She weathered the years and the miles.
She has a new look.
With some adjustment and a few new parts, she’s ready for the big reveal!

Before                                 and                                            After

Now,  before you start singing the Stevie Wonder single “Isn’t She Lovely”, let me tell you about some of the special needs she had as well of some modern features I added!

1.  The machine that I purchased had finish issues and was missing all of the decals on the front and middle of the machine.  Water damage perhaps?
   My Fix;
   • I purchased new reproduction waterslide decals in silver from Keeler Sales in Lakeland, Florida.  They have lots of decals for sewing machine restorations.
   • My friend Teresa knows a machine angel.  He works on and helps restore vintage machines.   I requested that it be stripped and refinished in the color of my first truck.  You can look up automotive acrylic enamel paint colors online.  I think that I used something like Auto Color Library.  You can search colors by year, make and model.

     He did a beautiful job, complete with a clear coat over the decals.

2.  When the machine arrived, it had a bent spool pin. This might have occurred during shipping.  These pins are press fit, and with some minor adjustment using a rubber mallet, protective batting, and a vice, the spool pin is now straight, and I have added a spool pin spring to help.
3. Old machines have old rubber feet.  Some of hers were missing, or so smashed down or brittle, that they were worthless.  I was able to easily locate replacements for both my machine bed and foot controller at The Singer Featherweight Shop.

   While I was there I also picked up some reproduction screws, new felt for the oil drip pan, and pin, and some awesome new accessories!

4. The oil drip pan was this machine’s main source of musty “old” smell.  It is an easy replacement and I recommend doing it first thing to make it more pleasant to work with your machine.  Mine needed some motor grease, oil and general cleaning.  There are great videos on how to do that at The Singer Featherweight Schoolhouse.
   
5. The chrome plating is peeling off of the needle plate at one corner and around the needle hole.- I found a graduated needle plate marked 1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2″, 5/8″, and 3/4″
   
   Note:  I missed the little gem of advice when I replaced mine.  Be SURE to do this! 
   To get the new throat plate to work, I had to adjust the springs that create the notch.  I’m guessing that the new plate sits jsut a hair higher than the original, or that the springs are slightly narrower.  When I first tried to use it, the bobbin position finger (A2) slipped out of the notch.  

   IMPORTANT — When the throat plate is removed for cleaning the stitch-forming mechanism, etc., make certain, when replacing the throat plate, that the position finger (A2 in figure image above) of the bobbin case base enters the notch (B2) of the position plate attached to the underside of the throat plate.

   

Now,  for the fun pieces.
– a new thread stand (to handle cones of thread)
– a snap on adapter (to let me use many of my snap on feet from my Brother & Babylock)

– an LED lightbulb!  (Now the light won’t get HOT!)

Add a little bit of cleaning and polishing, and she is like new and stitching along a perfect straight stitch for piecing and retreating from computers!

Now, she is all ready for fun!  Maybe she will travel with me to Paducah for a warm up.

Special thanks to my friend, Teresa, for all her help!  Teresa, if you are reading, please share these photographs with your machine angel for me!  He does beautiful work.