Singer Folding Sewing Table: Take 3

The painted black edges and underside of this wonderful vintage Singer Folding Sewing Table, circa 1947, are roughed up and need repair. So I began sanding it all with a fine sanding sponge: love those things! They "squish" to get into corners, and the diagonal edges get into the corners easily. So much easier to get the job done. Next I vacuumed it all down to remove the dust, then wiped it with a damp rag and let it dry. I originally thought I'd have to fill some nicks or deep scratches but found the surface okay after sanding. Glad one job was eliminated! The blog I'm using to do my restoration, "Refinishing a Vintage Featherweight Table" has been invaluable. I purchased the correct paint (Valspar Furniture Latex Paint in black satin) available at big box stores and a really good paint brush.

I painted the underside of the table top and insert first. It didn't take long. The paint goes on looking like flat, deep charcoal paint, but it dries very black and glossy. I let it dry for 24 hours. A couple of drips ran over the already sanded sides, so I had to re-sand those prior to painting them.

Then I flipped the top right side up. Some boxes helped to elevate it to make it easier to paint the edges. I thought I would use some blue painters tape to mask off the veneer edge from the black edges, but no luck: the tape pulled off some of the varnish on the veneer. (Maybe I should have refinished the veneered top??? But our son, Chris, said it had character and to leave it! That was my excuse to leave it.) So I had to very carefully run the paint brush down the rounded edge next to the veneer first, then paint the flat edge, one side at a time.

The table top looks great after drying over night. So today I'm going to install the painted brackets that hold the machine. The center bracket is easy, but the left and right ones are slightly different so I must make sure they are in their correct places. But before I do install them I have to put the Sticky black Velcro onto the flanges that come in contact with the machine since I had to remove the old leather strips.

There are two small brackets and screws that install on the left side of the insert opening that hold the insert in place, but after looking at them I decided they needed to be sanded and painted. I laid the brackets on the plastic container I painted washers on (hence the white rings) inside a box and punched the screws into the box flap. The Rustoleum spray paint is easy to use!

The leg brackets have to be put in next....a whole lot easier than taking the hinges out! Five screws for each one...See how nice the underside looks now?

Singer always identified the various parts with identification numbers and that included the table

and the insert.

Next up on the restoration are the table legs.I can't wait to show you my finished project!!

Featherweight Love 6

 It's getting close to the end of this restoration. I have to put the Tolex I ordered into the case bottom. Then I have to start the painting on the machine bottom edges, which I suspect will take a while to do it carefully. "Bottom line" for this 221 Featherweight is the bottom of it got wet at some point in it's previous owners life. The cast aluminum has been "powdering" (for lack of a better word), it's exposed to the air and it is oxidizing. After contacting the Featherweight Shop for suggestions on how to paint the edges, I purchased a bottle of Ronsonol Lighter Fuel and some small metal bristled brushes. The brushes are to get the white powder off, then I wipe with the lighter fluid, then paint in small layers to build up the paint to match what's still hanging on. Should be interesting to say the least. What gets me is how did the original owners let this beauty get wet just on the bottom?? What were they thinking? but you never know what happens, you just try to fix the problem(s) and move on.

So, the easy part: new Tolex for the inside case bottom. The paper pattern is ready to go so all I have to do is lay it on the new Tolex and cut it out. I used wood glue on the case bottom and carefully smoothed the Tolex onto it and weighted it down with books (embroidery ones of course!).

 The case is finished!

 I started working on each bottom edge to remove the white powder and clean with he Ronsonol Lighter Fluid using those blue gloves so popular with Covid. (I knew they'd come in handy some day...)

Next, the machine. I learned how to take the motor off so I could get underneath it to remove the oxidation, then paint and polish. The black paint is from The Featherweight Shop and it came with a tiny brush.

I worked around the machine bottom edges. Then I noticed a couple of dings on the bed and on the rotary wheel:  easy touch up with the tiny brush included with the paint!! After drying, I installed the rubber feet and began polishing the machine to protect it. I'm fortunate as the decals are in really great shape: no damage from fabric sliding around over them. Here are the finishing photos! Look how she shines!!

See her scroll plate??

There is a "tradition" to name your machine after the previous owner. I contacted the store where I bought the machine and table and asked if they could find out the previous owner's first name. Her son was coming into the store soon I presume to collect his check from the sale. Her children decided to sell this beautiful 221 Featherweight Singer Sewing Machine after their mother passed away. 

So now this lovely machine is called "Eva".

Next is to work on the table...but after spending so much time on this wonderful project I'm going to take a restoration break. Until next time: Happy Stitching!!

Featherweight Love 5: Mail Day!!

My purchases from the Featherweight Shop arrived today!! I'm so excited to get back to work on the1947 221 Singer machine.

First up: put the oil pad onto the drip pan and set aside. I'll install it after I'm done with oiling the machine.

Next was using this ingenious Jam Removal Tool for getting out tiny stuck threads behind the bobbin case base.

Tiny little threads (and there were plenty of longer ones I'd already removed) will seize the machine. I really didn't want to take the hook assembly apart...frought with danger if done incorrectly, and expensive to repair. This little tool worked like a charm!! The wheel now turns easily and the needle goes up and down. Yeah!!

Next up: deodorizing the case. I removed the awful mold in the bottom and bleached the bottom bare wood a few days ago. After sanding it still smelled...so The Featherweight Shop to the rescue again with their special case deoderizing spray. I used five squirts in the case and closed the lid. (Three to four are recommended for smelly cases so I figured an extra spritz wouldn't hurt.) 

Then the most important part is oiling and lubricating the machine itself....now mind you, I still haven't plugged it in and turned it on yet. By the way, turning the switch on only turns the light on. The machine is "on" when it's plugged in....just an interesting little tidbit of info. I have three books on these babies, and of course, the Featherweight Shop has video(s) so this will be fun. I noticed after checking the thread removal the machine sounds "dry" so it should be humming nicely after it's oiled. Love the Featherweight "Sew Retro" oil with it's long applicator for this: makes it so easy to get just one drop of oil where needed. Can't wait to actually plug it in!!

I decided to put the drip pan onto the machine before plugging it in, and also the rubber feet. The machine had no feet at all when I bought it, and luckily I had a set of vintage screws that I cleaned up.

After correctly installing the needle (flat side of needle shaft to the left) and threading from right to left, I was almost ready to go. I plugged in the machine and turned the light switch. The light bulb was still good! I wound a bobbin from my other Featherweight (the 1937 one) and the winding went fine.

Next was threading the machine....good to go. But the machine wouldn't pick up the bobbin thread when I rotated the wheel correctly (towards me).....hmmmmm. Nothing seemed to work so I declared the workday over (since it was almost dinner time) and I wandered off downstairs to start dinner, thinking I was going to have to pull off the bobbin "guts" and set the hook timing. Oh well...

Fast forward to today after a good night's sleep. I went over several videos from The Featherweight Shop and I thought maybe I should re-look the machine needle positioning.  Maybe I had it "crooked" and the flat side wasn't facing exactly to the left, so I took it out and put it back in correctly and WHA-LA! It worked and the machine is now sewing! I must have been really tired late yesterday afternoon and just couldn't see straight to put that needle in the right way. The machine sounds so smooth, the stitch is really good and I'm very happy after several days of work.  Next up: the painting dilemma and waiting g for the Tolex I ordered for the case.  Happy Stitching!

Featherweight Love 4

 Working on the Featherweight case is rewarding, especially one that's in good shape. BUT...you occasionally run into some "nasties". In this case it's brown mold......after I removed the wrinkled, torn Tolex of the case bottom I saw it.

So, down to the kitchen to clean it up: gloves, wet paper towels, the waste basket close by and bleach.

I carefully wiped the mold with wet paper towels and quickly dropped them in the waste basket. I repeated this a couple of times. Then I took damp paper towels again and added bleach and wiped down the bottom and insides of the case. Then I put the waste basket bag into our trash can outside. There is a musty odor in the case and machine, which can be "normal" for an old machine. The smell comes from where it has been stored and also the old oil pad in the bottom of the machine, which I've already disposed of. I'm hoping the bleach treatment reduces the odor, and I have some special case deodorizer from The Featherweight Shop on the way to also attack the smell.

Now the fun begins: I get to rub the Kiwi black shoe polish onto the outside of the case and make it look beautiful! It's fun: I used to polish my dad's shoes when I was a kid (besides mine) so it's nostalgic for me, soothing, too. I enjoy seeing a pair of shoes cleaned and shined, back to their original beauty. It's the same with the case.

Then I put some of the black shoe polish on the cleaned lift out tray, which was in really good shape. No gluing or repair work was needed. It buffed up to a nice shine.

That's enough 221 Featherweight work for today. Time too work on some other projects!