Restoration of a Vintage 1910 Singer Model 66 “Red Eye”

This machine is a perfect example for a sewing machine restoration. Manufactured in 1910, it machine was made exclusively as a treadle machine. There is no provision on the body casting to attach a motor, or more likely for the times, a hand wheel crank. The machine is dull from old dirt and oil. It shows some wear on the decals, but not as much for a 113 year old machine as you would think. The machine is very stiff and has the hallmarks of a machine that has been unused for some time. So, what makes it a perfect candidate for a restoration? Well, it is my expectation of the before and after condition. I know the mechanical restoration will be successful and I expect the appearance of the machine will be quite good as well.

Starting out, the machine has decades of oil and dirt buildup that is hiding the depth and color of the Red Eye decals that adorn it. The paint has aged and lost it’s smooth surface and gloss. This is because the shellac is dry. There are surprisingly few paint chips on the machine and those present can be corrected with color matched paint. The machine has an abundance of oil varnish on the sewing mechanisms and dust and lint have accumulated in all of the usual places. The nickel plated pieces have tarnished and turned brown.

It is these attributes of the machine that make it a perfect candidate for a restoration. I can see through all of these faults and I know before I get started what a beautiful outcome is possible. That said, the restoration begins.

This is the machie before the restoration.

The first step is to disassemble the machine. All of the parts and pieces will be removed, ultrasonically cleaned, heated in oil, and wire brushed to like new condition. In the case of this machine, it did not want to be disassembled… must have been comfortable as it was! If there is one thing I have learned from doing restorations, old oil varnish is a formidible foe. Some machines put up a fight while others go willingly. Some machines need more and some need less, but the impartant thing is to give them what they need. In dealing with a machine like this, in the event a part will not disassemble without my fear of causing damage, it is left alone. Despite putting up a fight, the machine finally gave in and allowed a complete disassembly and all of the parts are laid out for cleaning.

It’s not hard to see where the stiffness came from, but after cleaning and wire brushing the parts look like new. In adition to wire brushing, the needle bar, presser foot bar, the bobbin hook shaft, and the top shaft are polished to a glass smooth finish.

With the machine disassembled, the body of the machine is deep cleaned. This is one step that needs some careful consideration, The decals are worn in areas and this means that there is no longer a top coat of shellac remaining to protect them. Care needs to be taken to avoid damaging them by being too aggressive in cleaning. In other areas, the decals are completely covered in dirt and old oil. Here they need to be coaxed out to reveal them as much as possible. The cleaning methods I used is approached differently depending on the condition of the area being cleaned. I want to get the best outcome for the existing paint and decals,

Now it is time to correct the few paint chips on the edge of the bed. They are easily paint matched and the chips are fixed where they are found.

Because the shellac has dried out, the finish on this machine won’t tolerate glaze polishing, but the problem with the paint, like the shellac, isn’t just cosmetic… it too has dried out and need to be renourished. The best approach for this machine is the tried and true method of nourishing it with sewing machine oil. To see what the outcome will yield, I oiled a small area on the sewing machine bed.

The improvement is immediate. Several coats will be needed because the paint will absorb the first couple of coats. When it is fully nourished, it will look great and the only maintenance moving forward is an occasional light coat of sewing machine oil… lightly applied… to keep it nourished.

Now it is time to restore the top tension assembly. It is disassembled, cleaned, and ploished.

As part of a thread tension duo, the bobbin case tension spring is disassembled and the face of the case and the bobbin spring are cleaned. There is always some gunk to find and clean here.

Next, the bobbin winder is restored. There are more pieces to disassemble, but cleaning and polishing the parts makes it look great!

Taking pictures of polished parts is difficult, so look for it on the finished machine.

Now, the bobbin thread clearance spring and mechanism is disassembled and cleaned.

Next, all of the nickel plated parts are polished. The parts shown are the larger parts, the smaller parts are polished just before reassembly. The polished parts are hard to capture in a picture, and shows up best in the final pictures.

The machine was missing the bobbin plate cover. In addition, the flat spring the secures the cover had been worn down. These are the only parts that need to be replaced on the machine. Fortunately, there is always a donor machine on Ebay to find parts. Sometimes it takes a while, but eventually they can be found.

With all of the assemblies cleaned and restored, and the body of the machine cleaned, it is time reassembly. The machine is run with an external motor for five minutes to seat all of the parts, and then the fine adjustments are made. At this point, the machine turns very smoothly. The needle bar depth, hook timing, feed dogs, bobbin tension, and top tension is set. These can only be checked by running the machine. Again, because it is a treadle machine, it is run with an external motor to make sure it sews well.

After adjustments are made, the stitch looks like this…

The machine makes a very nice stitch!

Finally, the restoration is complete and a comparison can be made… Here is the machine before the restoration.

And here is the machine after the restoration…

Like I said in the beginning, this machine is the perfect candidate for a restoration. The before and after is a great contrast and reveals the best the machine has to offer. Made for a treadle cabinet, my customer said that she was refinishing the cabinet, and I have no doubt that the machine and cabinet will look beautiful when reunited… and it will sew beautifully too!

Well, I hope you like what you see and enjoyed the restoration process as much as I did… This was a great restoration and this 113 year old Singer 66 is ready for many more years of smooth sewing. While I will admit that this machine went kicking and screaming too its way back to life, it was well worth the effort. Again, this just proves again what I already know… some sewing machines need more, some need less, but they all get what they need, and now I can look forward to the next restoration!

Looking for a similarly restored quality vintage all metal sewing machine for your sewing room? Let us know! We specialize in custom orders and are happy to locate and restore the “perfect” machine for you!

As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of any assistance, please contact me through Etsy or send me an email to Pungoliving@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading!

Lee