[Jess M.]

Could anyone lead me down a rabbit hole of resources on restoring an old Singer sewing Machine?

My husband’s grandmother died long before he was born, and his dad snagged this up literally off the side of the road when his grandfather threw it out in the 70’s and had been holding on to it since. He then passed it to us, since I sew. It’s a 1919 Singer 66. I really want to clean it up and try to get it running, but it’s sew dusty and I don’t want to damage the stickers by just washing it. The cabinet is in AWFUL condition.

ETA: There are some parts where the dust is caked on and doesn’t come off just by wiping. And I just realized I typed “sew dusty” haha

Here are some pictures:

These show you have really dirty it really is.

[Mama_Knowles]

My mom has this sewing machine!! The best to find out more abou it is go to the web site http://www.april1930s.com/ She knows everything about these wonderful machines.

Sharon

[thejennigirl]

I collect, restore, and use vintage and antique sewing machines 🙂 No plastic gears in my house! lol

Use a baby wipe to clean the outside. It won’t bother the decals. Just don’t use water. It’ll cause the decals to silver.

If there is an oil build up that dust is clinging to, use GOOP (you’ll find in the auto section of WalMart). Smear GOOP on, let it sit for a few hours, and wipe off with a dry, soft cloth. Repeat until satisfied (I am currently using this technique on my 1883 New Home).

As for the gears, lots and lots and lots and lots of sewing machine oil. Soak it ALL down. Inside and out. I buy mine by the gallon when I can.

Remove the back plate, side plate, and needle plate and polish with metal polish.

You’re missing a few parts from what I can see here. The belt guard & bobbin winder are the first 2 that come to mind. You’ll also need a leather belt in order to treadle if you so wish. You can find all those on eBay or buy a junk Red Eye 66 on Craigslist to use for parts.

I’m sorry your cabinet is sad. Is it just the veneer or worse? I use oil based rustolium on the irons and gear grease on everything that moves.

Whatever you do, DO NOT USE WD40 ON ANY OF IT. You will cause your machine to freeze. And it’s bad on decals.

If you have any more questions, feel free to e-mail me: thejenni.girl @ yahoo.com

PS, Here’s a link to my little collection, just cause I love my toys so much:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1344528170163.2043852.1140022248&type=3&l=dcf1cef51d

Happy cleaning!