I literally let out a little shriek of joy when that shuttle started moving! Scared the cats, scared the napping husband, but hey -- _she's moving again!!!_ So exciting! :-)
Your patience is commendable! I know this is far beyond what could be expected from a typical repair person. You are showing us not only the quality of the well made older machine, but also why purchasing a machine from you would be worth the asking price.
Thank you Mary. Yes, the most important thing I try to communicate is that almost always, the machines are not broken. They are waiting for service unlike most modern consumer items which are not designed to be repaired.
Very well done. I'm so glad that your patience and technique was rewarded with this beautiful machine. Interesting that the Evaporust did not affect the finish. I will have to investigate it further. You mentioned that you spent over $100 in materials. This may reduce your costs. Of course you should verify it with your own research. I believe that Evaporust and other equivalent products can be reused for a long time, so don't discard them, instead put them back in the container (don't worry about contaminating unused product). Also sewing machine oil is essentially light mineral oil. If you are going to soak a machine or parts in a bath of it you could purchase food grade mineral oil in bulk for a much lower price. I would then switch to sewing machine oil for final lubrication after cleaning however. I'm really enjoying your terrific adventures in vintage sewing machine restoration. Thanks. 👍
Congratulations on “stabilizing” this machine through patience and perseverance! Here’s hoping you can continue the patient’s progress to full recovery!
PB Blaster, best penetrating oil out there ;) I use it on all kinds of stuck bolts on equipment/ trucks etc... soak frozen parts, go away for an hour or so and you'd be amazed at how well things free up :)
Thank you for your videos! It’s interesting and encouraging. You are doing the world a great service in sharing with us how to revive these machines and keep them out of the landfill. Looking forward to seeing the next bit of progress!
Beautiful machine! Glad to see it (finally!) responding to your patient skills. Amazing how joyful it is to see something like that coming back to life!
I just bought a singer quit and I can't get pet the screws on the throat plate under the feed dogs to move, what size screwdriver do you use? It does sew.
i have a nice looking 185j that i bought from a garage sale. the belt was chewed up pretty bad so i took the belt off and tested the motor with no belt and the motor seemed to run smoothly with no problems so i bought a new belt and put it on but when i tried to run the machine, it didnt seem to want to run very fast. is there a chance the motor is starting to go and just doesnt have the power to do what it should when there is a belt on it or is there an adjustment im overlooking or????? i don't think the belt tension is too tight. any help would be greatly appreciated
Did you completely immerse the whole machine, or only the bed? I bought a gorgeous White cabinet for its lovely Craftsman woodwork. Then I opened it to find the saddest White Family Series machine that you would hope never to see. The machine had been taken out of the cabinet and probably set on a shelf in the garage or somewhere that let water splash on its face. The moving parts underneath were protected from the worst but still rusted in place. The hand wheel is so rusted on that front the rust ate under the Crome so in part it is peeling off. The wheel is still fairly round. Things in the pillar are rusted and not moving, etc. Can I immerse the machine in the evapoRust then the penetrating oil?
Hi Wanda. My experience thus far is that these products do work with patience. HOWEVER, you must remove ALL ELECTRICAL PARTS. This includes any motors, plugs, wires (Including light wires and sockets) before attempting. This machine had its front end submerged in the evaporust since that is where the bulk of the rust was. It sat upright in the Mystery Oil submerged up to the line of the bed which was enough. Yours might have other needs depending on where the rust is. FYI, this process is not for those in a hurry. It might work if you take your time.
Vintage Sewing Machine Garage. Thank you! This is a White Treadle from about 1913 - 1920. I can’t seem to find a serial number listing for Whites of this age 😞. Singer 27! Do one on Singer 27!
Channellock and Vise-Grip are brands of tools. Over the years, people have referred to specific types of tools by these names. When most people say Channellock, they are referring to water pump pliers. When most people say Vise-Grips, they are referring to locking pliers. In this video, you are using locking pliers, not water pump pliers. They may be Vise-Grip brand locking pliers. I can't tell from the video. As far as I know, Channellock does not make locking pliers. Vise-Grip does make water pump style pliers, so a person could be using water pump pliers and call them Vise-Grips and who knows what comments may appear.
Why, why, why? Why would you invest your time in a 185K? I have a beautifully working one and can't sell it for $100. Wouldn't it be time better invested in something that will fetch more money?
Good question Phil. Bear in mind that values for machines vary depending on location and demand. I would agree that the 185's don't bring the higher prices that say, a Bernina, Singer 201, Singer 211 etc might bring. But this is why I don't pay very much for machines such as this. If a machine is in great shape, then restore work requires fewer hours (most of the time), and so I can justify paying more up front. For this specific 185, yes, it took a LOT of my time and I likely netted no profit which would get invested in buying more machines to rescue. But it was a personal challenge and I also made the videos to help people who might really want to bring back any machine in this kind of shape. Perhaps, it belonged in their family or has some special meaning for them. In any case, you are correct that this project was not exactly a monetary success but most machine restorations are not in my opinion. I try to net just enough to keep this going as a hobby. Thanks for writing!
I literally let out a little shriek of joy when that shuttle started moving! Scared the cats, scared the napping husband, but hey -- _she's moving again!!!_ So exciting! :-)
Your patience is commendable!
I know this is far beyond what could be expected from a typical repair person.
You are showing us not only the quality of the well made older machine, but also why purchasing a machine from you would be worth the asking price.
Thank you Mary. Yes, the most important thing I try to communicate is that almost always, the machines are not broken. They are waiting for service unlike most modern consumer items which are not designed to be repaired.
Very well done. I'm so glad that your patience and technique was rewarded with this beautiful machine. Interesting that the Evaporust did not affect the finish. I will have to investigate it further.
You mentioned that you spent over $100 in materials. This may reduce your costs. Of course you should verify it with your own research.
I believe that Evaporust and other equivalent products can be reused for a long time, so don't discard them, instead put them back in the container (don't worry about contaminating unused product).
Also sewing machine oil is essentially light mineral oil. If you are going to soak a machine or parts in a bath of it you could purchase food grade mineral oil in bulk for a much lower price. I would then switch to sewing machine oil for final lubrication after cleaning however.
I'm really enjoying your terrific adventures in vintage sewing machine restoration. Thanks. 👍
Congratulations on “stabilizing” this machine through patience and perseverance! Here’s hoping you can continue the patient’s progress to full recovery!
PB Blaster, best penetrating oil out there ;) I use it on all kinds of stuck bolts on equipment/ trucks etc... soak frozen parts, go away for an hour or so and you'd be amazed at how well things free up :)
Woo congratulations! This is so inspiring. I just bought a Singer 185K that is beautiful but locked. Your video is encouragement to keep on trying!
Thank you for your videos! It’s interesting and encouraging. You are doing the world a great service in sharing with us how to revive these machines and keep them out of the landfill. Looking forward to seeing the next bit of progress!
that was amazing. Thank you for showing this. I have a rusted machine I have to fix. I will not force it but wait to get it unstuck.
Beautiful machine! Glad to see it (finally!) responding to your patient skills. Amazing how joyful it is to see something like that coming back to life!
Wow.... hell yeah! Some super progress! My Singer 15-91 took 2 weeks of oil soaking, you are RIGHT.... PATIENCE! HELL YEAH
I just bought a singer quit and I can't get pet the screws on the throat plate under the feed dogs to move, what size screwdriver do you use? It does sew.
i have a nice looking 185j that i bought from a garage sale. the belt was chewed up pretty bad so i took the belt off and tested the motor with no belt and the motor seemed to run smoothly with no problems so i bought a new belt and put it on but when i tried to run the machine, it didnt seem to want to run very fast. is there a chance the motor is starting to go and just doesnt have the power to do what it should when there is a belt on it or is there an adjustment im overlooking or????? i don't think the belt tension is too tight. any help would be greatly appreciated
Can you tell me what the part number is for the motor belt for the 185J 500. Thank you.
Did you completely immerse the whole machine, or only the bed? I bought a gorgeous White cabinet for its lovely Craftsman woodwork. Then I opened it to find the saddest White Family Series machine that you would hope never to see. The machine had been taken out of the cabinet and probably set on a shelf in the garage or somewhere that let water splash on its face. The moving parts underneath were protected from the worst but still rusted in place. The hand wheel is so rusted on that front the rust ate under the Crome so in part it is peeling off. The wheel is still fairly round. Things in the pillar are rusted and not moving, etc.
Can I immerse the machine in the evapoRust then the penetrating oil?
Hi Wanda. My experience thus far is that these products do work with patience. HOWEVER, you must remove ALL ELECTRICAL PARTS. This includes any motors, plugs, wires (Including light wires and sockets) before attempting. This machine had its front end submerged in the evaporust since that is where the bulk of the rust was. It sat upright in the Mystery Oil submerged up to the line of the bed which was enough. Yours might have other needs depending on where the rust is. FYI, this process is not for those in a hurry. It might work if you take your time.
Vintage Sewing Machine Garage. Thank you! This is a White Treadle from about 1913 - 1920. I can’t seem to find a serial number listing for Whites of this age 😞. Singer 27! Do one on Singer 27!
In the previous video I was like “ noooo give it another try!!” So happy it worked!
Great machine soak.
Singer sewing machines is excellent.
Channellock and Vise-Grip are brands of tools. Over the years, people have referred to specific types of tools by these names. When most people say Channellock, they are referring to water pump pliers. When most people say Vise-Grips, they are referring to locking pliers.
In this video, you are using locking pliers, not water pump pliers. They may be Vise-Grip brand locking pliers. I can't tell from the video.
As far as I know, Channellock does not make locking pliers. Vise-Grip does make water pump style pliers, so a person could be using water pump pliers and call them Vise-Grips and who knows what comments may appear.
Thank you for sharing this. I did not know the difference until your comment.
185j
Why, why, why? Why would you invest your time in a 185K? I have a beautifully working one and can't sell it for $100. Wouldn't it be time better invested in something that will fetch more money?
Good question Phil. Bear in mind that values for machines vary depending on location and demand. I would agree that the 185's don't bring the higher prices that say, a Bernina, Singer 201, Singer 211 etc might bring. But this is why I don't pay very much for machines such as this. If a machine is in great shape, then restore work requires fewer hours (most of the time), and so I can justify paying more up front. For this specific 185, yes, it took a LOT of my time and I likely netted no profit which would get invested in buying more machines to rescue. But it was a personal challenge and I also made the videos to help people who might really want to bring back any machine in this kind of shape. Perhaps, it belonged in their family or has some special meaning for them. In any case, you are correct that this project was not exactly a monetary success but most machine restorations are not in my opinion. I try to net just enough to keep this going as a hobby. Thanks for writing!