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Description
I introduce you to Archibald, a Singer 28 handcrank made in 1925. This is my first complete restoration. I've rebuilt several machines but haven't rebuilt the mechanics, refinished the paint and restored the case all on a single machine.

I got this machine in rather good shape, so it was a matter of cleaning the mechanics and polishing the shiny bits. Then I cleaned the dirty clear coat (shellac) down to the black paint (being careful not to damage the gold) and applied a new coat using the French Polish method of applying shellac. The shellac I used is amber coloured, giving it a richer gold color on the decals and it also yellowed any silver spots on the decals.

The wood case took a lot of work. The top was a different color then the base, and the base had chipped off veneer and the bottom panel was also warping and cracked. So I stripped off the old finish (probably shellac also) and sanded both halves until they were the same oak color. Then I repaired the chipped veneer on the base by cutting off the old and replacing it with a dark band of walnut. After the patching was finished I restained the two halves at the same time, using a multi step process that gives it a nice reddish brown. I finished with a couple coats of Tung oil, making the wood very attractive while preserving the tactile feeling of wood. The warped bottom panel was punched out and used as a template to cut some hardboard that makes a brilliant substitute.

Description
I introduce you to Archibald, a Singer 28 handcrank made in 1925. This is my first complete restoration. I've rebuilt several machines but haven't rebuilt the mechanics, refinished the paint and restored the case all on a single machine.

I got this machine in rather good shape, so it was a matter of cleaning the mechanics and polishing the shiny bits. Then I cleaned the dirty clear coat (shellac) down to the black paint (being careful not to damage the gold) and applied a new coat using the French Polish method of applying shellac. The shellac I used is amber coloured, giving it a richer gold color on the decals and it also yellowed any silver spots on the decals.

The wood case took a lot of work. The top was a different color then the base, and the base had chipped off veneer and the bottom panel was also warping and cracked. So I stripped off the old finish (probably shellac also) and sanded both halves until they were the same oak color. Then I repaired the chipped veneer on the base by cutting off the old and replacing it with a dark band of walnut. After the patching was finished I restained the two halves at the same time, using a multi step process that gives it a nice reddish brown. I finished with a couple coats of Tung oil, making the wood very attractive while preserving the tactile feeling of wood. The warped bottom panel was punched out and used as a template to cut some hardboard that makes a brilliant substitute.