repairs to the veneer. All the loose or missing wood on the dress guard is either glued back down or replaced now.
I also started work on the top of the lid. Here's the before, I love the iron imprint from long ago:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486947[/ATTACH]
The first thing I did was cut a thin piece of white oak about 2 inches wide to use for some replacement veneer. Next I clamped a straight edge to the top and cut out a strip of the damaged veneer the same width as the patch using my dovetail saw.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486942[/ATTACH]
The replacement strip and the missing veneer.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486943[/ATTACH]
There is also a bunch of lifted veneer in the middle where the potted plant was. My daughter and I carefully worked glue under the veneer there and in the hole where the new veneer is.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486945[/ATTACH]
I made some clamping cauls out of a piece of 2x4. I ripped it down to 3 roughly 1" boards then planed about 1/4" off each end to form a gentle arc along their length. These are clamped with the curve toward the lid to transfer the force of the clamps to the center of the lid where the clamps can't reach. There's some waxpaper so the glue doesn't stick to the plywood and cauls and a thin piece of plywood to help spread the clamping pressure evenly. I'm done with this piece until the glue dries.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486946[/ATTACH]
I also started cleaning up the main top of the table. I didn't get a before of it. Here it is wiped down with mineral spirits. I also spent some time removing some old spilled paint using a single edged razor blade to scrape it off.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486948[/ATTACH]
This is where the paint was after scraping.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486949[/ATTACH]
The rings from the (presumably) paint cans are caused by a reaction of the oak to the iron in the cans. The only way to remove them that I know is to bleach all the color out of the wood and start fresh. I'm not doing that so they're going to stay.
That's as far as I've gotten so far. There are a bunch of smaller repairs to make on the lid then the rest is just doing my best to stain and refinish the wood to make the repairs blend in.
Rodney
I also started work on the top of the lid. Here's the before, I love the iron imprint from long ago:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486947[/ATTACH]
The first thing I did was cut a thin piece of white oak about 2 inches wide to use for some replacement veneer. Next I clamped a straight edge to the top and cut out a strip of the damaged veneer the same width as the patch using my dovetail saw.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486942[/ATTACH]
The replacement strip and the missing veneer.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486943[/ATTACH]
There is also a bunch of lifted veneer in the middle where the potted plant was. My daughter and I carefully worked glue under the veneer there and in the hole where the new veneer is.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486945[/ATTACH]
I made some clamping cauls out of a piece of 2x4. I ripped it down to 3 roughly 1" boards then planed about 1/4" off each end to form a gentle arc along their length. These are clamped with the curve toward the lid to transfer the force of the clamps to the center of the lid where the clamps can't reach. There's some waxpaper so the glue doesn't stick to the plywood and cauls and a thin piece of plywood to help spread the clamping pressure evenly. I'm done with this piece until the glue dries.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486946[/ATTACH]
I also started cleaning up the main top of the table. I didn't get a before of it. Here it is wiped down with mineral spirits. I also spent some time removing some old spilled paint using a single edged razor blade to scrape it off.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486948[/ATTACH]
This is where the paint was after scraping.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]486949[/ATTACH]
The rings from the (presumably) paint cans are caused by a reaction of the oak to the iron in the cans. The only way to remove them that I know is to bleach all the color out of the wood and start fresh. I'm not doing that so they're going to stay.
That's as far as I've gotten so far. There are a bunch of smaller repairs to make on the lid then the rest is just doing my best to stain and refinish the wood to make the repairs blend in.
Rodney
08-10-2014, 12:21 PM
#27
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Centralia, WA, USA
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I'm still picking away at the veneer repairs, I've also started finishing the main part of the top. There are no decent woodworking supplies near me, just a Home Depot and a couple Aces. None of them carry dye stains, just the typical wipe on pigment stains. I prefer dye stains. They color wood much more evenly. I decided to use some Rit dark brown fabric dye on it. It actually works pretty well on wood though I'm not sure if it's as colorfast as regular aniline wood dyes. My daughter and I just finished the first coat of shellac on the top. Here's how it looks now.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]487039[/ATTACH]
It looks just a little blotchy but I think that will go away as I build up the shellac coats.
I tested the original finish and it is shellac. That's a good thing because shellac is a very forgiving finish to work with and it will be difficult to tell old from new when I'm done.
Rodney
[ATTACH=CONFIG]487039[/ATTACH]
It looks just a little blotchy but I think that will go away as I build up the shellac coats.
I tested the original finish and it is shellac. That's a good thing because shellac is a very forgiving finish to work with and it will be difficult to tell old from new when I'm done.
Rodney
08-14-2014, 08:25 AM
#28
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Centralia, WA, USA
Posts: 4,890
I'm still plugging away. I almost have all the veneer repairs completed on the lid and the rest of the top is shellacked. Yesterday I cleaned the irons with sewing machine oil and re-installed the pitman arm. I ended up replacing the missing hardware in the pitman arm. The steel plate on the original repair had enough slop in it that the treadle would occasionally make a banging noise in use. That might explain the friction tape that was covering the old repair. The banging would have gotten annoying very quickly.
As a side note, I've never seen conical bearings used anywhere but on sewing machines. As far as I'm concerned they're nothing short of genius in their simplicity of design and ease of adjustment. The treadle uses them on the flywheel's axle and I think the pedal as well (there was no need to take that apart).
Next I will be using some steel wool and wax on the shellacked surfaces to cut the shine back a bit. I think a softer satin sheen will be more appropriate given the wear and staining on the top. I also don't see any sign that there was ever a gloss finish on the drawers of the cabinet although there may have been on the top.
I'm getting very close to being able to put it all back together.
There really hasn't been any need for more pictures most of the work is just a repeat of what I've already shown.
Rodney
As a side note, I've never seen conical bearings used anywhere but on sewing machines. As far as I'm concerned they're nothing short of genius in their simplicity of design and ease of adjustment. The treadle uses them on the flywheel's axle and I think the pedal as well (there was no need to take that apart).
Next I will be using some steel wool and wax on the shellacked surfaces to cut the shine back a bit. I think a softer satin sheen will be more appropriate given the wear and staining on the top. I also don't see any sign that there was ever a gloss finish on the drawers of the cabinet although there may have been on the top.
I'm getting very close to being able to put it all back together.
There really hasn't been any need for more pictures most of the work is just a repeat of what I've already shown.
Rodney
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