cleaning up a vintage sewing machine

medusasmummy

hi all,

i have recently been lucky enough to acquire a singer treadle sewing machine. unfortunately its been very neglected and has been living in a shed for the last 10yrs.

i cant be absolutley certain of its past living conditions but the table top is definiately suffering from water damage, and there is possible white mould.

i have so far given it a wipe over with a barely damp cloth to get rid of the cobwebs/ spiders/ dust etc. and to cast iron frame is in excellent condition. the wooden drawers will definitely polish up a treat.

to cut a long story short i am after some advice on cleaning up the enamal body work of the machine itself. it is covered with a film of some sort of yellow/orange crystallized residue. it does have a slight whiff of urine about it, so have been wondering if maybe its previously been home to some rodents. i was thinking about getting some sugarsoap but not sure whether it would do the job.

can anyone please suggest any mildly abraisive solutions so not to damage to beautiful paintwork. any other hints and tips would be greatly appreciated

thanks very much in advance

[Deleted User]

medusasmummy wrote: »

hi all,

i have recently been lucky enough to acquire a singer treadle sewing machine. unfortunately its been very neglected and has been living in a shed for the last 10yrs.

i cant be absolutley certain of its past living conditions but the table top is definiately suffering from water damage, and there is possible white mould.

i have so far given it a wipe over with a barely damp cloth to get rid of the cobwebs/ spiders/ dust etc. and to cast iron frame is in excellent condition. the wooden drawers will definitely polish up a treat.

to cut a long story short i am after some advice on cleaning up the enamal body work of the machine itself. it is covered with a film of some sort of yellow/orange crystallized residue. it does have a slight whiff of urine about it, so have been wondering if maybe its previously been home to some rodents. i was thinking about getting some sugarsoap but not sure whether it would do the job.

can anyone please suggest any mildly abraisive solutions so not to damage to beautiful paintwork. any other hints and tips would be greatly appreciated

thanks very much in advance

There is a site on the internet called The Sewing Forum, if you go down the list to sewing machines there is a section for antique machines amd a lady called something beginning with H. she is the best person to give you advise as to what to use to clean the body of the machine.

I restored an old newhome machine which had been in the home of a heavy smoker, the machine and its table were covered in a film of tar. I managed to clean that with washing up liquid and very hot water. Had to do it a couple of times to get it all off. You could also try stardrops.

Rikki

The Sewing Forum/vintage machines

Were a friendly bunch over there. Just ask on there, just copy and paste you original post and you will be answered.

medusasmummy

thanks very much never even thought of asking in the sewing forum

valk_scot

The main thins to remember are Don't Rub and No Abrasives. Bith will ruin the finish and the decals. So don't use sugar soap or Vim or Cif or a toothbrush. Use a damp soft cloth and wipe gently. If it's crystalised urine it will come off with that, or with a weak solution of washing up liquid and warm water. After you get the mank off then use a soft cloth and some sewing machine oil to buff up the black areas. You can use metal polish on the metalwork, but once again go gently.

More important though is to clean the workings. Use a stiff long bristled brush, like a 1/2" paintbrush, to get every last wisp of fluff and lint out. Pay particular attention to the feed dogs where you get real lumps of compressed greasy felted lint building up, and round the lower bobbin race. Then wipe off any dried up gunky oil, oil with sewing machine oil, wipe off with a lint free cloth, oil again. Oil it lightly every day for a week.

What model is it btw? You can find out by using the serial no on the base plate at the front of the machine, which will say something like AB123456. You should be able to find the age and model from this.

Good site for spares is here.

WeegieWumman

medusasmummy wrote: »

hi all,

i have recently been lucky enough to acquire a singer treadle sewing machine.

These machines are the best ever. I love them. They're strong enough to use on heavy upholstery materials. I used mine to re-upholster 3-piece suites for my friend and I. How I miss my old machine. I avoid my electric machine like the plague.

Happy Sewing!!!

*zippy*

There is a vintage machine section here too

http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage-antique-machine-enthusiasts-f22/

tooties

Oh you lucky lucky thing

im so envious

(enjoy yourself with it)

regards

medusasmummy

valk_scot wrote: »

The main thins to remember are Don't Rub and No Abrasives. Bith will ruin the finish and the decals. So don't use sugar soap or Vim or Cif or a toothbrush. Use a damp soft cloth and wipe gently. If it's crystalised urine it will come off with that, or with a weak solution of washing up liquid and warm water. After you get the mank off then use a soft cloth and some sewing machine oil to buff up the black areas. You can use metal polish on the metalwork, but once again go gently.

More important though is to clean the workings. Use a stiff long bristled brush, like a 1/2" paintbrush, to get every last wisp of fluff and lint out. Pay particular attention to the feed dogs where you get real lumps of compressed greasy felted lint building up, and round the lower bobbin race. Then wipe off any dried up gunky oil, oil with sewing machine oil, wipe off with a lint free cloth, oil again. Oil it lightly every day for a week.

What model is it btw? You can find out by using the serial no on the base plate at the front of the machine, which will say something like AB123456. You should be able to find the age and model from this.

Good site for spares is

Thanks so much for the advice val. i looked on another website earlier and it said to use 'formula 409' which ive never heard of but when i looked it up it look extremely harsh, dont like using unnecessary chemicals.

i dont not for sure what the model type is but when i looked up the serial number it says its a 1945 model

medusasmummy

WeegieWumman wrote: »

These machines are the best ever. I love them. They're strong enough to use on heavy upholstery materials. I used mine to re-upholster 3-piece suites for my friend and I. How I miss my old machine. I avoid my electric machine like the plague.

Happy Sewing!!!

tooties wrote: »

Oh you lucky lucky thing

im so envious

(enjoy yourself with it)

regards

have spent the evening giving it a well deserved polish, and the wood is beginning to shine. they dont make them like they used to

think my husband think ive gone mad cause i keep refering to it 'her/ she' and stroking her. i keep telling him its a thing of beauty and deserves to be treated right.

hakeber

all my machines have names
only 1 is not a girl and he is called bernard.
I find it helps to have a name to shout out when the needle breaks or you do something wrong
bek - have a great time sewing.