Fixing a worn antique finish

[Jason Buresh]

My Grandma recently passed, and my Grandpa was going to send this old treadle sewing machine to the landfill. I was able to save it.
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The top is a little rough. I once used some commercial Johnson and Johnson furniture wax on an antique router plane and it clouded the finish and caused it to soften a little. I would like to avoid that with this piece.

I recently picked up a beeswax and carnauba furniture wax, it doesn't have any harsh chemicals in it like the paste wax.

Would that be a good choice or is there something else I should try?

I don't want to completely refinish it, all that wear is from 3 generations of Grandma's using it, and is part of the history of the piece, but I would like to at least get a little protection on the bare spots

[chris carter]

If you want to keep all the "love" etched into it, I would just clean it with soap and water and a damp cloth. Then I'd use Howard's Feed N Wax to polish it. That's what Thomas Johnson does all the time if you've ever watched his excellent youtube videos on furniture restoration.

[Barry McFadden]

I don't know how involved you want to get but I would strip it down to the bare wood and stain it and then use WOP or a urethane finish. I have done that a few times and it turns out looking great..

[Jason Buresh]

If you want to keep all the "love" etched into it, I would just clean it with soap and water and a damp cloth. Then I'd use Howard's Feed N Wax to polish it. That's what Thomas Johnson does all the time if you've ever watched his excellent youtube videos on furniture restoration.

Feed n wax, that sounds like what I need. I just want to clean it up and preserve it.

Just curious, that should be safe with whatever they originally used for a finish correct?

[Richard Line]

I've used Howard's Feed & Wax and like it. HOWEVER, I haven't used it on antique finishes, so no help there. What I would recommend is starting on an out of sight area, a back corner, to try whatever you decide on using. The soap and water is a very reasonable 1st step, but go light on how much is put on the surface, damp, not dripping wet.
My mother had a sewing machine similar to that, but it got electrified and made portable while she was still using it. I would like to have it now.

[Jason Buresh]

Thank you! I will try the feed and wax and I didn't think to try it on a inconspicuous area first. Good tip.

What I thought was amazing is it still has a belt and all the working parts to it. There is even a little black case with all the attachments and accessories.

I don't sew, but maybe one day a daughter or granddaughter will be interested in it and I can pass it to them. I plan on keeping the machine oiled and taken care of so it remains preserved

[Jim Koepke]

+1 on the Howard's Feed N Wax.

The bare wood and worn spots are what is often referred to as 'honest wear.'

Refinishing an antique can cause a loss of value. A piece can always be refinished later. It can never be returned to its original finish or all of its history.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Looking again at the image, the streaks on the left side might be where scissors were used to cut thread or fabric.

Notice the left side shows more wear on the shaped edge. This is likely from the forearm rubbing against the area feeding fabric through the machine.

Each scratch, ding or exposed area has a story.

jtk

[Jason Buresh]

Jim,

I agree. To strip it would be to strip it of it's family history.

Would you try to clean it up with feed n wax or would that even be taking it too far?

[John Keeton]

As far as harming the value of it, the reality is that it probably doesn't have tremendous monetary value. My guess is that in its current condition somewhere around $200-300 would be about right. But, I understand the desire to keep the history with the machine.

Nonetheless, were it me I would probably try to rework the existing finish by using the solvent applicable to the finish, which is probably shellac or lacquer, so either DNA or lacquer thinner. It would be easy to test that in an inconspicuous spot. If you can use a solvent you would simply be dissolving the finish and spreading it back out, preserving a good bit of the patina and probably the lighter areas, but still getting some protection and a much cleaner look. Just a thought.

Just understand that water and some strippers may dissolve the glue under the veneered top. Then you have a real mess.

[Jim Koepke]

Would you try to clean it up with feed n wax or would that even be taking it too far?

That would be my choice. As John said water based cleaners may cause problems.

Wipe it down with a clean dry cloth. If there are spots of dirt you could try a barely damp cloth to remove those. Feed n Wax is oil and wax. It will do light cleaning and provide light protection. Almost all of my shop made tool handles receive an application of Feed n Wax before they are taken off the lathe.

jtk

[Stan Calow]

If its a Singer Red Eye it may be worth some money.

[Dan Hulbert]

If it were in my house and had legacy, I would give it a gentle cleaning and be done with it. BTW, we have a White treadle machine from around 1915. We spent an hour or so cleaning all the moving parts and re- oiling it when we got it. Now it works like a champ. It sewed 2-3 layers of leather without a problem.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

As far as harming the value of it, the reality is that it probably doesn't have tremendous monetary value. My guess is that in its current condition somewhere around $200-300 would be about right.

I had a couple and I could not give them away.... and one had even better looking wood figure. And the sewing machines were completely working with all sorts of accessories. And yes, I worked hard to get rid of them in the Detroit metro area. Admittedly, there is always the problem of finding who wants a specific thing, but I was working forums and similar in the area. After I commented on the amazing figure that would cost a fortune to replace in the wood, my Sister opted to just take it as a "display piece".

Restore it to make it look better if you want to keep some family history.

I agree with the prevailing recommendation of the restoring product. That stuff works great. Before using it, however, I might do a quick test to understand what finish is on it now. The ones I was looking at (owned by family) were in really good shape so I did not check carefully, but.

if the finish is tung oil, just put on more tung oil and be done. I took a really poor looking shelf, used some tung oil and steel wool and that things looks amazing now.

If the finish is Shellac (you can tell if there is something forming a layer, and test a spot with alcohol to see if it dissolves it), that would be easy to put another coat and it will fill in all the scratches no problem.

If you determine that is is a lacquer finish, I bow out on that one.