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sakon76So, because I don't have enough things to keep me busy, I've taken on a new project. Some of you may recall me cleaning out the back bedroom last weekend? Well, part of that was because I had my eye on a sewing machine that had come up on Craigslist and part of my Wonderful Husband agreeing to my purchasing it was the aforementioned cleaning, including finding a space for it.
Which I did.
So today we went to look at the machine and it's in worse shape than I'd hoped, but it was $25.
This is the machine taken out of its cabinet and sitting atop it. This is actually the backside of the machine. It's a Singer 15-88 made in 1937, and is currently non-operational. Its decals are in pretty good shape, but its innards are all rusty.
The cabinet... is actually in pretty decent shape. The veneer on its top is totally shot, obviously, but structurally the only thing it's missing is a panel you can't see, on the center backside. The treadle mechanism, despite needing some cleaning and some oiling and (Wonderful Husband and I came up with this independently) eventual disassembly and powder coating, is actually in pretty good condition and works well..
And the above shot is for reference, of what a properly restored 15-91 looks like. (The -88 means it's a treadle machine, while a -90 or -91 has an electric motor and light, as you can see.)
So I spent my afternoon alternating between the machine with Tri-Flow and a screwdriver, and the cabinet with a series of cut-up t-shirt rags and various wood cleaning products. I got some, though not all, of the pieces I wanted to off the machine and they're soaking overnight in a jar of EvapoRust. I'm hoping that the Tri-Flow, which is a penetrant, will loosen a further few of the stubborn screws overnight.... The cabinet is actually looking about two hundred percent better after the application of oil soap, scratch remover, and lemon oil on almost all the exposed wood parts. The center drawer, for instance, is now actually the same color as the four side drawers! Tomorrow I hunt up the bottle of wood glue and some C-clamps and start getting the veneer reapplied where practical.
And that was how I spent my Saturday. More pix tomorrow.
Which I did.
So today we went to look at the machine and it's in worse shape than I'd hoped, but it was $25.
This is the machine taken out of its cabinet and sitting atop it. This is actually the backside of the machine. It's a Singer 15-88 made in 1937, and is currently non-operational. Its decals are in pretty good shape, but its innards are all rusty.
The cabinet... is actually in pretty decent shape. The veneer on its top is totally shot, obviously, but structurally the only thing it's missing is a panel you can't see, on the center backside. The treadle mechanism, despite needing some cleaning and some oiling and (Wonderful Husband and I came up with this independently) eventual disassembly and powder coating, is actually in pretty good condition and works well..
And the above shot is for reference, of what a properly restored 15-91 looks like. (The -88 means it's a treadle machine, while a -90 or -91 has an electric motor and light, as you can see.)
So I spent my afternoon alternating between the machine with Tri-Flow and a screwdriver, and the cabinet with a series of cut-up t-shirt rags and various wood cleaning products. I got some, though not all, of the pieces I wanted to off the machine and they're soaking overnight in a jar of EvapoRust. I'm hoping that the Tri-Flow, which is a penetrant, will loosen a further few of the stubborn screws overnight.... The cabinet is actually looking about two hundred percent better after the application of oil soap, scratch remover, and lemon oil on almost all the exposed wood parts. The center drawer, for instance, is now actually the same color as the four side drawers! Tomorrow I hunt up the bottle of wood glue and some C-clamps and start getting the veneer reapplied where practical.
And that was how I spent my Saturday. More pix tomorrow.
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Date: 2011-09-04 05:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-04 01:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-04 05:59 pm (UTC)