Singer 29K51 - Request

[Tastech]

Thats a nice color , Really nice . I see the machine like this . Main body and rocker arm in the bike color , Balance wheel and hand wheel in black . Treadle frame in black with the singer logo in the body color  maybe even the belt wheel in body color . All the knobs , screws and shafts and cover plates in high polish metal .  The make or break is balanced proportions . Too much of one thing is boring . What makes the bike attractive is the balance of color  not the color itself . 

The treadle frame has it own problems with color as well  because it is cast iron made in a mold it has flaws that cant be ground out and they will always catch your eye and annoy the crap out of you . Therefore i suggest a powder coated hammer tone which makes the flaws invisible . The frame needs a bit of grinder work to smooth out some burrs but not really that much . Break down the frame , get it sand blasted and under coated then hammer tone black  . I have attached a photo of a frame i did which is hammer toned in a black/silver . It should be available in your neck of the woods .I believe it is a dulux color . the main body of the machine will also need some body filler to smooth out the casting flaws . That is easily done by yourself 

To show you what i mean about color balance i will post another photo of the aqua machine in full aqua , compare it to one of my previous photos and which looks so much sexier 

Chroming the parts would be expensive and over kill . Follow my acid tips and go the polishing process  .  I can explain the process and the materials you need on a later post . Anything you learn or have to spend would always come in handy for moto-bike restoration or detailing anyway so think of it as an investment .

 Don't worry if you balls things up , think of it as a practice machine for the next one that comes along . There will be another .lol You don't find the machines but they seem to find you . You are then obliged to the sewing machine gods to restore the machine or you will be forever tormented . Just one of those things .lol

That poor old machine was just screaming out "Please love me ". looks like a few generations of spiders have been calling it home for quite a few years . Where did you find it ? whats the back story ? A good back story is just as good as the machine so always ask .

[shoepatcher]

Gorgeous rebuilds!    very very nice.   Hammertone paint?

glenn

[Tastech]

11 hours ago, shoepatcher said:

Gorgeous rebuilds!    very very nice.   Hammertone paint?

glenn

Hey Glen. Yes its called a hammer tone finish . There is a hardware store type enamel but it is not as nice as the powder coat . The hardware store enamel has a bigger color range but lacks the depth or texture of the powder coat . Brush painting the enamel is more effective than spray painting though . If you are aware of what you are looking at you will notice quite a lot of machinery is painted in hammer -tone. I love the stuff especially on cast iron or metal that has flaws . There is also another similar type paint that is called "ripple effect" its usually available in auto shops but has a limited color range . The ripple is in a spray can and goes on like a normal paint it starts to ripple as it dries . Shake the can well for a long time or it may not ripple consistently as i found out once . I will attach a photo of the ripple effect so you can get the jist of it  . Singer did a 29k71 in black ripple effect back in the 50's . You will see it on the rocker covers on engines built around the 60's-70's. I have only ever seen it in black .

I just consulted my color chart and the Hammer tone silver/black is officially called Dulux " surreal effect" Aztec silver. 

 There is an equivalent made by Interpon ( which is the one i had done on the frame ) called "interpon ripple Hammer mystique "

If you have a powder coater near by go and grab some swatches , you will be inspired for sure .

[shoepatcher]

I have used it before.  Nice stuff

[JoeFresh]

Tas..... How you know so much about these machines is inspiring!

[Tastech]

Necessity is the mother of all invention . Growing up with a tight arse old man ,If you wanted something you either saved up to buy it or you stole it . To save up was a lot of work for a kid and it taught me to think laterally ,be creative ,to believe in myself and just have a go . Once i got something i looked after it well . In the process you learn a few things and i think it shapes your thought process in the long term . I am sure just about everyone on this forum can relate . This is why we make things after all . The idea is conceived in the mind then broken down into components . The process becomes apparent and you have to do what you have to do with whatever means you have to make it happen .  From fixing my own push bike to working odd jobs as a kid to doing my own mechanical repairs on my first car i learned things along the way . As i mentioned that my old man was a tight arse , I did not own a new pair of shoes till i was 16 . hand me down shoes , hand me down clothes , hand me down toys ,you name it . My first pair of shoes i had made for me in a style i designed . I paid for them by selling newspapers on a street corner after school . My second new pair of shoes i made myself under the instruction of the old guy who made me my first pair . Because i was footwear challenged as a kid i was attracted to the trade . With making shoes there is a lot of machinery that tends to break down and in my part of the world no one to fix them . So i would have a look ,find the problem and come up with a plan. The hardest part is finding parts . I love an old machine and can appreciative the work it has done and the money it has made over the years . I would not go as far as to say they have a soul but there is an essence to them . From the design and function to the people who made it to the people who use it . Keep in mind these machines were conceived with a thought , drawn on paper with a slide rule and pen . The measurements were calculated in someones brain and written down. The drawings presented to a foundry and machinist and everything was done by hand and brain .No CNC machining and robotics back then . When i see i tired old machine it gets into my head . I can see what it was , what it now is and what i can make it become .  The machine possesses me and if i don't know what to do, the machine reveals its secrets and what needs to be done soon becomes apparent . The machine wants to be resurrected and i have no say in it . I am just the hands and the wallet that makes it happen .Along the journey you learn things about the machine and about yourself . The end result is very satisfying but what you always remember is the journey. Whether its a sewing machine , a motorbike ,a car or what ever  . I try to apply every skill i have and then some . I like beautiful things so i try to make things beautiful ,not for anyone else but for me . Some how the machine finds its way to me and together we go on the journey . Its the state of mind i get into that is like a meditation and as a result is soul redeeming  . Or maybe i just have a mental illness . LOL

 Reading what i just wrote i got a little philosophic there  but i am not deleting .

In short do what you love and love what you do .