Rust Under Paint` Remove Decor Or Keep

[stropping]

HI` To all I hope the input given here would help others to decide,

In my later days trying to restore every thing I bought for a bargain it would mostly be either rusty seized or broke,Lets face it the worse it was the cheaper I would get it for, I always imagine I would bring the item back from the dead and most of the time I would, but at a cost £££,I found that the older the machine the harder it was to get original parts and at a price but we persist,not so much these days as internet solves most, I my self is fascinated with the workings and quality and cleverness of the engineers back then, ,There is always some thing magical beautiful when seeing machines in motion and they were built to last,Even the simplest of machines were built with quality.Buy keeping machines true to there original state tells the history to any one seeing it, This gets to my question I have a 29k4 leather patcher this I think is not the original name of this machine but I am sure some one would put me right,Any way after finding original part that was not to worn down I began to look more closely at its decor and the flaky paintwork due to the rust in places,Now this is a hard decision for me what to do,do I strip the machine down to its metal and loose 85% of its decor or save the decor and let the rust under the paint work carry on eating away the machine,The reason for the hard decision is removing its decor in this situation.

Well as I love items original and most of the time replacing the paint and decor with closely matched transfers would in my opinion will loose its originality and loose its value and characteristics, but would solve its rust problem,I could treat expose rust and touch up paint work to blend in with the rest,

I would like to know what would you do? and how you would go about this situation.

[Darren Brosowski]

Generally I like to keep as close to original unless most of the decals are gone.

Don't forget that it was not unusual for machines to be fully refurbished during their lives and be repainted and have new decals applied so it is not always possible to know what is "original"

[Constabulary]

Hard to decide w/o seeing pictures.

I would probably strip the machine (I just did it with a 29K1) and re paint it. 29K are not rare machines and the older they are the worst their performance is - most of the time. You have to decide what you want to have in your work shop - a rusty original machine or a good looking machine (not speaking of the performance). I´d prefer a good looking machines. And for 29K´s you can buy full new decal sets. It´s the same as with old timer cars - most people like to have nice looking cars. Even restored cars are still oldtimers. But it of course depends... Always keep in mind that customers could come to your shop and I think a good looking machine leaves a better impression than and rusted one,

[stropping]

Thank you all for advice, And thank you leather worker for the link to decor,At some point I will get around to showing pictures of the present state of the machine. It works great apart from the odd action when I use the lever to lift the foot I pull the lever up wards to bring the foot back down and the foot will not go down unless I start to turn the handle,I don`t know weather this it a pressure problem ie setting to much pressure on the foot and causing it to lock, Any way going of track here from the original question, I,me still in to minds what to do ,if for my own use probably should strip and repaint with decor so no more rusting` as most people under stand that with old machines the decor does in time where away so its more expected,But if selling some people like it kept original and that gives them the choice weather to restore the decor them selves, May be this is going to be down to ones own personal taste

Edited January 24, 2015 by stropping

[Constabulary]

it depends - I think a restored machine is worth more than a barn find. Don´t expect everybody loves the vintage & worn appearance. It for sure has some charm but it depends on the overall appearance. If you want a machine just for decoration - fine - sell as is but if someone really wants to use it I think a nice restored machine will bring you some more $. Just my opinion.

[stropping]

And your welcome to your opinion`that is what I want to help me realize what is best for this machine as I am struggling to come to my own decision at the moment,Tell me the two transfer sets showing in the links are they as good as the original work when on the machine,well what I mean is do they look wrong because to me the coulor looks brown`y yellow or is it just me nit picking

Edited January 24, 2015 by stropping

[Darren Brosowski]

I have used some of their decals but not the 29k one yet.

There is an art to applying them and if you get it right they are brilliant. They will always look different to the original as the Singer top coat is no longer available and I would suggest medium gloss for industrials and high gloss for domestics.

[stropping]

Are these the type that soak in water then you would slide them of onto the area, and while still wet they could be adjusted,then you dab them dry,

also when these are applied on to a mat finish would this make them harder to slide,

I take it this is how the machine would be done mat finish then transfers then top clear coating high gloss or medium over the whole lot,if so do you have to watch what top clear coating is used as some might react bad to the transfers :spoton:or

[Constabulary]

yes they are water slide decals. I have used them on my 111G156 and 133K3 and some lamps. I´m satisfied. For detailed instructions contact the seller or check his website:

http://www.customfeatherweights.com/decals-page/29

[billybopp]

I can't speak for sewing machines, but on the plastic scale models that I used to build, water slide decals work much better on a gloss finish for several reasons. Matt and semi-matt finishes will allow air to be trapped between the finish and decal which causes decals to silver in any clear areas.

The technique that I eventually settled on was to always use high gloss paint, slide on the decals, and then apply a clear coat finish with the appropriate gloss / matt level.

Additionally, there are a couple of products that can be helpful in applying those water slide decals. " Micro Set" is used to break the water surface tension and help decals to settle onto the surface more thoroughly, which can prevent them coming loose later. It also softens the decal just slightly to help it match contours. Once the decal is in place, and working from one end of the decal to the other, use a soft smooth rag to slowly help place the decal and absorb excess water, and work out any trapped air. It will not slide around very easily after the water is gone If there are any bubbles or contour problems once the decal is dry you can use "Micro Sol", which is a softening solution to re-soften it, make a tiny pinpoint hold over the raised area, then apply the "Micro Sol" to soften the area and work out the air.

Hope that helps

Bill