# Renovation 1920 Singer Sewing Machine



## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

About a month or so ago i mentioned in the general woodworking area that i was about to do up an old 1920 Singer sewing machine.

My daughter saw it on E bay and bought it. Dad had to pick it up and the condition was a bit worse then I thought. She has not seen it yet, so I decided to try to fix it up before her Birthday the 25th March.

I took some photos before i started the repairs just in case the thought that was the condition it was when she bought it and Dad scrooged out on her Birthday present.

Big Cougar sugested I cut out the damaged bits and try to match up and insert some reoplacement veneer. Unfortunately, my inexperience let me down. I found out water dye and old veneer stuck down with hide glue is not a good mix. This was my idea, not Big Cougars. I can hear him howling in the background now ( Sorry )


Cabinetman and a few others suggested plan B which was to tale the old veneer off and replace it with some new. easier said then done, but we got there.

Here are some photos of the original plus the final one is some left over veneer that I used. While the grain was a fair match the color was not. 90 years old did not help either, so I also had to re stain the whole cabinet and drawers to try to get a color match. All this ffrom somebody who has never done veneering previously, except for a small marquetry course that I have done.


----------



## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

Here is the offcut of the veneer I used.


----------



## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

Here is the result. You cannot , see the tears, curses and sweat, but i can assure you they were there.


----------



## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

Sorry, here are the photos. 

Just the top veneer on the centre bit was replaced the rest was repaired where necessary and the whole lot was stained to get an even color throughout.


Pete


----------



## 27207 (Jan 25, 2012)

I think it turned out really well. I've never done that kind of work either, but I can imagine the pain it took to rip off the old veneer. The effort and time was well worth it. I reckon your daughter will be quite thrilled!


----------



## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

You did a great job. It came out very nice. I know what you went through, and in the end it's worth it.

I've done a few of those relics, and just as a sidenote, those ity bity drawer pulls are a PITA to find. One project for a refinish was missing one of the knobs. The existing ones had some beading. I checked out wood knobs at all the places at the time. I thought that was the end. I didn't have a lathe at the time, but found a cheap import and figured I give it a go.

It was easier than I thought. So, when the client came in I asked her to pick out the new knob, and she couldn't.:smile: This knob was the first thing I ever turned. 










 







.


----------



## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

Beautiful job, Star.

Does it work?


----------



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Nice job star.


----------



## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Very very nice. I have one I need to renovate but haven't gotten to it, like so many other projects. Someday, maybe.


----------



## JQMack (Sep 24, 2011)

Gorgeous. Certainly making me think a little harder about the one I got from my parents a couple of years ago.


----------



## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

tcleve4911 said:


> Beautiful job, Star.
> 
> Does it work?


---------------
The mechanism and pedal movement are in perfect condition.. it had a leather belt on it but it fell apart when i removed the iron frame.

It had a needle in it that was held together by rust, so it needs to be replaced also. That is it as far as I can see. No sticky, frozen movements that I can see after all these years.

We know it was built in 1920 by the serial number plate still on it. Singer was one of the few companies that have a direct line of ownership. They have control of all their factories and have recorded every machine made since about 1880 -90.

They also have a great web site were you can order parts for their old machines, so popular are they as collectibles. Unfortunately done up they are not worth much even though this one is nearly 100 and that is because just after ww11. millions were made and the quality of materials meant that quite a lot survived to be restored as collectable.

Pete


----------



## Lancer33 (Dec 9, 2011)

Very nice. My mother used one like that for years.


----------



## buggyman1 (Nov 16, 2011)

Very nice job Pete. Outstanding. I really like it. Look what i've got sitting in the shop. My mom has one that she still uses today, she's tried the new stuff, but she still swears by the old Singer. I didn't realize they would be in your neck of the woods, thats kinda cool. You did a great job restoring it, you should be really proud of it.


----------



## desertforest (Aug 6, 2011)

very nice. we have two like that and three newer ones without the pedal. i love antiques.


----------



## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

desertforest said:


> very nice. we have two like that and three newer ones without the pedal. i love antiques.[/QUOTE
> 
> Thanks:
> 
> ...


----------



## morgantm (Aug 1, 2011)

Great job! I just picked up one that looks just like yours this morning, the veneer is way past saving though. Not sure if I want to tackle the project or not yet...


----------



## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

morgantm said:


> Great job! I just picked up one that looks just like yours this morning, the veneer is way past saving though. Not sure if I want to tackle the project or not yet...


Actually, it was not too difficult to do. But I have found with me that I actually have to get my head space right and have a finish date but long enough lead in time.

If I can achieve that I know that somehow I can achieve a suitable outcome. if I get into trouble I know that I will get a lot of help here, and I did.

Part of the enjoyment of doing these renovations is the planning and the preparation. Moving onto the next step before that will lead me to a bad place.

That is why I like Buggyman's jeep build. he does not cut corners, sets a very high standard, and maintains it. He is what I am not, but slowly by osmosis his standards are having the right effect on me.

Pete


----------



## Lostinwoods (Mar 1, 2012)

Looks very nice. I picked up an old singer (electric) off ebay that had a very nice bentwood case though I knew the machine itself was going to need some work. The seller assured me they would ship it well packed by a profersional service. Three weeks late, it finally came: the top had a bit of bubble wrap, the base had only the cardboard box and was smashed into a bizillion pieces. So now my refirb includes an extra wood working project too...I've given up on ebay. Glad yours worked out. I've had my eye on craigs list for a good deal on an old treadle machine but around here anything more than 10 years old is an "antique" and must be worth lots of money because it's so old even if it is full of rust and rot. Still when I see projects that worked out it gives me hope. The leather belts can be bought on, dare I say it, ebay and some dealers have them too, you can even buy a new treadle machine and base!


----------



## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

Lostinwoods.

My daughter paid about $375 for it and was told it was in good condition.

Basically it was in solid condition. So, I had something to work on. I spent approx another $130 on it including the veneer, stain, and consumerables.

In that $130 I decided to get the iron work sand blasted and then a powder coated zinc primer and powder coated black satin was done professionally. That cost only $75 which saved me a lot of time because I could see me spending approx $40 or so dollars in the preparation and finish. 

So, over all the unit has had about $500 spent on it, which is about its value. Unfortunately , here, they are only collectibles and not worth much but if you want a nice one then I feel you have to do it yourself.

Pete


----------



## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

You should have your own TV show for restorations! That looks awesome!


----------



## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

ACP said:


> You should have your own TV show for restorations! That looks awesome!


Thanks for that ACP.

But I think I fluked that finish. I had some mini disasters in it but fortunately was able to get out of jail a number of times.

It was a great learning curve with a lot of help from the guys on here.

Pete


----------



## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

That looks nice, Star. Well done.

~tom "Ignorance is not a lack of intelligence - it's a lack of know-how"


----------



## jacobsk (Jan 19, 2010)

Wow you have done a great job! 

It always pains me to see antique sewing machines get trashed because they have veneer peeling and modern folks are too stubborn to learn how to use a quality piece of equipment without some form of an electrical plug.

I've never tried to repair the veneer on one, but certainly aspire to do so. A few years ago I couldn't stand to see them get thrown away on "bulk trash" day so I grabbed it. Now I have four in my garage :laughing: and they all need a little love like yours!

someday...


----------



## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

jacobsk said:


> Wow you have done a great job!
> 
> It always pains me to see antique sewing machines get trashed because they have veneer peeling and modern folks are too stubborn to learn how to use a quality piece of equipment without some form of an electrical plug.
> 
> ...


 
-------------
This will never get used for sewing but they make a great hallway table or a conversation pierce in the house.

As I was saying in an earlier post, millions were made, so with just a bit of love and attention they can come back to life.

Pete


----------



## aardvark (Sep 29, 2011)

Love these resto's . Nice work!
We have a White of the same time era (1920ish) that we bough and carefully stripped and oil finished it, it only had one small veneer chip, so it was decided it wasn't in need of an entire replacement, besides, this one has an inlaid ruler in wood, for measuring fabric. 
The assembly was repainted but it never had rust.

Good job.


----------



## Eric13 (Jan 15, 2012)

It looks great, there is just something about an old machine like this. I remember growing up it seemed everyone had one stored away somewhere in their house. A very nice job! :thumbsup:


----------



## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

I have bumped this to see if it helps BIG Red with his Singer Sewing Machine Veneer repair question.

I would like to transfer it to the Woodworking section but don't know how, so here it is.

Pete


----------

