From a machine shop perspective I'd say needle bars and presser foot bars, polish up and down not around, because that is the way they move in the machine. They don't rotate. Thanks for letting me vent. I did greatly enjoy the video. Thanks again, Doyle
@@doylekoehn220 That is a very good perspective to consider! Now I will be thinking about this. 😊 Here’s some of my very first thoughts: You would think that the needle bars and presser bars would become very polished after running up and down inside the bushings. But most of the time, they are not even after years of use. Usually if I see a really shiny, smooth spot on a needle bar it is also very slightly bent and that is what caused it to become very polished looking and usually it is only in one spot on the needle bar. Not all the way around. Also, I think of the microscopic grooves going around the needle bar…do you think that aids in keeping the needle bar oiled? If they ran up and down then the oil would run down the bar faster but since they polished it in the other direction maybe it holds onto the oil longer? I think the clearance inside the bushing was designed with that in mind perhaps? Very intriguing point and it makes me wonder why they polished them around instead of up and down originally. I am glad you shared your insight, it gives me something to think about and your point does make sense. I wish we were able to ask the original engineers why they polished them around instead of up and down! Take care!
My favourite cream polish for chrome parts is Autosol, made in Germany. After polishing, it leaves a microscopic invisible coating which helps prevent further tarnishing.great on faceplates!
I watched your series yesterday in it's entirety as I disassembled my early model 99. Thank you for all the tips and suggestions. I really appreciate that you say "this is how I do it" , but implying other methods may work and may not be wrong. Looking forward to the reassembly videos (if i don't just assemble in reverse). Thank you for taking the time to do these.
Hi! Thank you for following along! It really is a fun project to tackle on your own so hats off to you for taking the challenge! The reassembly videos are still in the works, I will get them done soon! (I hope! It’s really busy here!) The 99’s are great little machines, you are really going to appreciate yours when you are all finished!
Hi yes useing the Q clips is a good idea but I use the eye make up pads they in a circle plastic bag with 50 or more they cool to clean my camera lens. Use these pads will allow to give a nicer rub over the dull area. Also removing the old oil and greasy is lighter fluid with cheap tooth brushes grate for removing that old build up of oil. I used this on my singer 201K I got at a recycle area it freed it up. Hi from Ireland
I wish you would find an old dirty one to clean, a lot of us are only fortunate enough to buy from boot sale ect and they are never in the condition your machines are, what you call dirty looks pristine lol. To see you clean one with damaged decals ect and proper dirt would be fab, you're a very talented lady :-) xx
Hi! I think I could make a video on that! Might not be right away but I have a couple machines that are more like you are describing. Your request it noted! Take care!
Thanks Jen. I didn't know that some 99's were aluminum. Wow. The things you learn. Enjoyed this. I also put some of your tools you listed in my Big A cart. lol. Have a good one.
Hi Terie! Only a few were made in aluminum, pre-war I believe. I am fortunate to have a customer who donated this one for the series. Then it will go back home!
Wonderful tutorial/information. I wonder how you like the 401A vs the 99? My mom's 99 is waiting for help...now I have a better idea where to start. Thank you!
Hi! Wow, I think it would be like comparing apples to oranges. The 99 is strong but is straight stitch only. It also has an oscillating hook and is belt driven. The 401 has several different stitches as well as a drop in bobbin and different hook style. And it is a gear driven machine. I’d trust my 99 for heavier work like denim but I would do almost any else with the 401. Both are great machines. It would be hard for me to choose a favorite of the two!
Thank you for sharing this information. I found it very helpful. I need to go back and find the disassembly part. My 99 could use some attention since I saw with it often. Poor thing g has not been for a tune up in 2 years.
If you haven’t tried Gojo ( non pumice) cream hand cleaner,you should give it a try. I have restored close to 100 machines of all types and find it superior to SMO and kerosene. I have never had a bad reaction with shellac or painted finishes yet. It is safe for your skin, if you use cotton make up remover pads for cleaning. The lanolin in it will also help soften rubber parts.
Hi again! I have heard this before but haven’t given it a go yet. Good to hear you have had so much success with it. How do you keep it out of all the oil ports so it doesn’t get down in the bushings? That is my only concern. I am guessing that you just have to be very careful…thanks for sharing all your tips!
I have a 221 Featherweight that is stiff and doesn't sew very fast. Could it BE the pedal? I have carefully taken my machine apart and lost a tiny screw.
If the hand wheel is stiff then it might be something more mechanical. Either way, I would always replace the pedal and keep the old one for history's sake. Which screw did you lose? Feel free to email me at jen@sewingmachinerehab.com if you have more questions.
@@juliepruett6356 You can find the right one at the Featherweight Shop. Here is a link to the common one: singer-featherweight.com/products/gib-screw/?aff=57 but read the description before you buy and make sure it matches the hook you have. There is another one listed on their site as well. I hope you find what you need! I have very few parts for machines, I usually don't sell them since the Featherweight Shop already carries so much.
Yes, I know that I sometimes use the words interchangeably and I need to work on that because they really are two different things. Either way, the finish can be fiddly to deal with and hopefully the take away is that we need to be careful with what chemicals we allow to touch it. Thank you for clarifying for me!
Great tip to use the ultrasonic! To thoroughly dry parts, especially any unplated parts which can flash rust, try using a hair dryer. Have you tried SimplyGreen HP version?(purple colour), safe to use on aluminum and all rubber parts. Great video!
Hi! Yes, a hairdryer is a great tool for drying them. I haven’t tried the simply green product yet, maybe I will look for it the next time I am out and about.
Great video …I have one of these old singer machines ..but not sure of model or year of it .. If I give u the model number could u let me know what I have ..? Thanks
Thank you so much for this super detailed video! It has been so helpful!♡ I just bought an old singer sewing machine and was wondering if you maybe have other brands of cleaning wax that you like? I live in Europe and can't seem to find it anywhere online
Hi! I am not sure about what is available across the pond, hopefully someone else can chime in if they see your question though. Anything that is carnauba wax based would be worth doing a spot test with though. I hope you find something and if you do, share it here!
@@SewingMachineRehab Yesterday, I tried out brushing a coat kerosene on a nasty frozen Toyota Z800 Japanese Sewing Machine. You are right, that disgusting smell has driven me nut and sick. Enclosed it with plastic container and leave it aside 24 hours. And today I steam bath the the machine using German Karcher Steamer. It worked wonderfully, the reverse push button and the stitch length knobs stuck problem was resolved and it started to function properly. Hooray !!!! 😂🤩
@@clementihammock7572 Oh my! That sounds like quite a process! I have never thought of trying that, so glad it worked! Sometimes we just have to get creative!
I used ONLY sewing oil on my gifted 15-91 that I hadn’t touched for 7 years and was dusty… and thought it was taking off only that dust and what looked like nicotine… then I thought… hmmm…. So I read a bit, got out my black light… and realised I’ve stripped half the shellac cos half the machine is purple where I “cleaned” and the other half still green…. Dang it! Got so mad I’ve put it back on the shelf for another day….
Aw, you would be surprised how many people think the same thing, that they are removing nicotine. But the old shellac gets a patina sort of like copper does. It yellows with time. How odd that just oil took it off. It may have just been too compromised already. Who knows how but it happens! I hope you are able to get it to a point you are happy with it!
I don't know about the USA but the UK singer store sells a varnish specifically for the old black cast iron machines. Haven't tried it yet, waiting on my delivery. Maybe it would help?
@SewingMachineRehab it's called Gold Pro, comes in a little black screw tin. Gold Pro Polish for Vintage Sewing Machines And they sell it in the UK singer shop for £20
I am in Germany and I had just gotten a nice old Vesta. It was seized and wouldn’t move. In Germany there is a product called Ballistol. It was invented during WWI for the German army to clean and lubricate their weapons, but they also wanted to be able to treat wounds with it. Yeah so anyway I pretty much covered the engine machine with this stuff. The previous owner was really good with keeping the machine lubricated, however they used the wrong oil and I had a lot of work to get it away. This Ballistol is sort of like WD40 but it’s actually a light oil unlike WD40 which is more of a cleaner. Then yeah to remove the excess I used straight up Corona spray 99.9%. A few drops of sewing machine oil and a silent running 100 year old machine. I just wanted to say that I am not so super against chemical cleaners as a first option.
Also, I am watching this video because I don’t know. If I knew I wouldn’t be watching your video. I work a lot with pre-war accordions and it’s a never chemicals situation and dremel is a hard no except for a few scenarios. For the tinkers tuning is NOT one of the scenarios. Also no epoxy. :)
20:13 I use these make up remover cotton pad things you can also get just next to the mascara brushes in the drugstore. The longer you use them the better they get and soon you don’t even need to add the polish paste. I’m also pretty big on plastic polish as an alternative to car polish. It’s just more of a paste and I feel car polish has some stuff in there to make the job easier but may have negative effects.
After as much as possible I like to spray WD 40 on areas of parts that have nooks and crannies that can hold water. the WD actually stands for "Water Displacement".
I haven't ever tried that method. I have also heard that you can dip the part in alcohol when done so that everything will dry faster. Haven't tried that yet either. Thanks for the tip!
From a machine shop perspective I'd say needle bars and presser foot bars, polish up and down not around, because that is the way they move in the machine. They don't rotate. Thanks for letting me vent. I did greatly enjoy the video. Thanks again, Doyle
@@doylekoehn220 That is a very good perspective to consider! Now I will be thinking about this. 😊 Here’s some of my very first thoughts: You would think that the needle bars and presser bars would become very polished after running up and down inside the bushings. But most of the time, they are not even after years of use. Usually if I see a really shiny, smooth spot on a needle bar it is also very slightly bent and that is what caused it to become very polished looking and usually it is only in one spot on the needle bar. Not all the way around. Also, I think of the microscopic grooves going around the needle bar…do you think that aids in keeping the needle bar oiled? If they ran up and down then the oil would run down the bar faster but since they polished it in the other direction maybe it holds onto the oil longer? I think the clearance inside the bushing was designed with that in mind perhaps? Very intriguing point and it makes me wonder why they polished them around instead of up and down originally. I am glad you shared your insight, it gives me something to think about and your point does make sense. I wish we were able to ask the original engineers why they polished them around instead of up and down! Take care!
I love your video and the fact that you are so careful with the cleaning. Nice:)
Thank you!
Love watching you work & making everything shine. I'm like you...I like the 'detail' work & how it makes it look nicer. Thanks for sharing!
It's all in the details! Have to admit, it's pretty therapeutic cleaning up all the parts! :)
My favourite cream polish for chrome parts is Autosol, made in Germany. After polishing, it leaves a microscopic invisible coating which helps prevent further tarnishing.great on faceplates!
Hi! I have this one but haven’t tried it for the chrome parts yet. I will have to give it a try!
All cleaned up and ready to start putting her back together again. Cant wait!
Yay! Doing my best to get the reassembly videos out. Thank you for your patience with me!
Thank you for all the detail in this video, as well as the less investment options. The links are so helpful. Thank you😊
You are so welcome!
I watched your series yesterday in it's entirety as I disassembled my early model 99. Thank you for all the tips and suggestions. I really appreciate that you say "this is how I do it" , but implying other methods may work and may not be wrong. Looking forward to the reassembly videos (if i don't just assemble in reverse). Thank you for taking the time to do these.
Hi! Thank you for following along! It really is a fun project to tackle on your own so hats off to you for taking the challenge! The reassembly videos are still in the works, I will get them done soon! (I hope! It’s really busy here!) The 99’s are great little machines, you are really going to appreciate yours when you are all finished!
Hi yes useing the Q clips is a good idea but I use the eye make up pads they in a circle plastic bag with 50 or more they cool to clean my camera lens. Use these pads will allow to give a nicer rub over the dull area. Also removing the old oil and greasy is lighter fluid with cheap tooth brushes grate for removing that old build up of oil. I used this on my singer 201K I got at a recycle area it freed it up. Hi from Ireland
Hi! Yes, I use those pads too sometimes, they are great. Never tried lighter fluid, does it damage the finish at all?
I wish you would find an old dirty one to clean, a lot of us are only fortunate enough to buy from boot sale ect and they are never in the condition your machines are, what you call dirty looks pristine lol. To see you clean one with damaged decals ect and proper dirt would be fab, you're a very talented lady :-) xx
Hi! I think I could make a video on that! Might not be right away but I have a couple machines that are more like you are describing. Your request it noted! Take care!
@@SewingMachineRehab Thankyou hun, would be greatly appreciated, love from Ireland, absolutely love watching you work xx
What are your thoughts about using Murphy s oil soap on dirty grease?
Looks like I'm going to have to get myself some Zymöl!
It's the best!
Nice video
🍁🍁🍁Thanks a Lot🍁🍁🍁
For sharing with us 👍
Happy too!
Thanks Jen. I didn't know that some 99's were aluminum. Wow. The things you learn. Enjoyed this. I also put some of your tools you listed in my Big A cart. lol. Have a good one.
Hi Terie! Only a few were made in aluminum, pre-war I believe. I am fortunate to have a customer who donated this one for the series. Then it will go back home!
Excellent video :) I learn so much with you and its very easy to follow what you teach. Thank you.
You're very welcome!
Thankyou! I have two I am doing now, very helpful.
Wonderful! Best of luck to you!
Oh, that is so satisfying to see it shine up!🎉
I agree, love to see the transformation!
Very comprehensive, thanks.
You are so welcome! Thanks for watching!
Thank You!!! This was great!! I would like to see a video of your work area.
It's on the list! Glad you enjoyed!
Wonderful tutorial/information. I wonder how you like the 401A vs the 99? My mom's 99 is waiting for help...now I have a better idea where to start. Thank you!
Hi! Wow, I think it would be like comparing apples to oranges. The 99 is strong but is straight stitch only. It also has an oscillating hook and is belt driven. The 401 has several different stitches as well as a drop in bobbin and different hook style. And it is a gear driven machine. I’d trust my 99 for heavier work like denim but I would do almost any else with the 401. Both are great machines. It would be hard for me to choose a favorite of the two!
@@SewingMachineRehab Thank you!
❤❤❤ I might even try to clean the motor on my 99!
You can do it! Good luck!
Thanks for this tips. I just bought singer 15-91. I’m waiting for the singer oil that I order so I can clean my sewing machine.
You are very welcome! Good luck with your project!
Great detail work! There is something zen about a clean machine. 😊
Thanks! Yes, it's always worth the effort :)
Thank you for sharing this information. I found it very helpful. I need to go back and find the disassembly part. My 99 could use some attention since I saw with it often. Poor thing g has not been for a tune up in 2 years.
You are so very welcome! I am working on the reassembly videos right now, can’t wait to get them finished! Good luck with your machine!
just what I was looking for.
I’m so glad!
Great information. Thank you for taking us along.
My pleasure!
Nicely done! Thanks!
You are welcome! Thank you!
If you haven’t tried Gojo ( non pumice) cream hand cleaner,you should give it a try.
I have restored close to 100 machines of all types and find it superior to SMO and kerosene.
I have never had a bad reaction with shellac or painted finishes yet.
It is safe for your skin, if you use cotton make up remover pads for cleaning. The lanolin in it will also help soften rubber parts.
Hi again! I have heard this before but haven’t given it a go yet. Good to hear you have had so much success with it. How do you keep it out of all the oil ports so it doesn’t get down in the bushings? That is my only concern. I am guessing that you just have to be very careful…thanks for sharing all your tips!
Aww I wish you’d shown how you took it all apart , I have a newly acquired 99k and I have no idea where to start.
Hi! Check out my 99 playlist on my channel, I am working on a series at the moment for the 99k. You should find what you are looking for!
Lots of good informations.
Glad it was helpful!
My 301 seems like its rubbing inside as it is moving up and down. It couldn't be bent inside could it?
I would need to know more details about the problem to help you. You can email me at jen@sewingmachinerehab.com if you would like.
I have a 221 Featherweight that is stiff and doesn't sew very fast. Could it BE the pedal? I have carefully taken my machine apart and lost a tiny screw.
If the hand wheel is stiff then it might be something more mechanical. Either way, I would always replace the pedal and keep the old one for history's sake. Which screw did you lose? Feel free to email me at jen@sewingmachinerehab.com if you have more questions.
@@SewingMachineRehab
Thanks I think I lost a gib screw (it's been called)
You have parts for sewing machines?
@@juliepruett6356 You can find the right one at the Featherweight Shop. Here is a link to the common one: singer-featherweight.com/products/gib-screw/?aff=57 but read the description before you buy and make sure it matches the hook you have. There is another one listed on their site as well. I hope you find what you need! I have very few parts for machines, I usually don't sell them since the Featherweight Shop already carries so much.
These black Singers have a shellac clear coat over top the Japan black to protect the decals.
Shellac is totally different from lacquer.
Yes, I know that I sometimes use the words interchangeably and I need to work on that because they really are two different things. Either way, the finish can be fiddly to deal with and hopefully the take away is that we need to be careful with what chemicals we allow to touch it. Thank you for clarifying for me!
Do you think an instant pot would clean dirty stainless steel parts? IPs can be used as an autoclave.
Hi! You know, I have never thought of that. I don't have an instant pot so it is hard for me to imagine how that would work. Interesting idea though!
Great tip to use the ultrasonic!
To thoroughly dry parts, especially any unplated parts which can flash rust, try using a hair dryer.
Have you tried SimplyGreen HP version?(purple colour), safe to use on aluminum and all rubber parts.
Great video!
Hi! Yes, a hairdryer is a great tool for drying them. I haven’t tried the simply green product yet, maybe I will look for it the next time I am out and about.
Great video …I have one of these old singer machines ..but not sure of model or year of it .. If I give u the model number could u let me know what I have ..? Thanks
Yes I could! You can share it here or email me at jen@sewingmachinerehab.com
Thank you so much for this super detailed video! It has been so helpful!♡ I just bought an old singer sewing machine and was wondering if you maybe have other brands of cleaning wax that you like? I live in Europe and can't seem to find it anywhere online
Hi! I am not sure about what is available across the pond, hopefully someone else can chime in if they see your question though. Anything that is carnauba wax based would be worth doing a spot test with though. I hope you find something and if you do, share it here!
Thank you. Just the video I need 😀
Glad I could help!
A fine video. Thank you.
Thank you so much!
Thanks, impressive work. I will try out Kerosene.
Thank you! I avoided it for some time because of the smell but really glad I gave it a go, it's always on my bench now!
You could not have made a better video, so easy to learn with you, thank you so much again 😊
@@SewingMachineRehab Yesterday, I tried out brushing a coat kerosene on a nasty frozen Toyota Z800 Japanese Sewing Machine. You are right, that disgusting smell has driven me nut and sick. Enclosed it with plastic container and leave it aside 24 hours. And today I steam bath the the machine using German Karcher Steamer. It worked wonderfully, the reverse push button and the stitch length knobs stuck problem was resolved and it started to function properly. Hooray !!!! 😂🤩
@@clementihammock7572 Oh my! That sounds like quite a process! I have never thought of trying that, so glad it worked! Sometimes we just have to get creative!
@@carolineroy9026 Thank you!!!
I used ONLY sewing oil on my gifted 15-91 that I hadn’t touched for 7 years and was dusty… and thought it was taking off only that dust and what looked like nicotine… then I thought… hmmm…. So I read a bit, got out my black light… and realised I’ve stripped half the shellac cos half the machine is purple where I “cleaned” and the other half still green…. Dang it! Got so mad I’ve put it back on the shelf for another day….
Aw, you would be surprised how many people think the same thing, that they are removing nicotine. But the old shellac gets a patina sort of like copper does. It yellows with time. How odd that just oil took it off. It may have just been too compromised already. Who knows how but it happens! I hope you are able to get it to a point you are happy with it!
I don't know about the USA but the UK singer store sells a varnish specifically for the old black cast iron machines. Haven't tried it yet, waiting on my delivery. Maybe it would help?
@@thecornerplot7917 I'd love to know the name of this polish, I would look for it here in the US and give it a try!
@SewingMachineRehab it's called Gold Pro, comes in a little black screw tin.
Gold Pro Polish for Vintage Sewing Machines
And they sell it in the UK singer shop for £20
2:05 do not go at this with a dremel. A paint brush without chemicals.
I am in Germany and I had just gotten a nice old Vesta. It was seized and wouldn’t move. In Germany there is a product called Ballistol. It was invented during WWI for the German army to clean and lubricate their weapons, but they also wanted to be able to treat wounds with it. Yeah so anyway I pretty much covered the engine machine with this stuff. The previous owner was really good with keeping the machine lubricated, however they used the wrong oil and I had a lot of work to get it away. This Ballistol is sort of like WD40 but it’s actually a light oil unlike WD40 which is more of a cleaner. Then yeah to remove the excess I used straight up Corona spray 99.9%. A few drops of sewing machine oil and a silent running 100 year old machine. I just wanted to say that I am not so super against chemical cleaners as a first option.
Also, I am watching this video because I don’t know. If I knew I wouldn’t be watching your video. I work a lot with pre-war accordions and it’s a never chemicals situation and dremel is a hard no except for a few scenarios. For the tinkers tuning is NOT one of the scenarios. Also no epoxy. :)
20:13 I use these make up remover cotton pad things you can also get just next to the mascara brushes in the drugstore. The longer you use them the better they get and soon you don’t even need to add the polish paste. I’m also pretty big on plastic polish as an alternative to car polish. It’s just more of a paste and I feel car polish has some stuff in there to make the job easier but may have negative effects.
After as much as possible I like to spray WD 40 on areas of parts that have nooks and crannies that can hold water. the WD actually stands for "Water Displacement".
Meant to say after "drying"
I haven't ever tried that method. I have also heard that you can dip the part in alcohol when done so that everything will dry faster. Haven't tried that yet either. Thanks for the tip!
I don’t see the Dremmel attachments link.
Thank you! I forgot, it is added now :)
@@SewingMachineRehab thank you, just want to make sure I order the right ones.❤️
Mine is 1903. I'm not taking it apart.
Wow, that is an older one for sure! And no need to take it apart if you don't want to, as long as you enjoy it that is all that matters!