Clean as a whistle

     Two machines came my way to give a spa treatment. The Singer 66 was a bit dirty, dusty, needed a new belt, but mostly polishing and oiling. Sews like a dream. My friend found it at Savers for $7.00. I showed it in its dirty state here. She has to find a home for it. The case was cleaned, given a coat of Minwax Antique Oil finish and buffed. Just lovely.

My favorite! No smell or harshness

    The other machine, a Universal SAMP, was the crudiest I ever have cleaned. It had oily dirt and a thick orangish brown crud was on every metal part and also on the paint in places. My favorite go to cleaner is Krud Kutter. It has no smell and dissolves it quick and completely. Many rags and wooden sticks later, the machine emerged. It had been totally frozen up. I got everything to move with copious oil and heat. However, I had to buy the manual online in order to figure out the straight stitching. I would have never figured it out. It was like, push this lever to the right, turn this dial here, push the lever back to the left, etc. Total madness. However it sews with a very strong motor. Not my favorite machine, although very soundly built. I was pining to sew on my simple 301 which I did today. 

I always take the bottom of a jean leg and turn it into a pouch for the cord and and foot controller so they don't scratch
the machine paint.

Some disassembly required

     A quilting friend of mine brought me a machine that she got for $7.00 at Savers Mart. She wondered if I could find a home for it. The first thing I did was disassemble everything that could be cleaned. I copiously oiled everything, delinted the whole bobbin area, removed dust bunny families from the needle bar area inside, etc. Then I polished all the metal pieces. The belt needs replacing and now all that remains is to clean the oxidized surface, assemble and test the stitching. I hope it gets claimed for a sewing home. I have enormous fun doing this- getting cruddy metal back into humming as a wonderful precision machine!

Bits and pieces, bit and pieces