Thursday, January 23, 2014

I couldn't resist, really!

I started off being a good girl on Tuesday.  I went to the Quilts of Valor sew-in, and stitched away.  The trouble started when I left.  I haven't been to either of the thrift stores in that town since late summer.  How could I resist? 

Nothing special at the first store, just a few DVD's.  I went thru the second store, and, was almost thru the whole store, with NOTHING in my basket, when, I turned the corner to the very back of the shop.  Oops!  I saw a cabinet.  I ignored the cabinet, and looked at everything else in that area.  That cabinet kept calling to me.  I finally uncovered it (yep, covered in other stuff so you couldn't see what was under there).  I had to pull the cabinet out, so that I could lift the lid and see what was inside.  A dusty, Singer 66 with a motor, and really bad wiring. 

This Singer 66 has decals unlike any other Singer 66 that I own (yes, I own several Singer 66's).  My birthday is coming up soon, so, I decided that I needed to get myself a present.

My latest Singer 66
The cabinet isn't in the best of shape.  They even had tape on the side to keep the piece that supports the lid, inside, out of the way.  There was tape (clear and masking tape, both) on the base of the machine.  Yuk!  The stitch lever is painted a weird white color, too.  I've never seen one painted before. 

I borrowed a screwdriver from the guys in the back of the shop, and proceeded to give this machine a 'motorectimy' right there.  Boy were these guys surprised!  I then unscrewed the machine from the base before they loaded it in my car.  They didn't know I could do that, either. 

On Wednesday, I decided that this machine needed to be cleaned and tested.  Here are some of the before and after pictures.

what's left of the tape that crumbled when I tried to remove it

the serial number dates this to an allotment of 35,000, started September 30, 1941

told ya it was dirty, you should have seen under the motor area

before cleaning
Except for the tape removal, this was a pretty simple cleaning job.  I had to let the sewing machine oil set on the tape area to soften the remaining glue.  It worked pretty well, along with my fingernail.

see how shiny the metal is after a nice cleaning

this part was the hardest to clean.  I don't think it had ever been cleaned or dusted back there where the motor went

my new Singer 66 hand crank in the cabinet
I wiped the cabinet down with Murphy's Oil Soap, but, it still needs more cleaning, and some Old English Stain remover applied.  Maybe today.

top AFTER cleaning.  Wow, what did they do to this????
I even found a great spool pin doily for this machine. 

spool pin doily
Here is an example of the wiring, and why I didn't even mess around with it.  The guys at the shop offered to plug it in for me, until I showed them these wires. 

see where the wiring is split open????  Eek! 
I tested the stitches on this machine, and, after a few minutes of playing with the tension, she sews nicely.  Sorry I didn't get pictures of the stitching.  I think this one is going to stay in the cabinet, and head up to my sewing room. 

18 comments:

  1. How exciting - love how it cleaned up! You are one lucky girl

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  2. Oh my goodness Cheryl... this is a beauty! You did a great job!
    And you made it into a hand crank... just like that?!?!
    You make it seem so easy!

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  3. She's back to the way she was meant to be, thanks to you. Saved another one! She's looking good and working right. You are like the "Sewing Machine Whisperer".
    Hugs

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  4. What a great save!! Love that it's now a handcrank! Enjoy!

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  5. I have the same machine...same decals and the white reverse lever, too. Mine is in a treadle in my living room. I LOVE 66's.

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  6. Your machine is beautiful!! Where did you find the beautiful doily? Would love to get the pattern or buy some.

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  7. I have the same decals on my 66 treadle, which is 2 years older than your machine. But my stitch length is controlled by turning a knob (with no markings on it) rather than by a lever.

    Yours looks beautiful now!

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  8. Awesome Save and a HandCrank to boot....no need for the wiring. Great job on the restoration. I've just started a 1940's restoration, too....no sewing though. Loved the thread pin doily!

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  9. Wow, what a find. I'm not a collector but I know a nice one when I see it, and I'd have bought that. A few years ago I saw something similar on my neighbors curb and went to check it out. Can't remember what kind, but the machine inside was a beautiful turquoise color and in remarkable shape. My daughter took it home with her, but I'll try and get her to blog about it and take pics. Will send you a link.

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  10. My goodness! Why do I never find machines like this in Goodwill or other thrift shops? Great find!!! And she cleaned up really pretty too :)

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  11. What gorgeous decals! I think the 66's are underrated...I have a redeye 66 and even though it's the most common machine ever, it works really well and I love it. Yours is a wonderful find!

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  12. Sooooo pretty! You have the best sewing machine finds!!! :)

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  13. Very nice. What did you use to clean the face plate?

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  14. It's really pretty, all the detail looks to be in great shape. I love the intricate design. I don't have any of that model, what is the typical price when found at a thrift store?

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