So in the process of developing some patterns, I decided I wanted to work with some garment leather and faux leather. My current machine (Brother NQ1300) and my Kenmore (1974 model 12271) do all right, but can struggle with layered seams. After doing a bit of research, I landed on the Singer 15-91. I then found one locally for a decent price, and took a chance.
Well... The machine was locked up. Frozen. Lights came on, and the motor *tried* to turn over, but no joy. So the seller knocked $20 off the price, and I took it on as a restoration project.
The first step: removing the motor.
So of course it didn't want to budge. Two days, a bit of WD40, and some gentle taps with a hammer later (shh - don't judge! WD40 was all I had at the time), I managed to get the motor off. That was when I discovered that, not only had the sewing machine oil all evaporated in the Texas heat, but the worm gear inside the motor was bone dry. There was no grease on the mechanism and very little in the reserve ports. Oy.
Finally removed, it was time to try and get her moving again.
Armed with a bottle of Liquid Wrench and some good old Texas sunshine, I spent the day bounding back and forth between the Singer and my sewing projects. I'd pop out, wiggle the vise grip on the shaft a bit. It'd move a millimetre or 3 more, and I'd go back to work. Come back out a little later, and try again.
It took most of the day, but the persistence paid off. The needle bar had rusted in place, and my efforts had freed it up.
Next was a good, thorough cleaning, and assessment of the finish. Result: Not great. The decals were in decent shape, but the shellac was flaking off in the slightest breeze. That was never going to work. You can see below the "before."
I taped and covered the vulnerable parts and went to work. Four coats later, I let it sit for a few days to cure before every crafter's favorite... Sanding. Ugh.
Three passes later, using a combo of sand paper and steel wool, I'm finally done. Now letting it sit for a day before I polish and apply a wax coat. It's not perfect, but functional.
I can't decide if it's annoying or interesting that what remains of the original shellac shows through the new topcoat as an odd tint. Probably means I should have french polished it. But there are plans to powder coat it in a lovely shade of green, sometime in the not-too-distant future, so I felt the french polish might have been a bit of a waste of time.
After polish and wax, it'll be time for reassembly and test stitching.
And cleaning up the garage work space. Oof.
There are two other machines in line behind this one. More to come on those later!
