The Singer Featherweight (the great bog rescue)

Something Inge said summed it up perfectly: "Was it buried in a bog?"

Considering how much water was dripping out of the sewing machine as I brought it home, I think she might be right.  

The machine is a Singer 221-1, also known as the Featherweight.  It's seen better days, but I have the opportunity to make it sew again.  I'm looking forward to the challenge.  I'll be documenting it here and would love to hear your feedback and suggestions.  It's going to take a while to get finished, as my philosophy when restoring vintage and antiques is to use the least invasive methods possible first, then move on to the stronger stuff if needed.  

Click on the picture to see the video


The first of my Singer Featherweight restoration videos.

Enjoy!

I probably should have written my reaction here, instead of in your thread on that video ...

What I wrote was this: "I want to tell you: I inherited an old sewing machine. It's from about the same time as yours. I did not yet search for more information. Not yet time for it. But this one has not been wet, fortunately. It only has been standing still for many years. In its case, but that didn't close well, so some dust might have entered. Anyway: it still has the original manual! It's a German brand: Gritzner. When I have more to tell about it, I'll do (maybe here?)"

Looks more like a wet basement sort of thing. Everything looked like it got damp without being submerged (or maybe just for a day), possibly the case stood in water and wicked it up through the wood and fabric lining/covering of the box.

I once got a drill press and two Singer industrial machines from an old workplace that was in a basement which flooded. It was 16 feet under water. The machines were wet for a few days, and looked a lot rustier than yours. I did get the drill press running again, but never tackled the Singers. They got scrapped years ago...

Oil and patience, and some worrying. Like the back and forth sort of worrying, move the things just as far as they will and try for a tiny bit more, while applying the other sort of worrying to keep from going too far. Then wipe off the dirty oil and douse it with some fresh oil. Oil, worry, wipe, repeat...

One of the interesting things about sewing machines from this time period is the instruction manuals.  

Quite often, they recommended wiping the machine with sewing machine oil at least once a month.  Most other cleaning chemicals (like water) would harm the finish, but the oil oxidized and creates a protective layer over the years.  It's funny watching people repair old machines are so eager to get these layers of protection off the parts.  But I often wonder what they are replacing it with.  But that's something to think more on when I get father along this project.  

I see the areas inside the machine that have the years of oil hardened on them are proof to rust.  But the areas that wouldn't be wiped down so often, or would be wiped off with use, have more rust.  

The story that came with this machine is that it was stored in an area that flooded each winter for at least 10 years.  Looking at the way the aluminum body degraded, it would need to be wet then dry again over at least that long.  There is also a bit of galvanic action between the different metals which makes me think it might have froze a time or two.  

But this just adds to the challenge.  

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:What I wrote was this: "I want to tell you: I inherited an old sewing machine. It's from about the same time as yours. I did not yet search for more information. Not yet time for it. But this one has not been wet, fortunately. It only has been standing still for many years. In its case, but that didn't close well, so some dust might have entered. Anyway: it still has the original manual! It's a German brand: Gritzner. When I have more to tell about it, I'll do (maybe here?)"

Sounds like a beautiful machine.  Dust and neglect are pretty easy things to repair with a bit of sewing machine oil.  Even better with the original manual.  

I hope you have a chance to get the machine sewing again.  I would love to learn more about Gritzner.  

r ranson wrote:

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:What I wrote was this: "I want to tell you: I inherited an old sewing machine. It's from about the same time as yours. I did not yet search for more information. Not yet time for it. But this one has not been wet, fortunately. It only has been standing still for many years. In its case, but that didn't close well, so some dust might have entered. Anyway: it still has the original manual! It's a German brand: Gritzner. When I have more to tell about it, I'll do (maybe here?)"

Sounds like a beautiful machine.  Dust and neglect are pretty easy things to repair with a bit of sewing machine oil.  Even better with the original manual.  

I hope you have a chance to get the machine sewing again.  I would love to learn more about Gritzner.  

Preview in photos:

Sewing machine in case, that didn't close because an electrical motor was added ...


The machine. One more photo, from above, is in my personal thread (secret minions)  


The manual. It's in Dutch, translated from German (I can see from the mistakes ...)

Fortunately the machine looks to be in better shape than the case. It's a beautiful machine. My advice is to proceed cautiously & methodically. Parts might be hard to find so one mistake could cause a major problem. Good luck with it!

Inge, what a lovely machine!  Love the case.