Christine-

I'm not very good at writing online, I'm sorry for coming across in a way that was so strongly against putting oil on the shellac. I should have done a better job, I'm sorry!

Putting oil on a machine's paint job when it's in good condition is a great idea! But if you have an area where the shellac has had water on it, the water tends to lift the shellac...I'm not sure if 'lift' is the proper word. If the shellac has lifted, and water got underneath the shellac, putting oil on it will make it much harder to fix the shellac finish. Maybe we need to see a photo of the ring? It sounds like the water wasn't on there long enough to get underneath the shellac, but you definitely don't want to scrape it off with a fingernail.

CindyA

When you're talking about the JAPAN what exactly is that? Is it the gold paint (letters and decorative scrollwork) or the black paint? I've looked through a few of the tutorials and heard it used but haven't found a definition yet.

Christine-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_black has the best description.

The Ford company's reliance on japan black led Henry Ford to quip "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black".

Caroline S

Thanks Christine for the link defining japan black finishes. That is what I like about this board, one learns something new every day.

ArchaicArcane

Hey Christine, No worries.

The way I think of it is that basically the water causes the shellac to swell a little, which causes tiny cracks. Kind of like hot and cold expansion do to the machine heads themselves. My one OSMG has a bunch of heads stored in a shed, and almost all of them have this weird alligator skin texture to them now. He said that's from the shellac expanding and contracting, and then moisture getting under and doing "weird" things to the shellac. (We get pretty darn cold here sometimes in the winter, and fairly hot some summers, so the damage from the temperature swings is more extreme than others might see.)

As I see it, if a person is not going to repair the shellac (not for the feint of heart), the next best thing is to fill the cracks in so that the paint and decals still have a layer of protection from the elements. In my case, the rings were probably fairly old, so the damage was done. You can still see the rings on the bed of my featherweight, but only if you look just the right way. One day the old gal may still see a full restoration, but for now, nobody knows about those rings but me.

I agree, a photo would definitely help, and no more fingernails!! Mechanical damage will require repair.

CindyA

Thanks for the link!

VickyS

Awesome job and thanks for the info! The machine dried out quickly after I wiped it with tissues but the rings hung around so that's when I tried my nails on it. When I left it alone and came back the following day the rings disappeared. I'm in a wait and see mode to figure out what to do next. I've been oiling the machine regularly and using that oil (Singer brand for the machine) to rub into the machine when the oil spills out of the little drop spots. That may be what saved the finish so that the rings appeared to disappear when they dried out completely.

I had heard the finish was sometimes described as delicate but didn't really believe it. It hasn't been in the shop in over 3 years (oiling has kept it purring like a champ, along with using the grease about every 6 months or so).

Sounds like I may need to get some of that wax and give it a good rubdown. The machine otherwise is in really nice shape except for the occasional ding from moving snips around to clip threads. I'm not going to mess with the finish at this point.

I appreciate all the feedback. It can get REALLY frustrating to have problems with the older machines and this board has been awesome at coming to our aid to keep those oldies running smoothly.