Singer 45k1 Restoration Decals

[Parfektionisto]

Hi,

To all the cast iron lovers out there, I have been following this forum for quite a while and it really helped me a lot, so now I'm writing in seek for help regarding my singer 45k1 restoration. I'm almost done with the restoration and I'm at the last stage of putting on the decals. I have seen a few different version or design of the decals use in various 45k1(saw them online in real machine pics and illustrated pics), but I'm wondering which is the actual decals for this particular machine? The closest I could find is decals use for models 29 or 31, but does it really suit a 45k? Or anyone has any idea where can I find a suitable decals for 45k. 

Another issue I'm facing right now is because I sprayed my 45k1 in crinkle finish, so with the rough texture does decals stick on it nicely(by the way I have not use a decal before). A local sewing machine seller adviced me to create a cut out stencil and spray over it instead of using decals, is that a good idea? What sort of paint should I use? Has anyone tried using spray paint instead of decals? Really looking forward to hear from the experts here. I have attached some pics of  the restoration, from the wear out look to the final re-paint work. 

Edited September 17, 2017 by Parfektionisto

[Parfektionisto]

I have attached 2 illustrated pics of 45k1 in 2 different kind of decals design, is it because they were made in different period of time? Beside the 2nd pics had the floral motifs on it, the "Singer" letter R on both decals is of a different typeface. 

 

 

Edited September 17, 2017 by Parfektionisto

[jimi]

Hello parfektionisto, very nice restoration, well done. i think the gold decal was used with the black crinkle finish. i do not think they ever sprayed the letters on. you would have to dab the air bubbles out when you put on the decal otherwise if there is any air behind it, when it dries it will come off in that area. the acanthus floral design was used up until i think 1920´s but i am not 100% sure.. here are a couple of links, one is of the different types of decals and the other the black crinkle finish. regards jimi.

http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/decals/industrial-decals.html

http://needlebar.org/cm/displayimage.php?pid=6337

[trash treasure]

If you decide to use decals, you might look for something like this :

https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Setting-Solution-Microscale-Industries/dp/B0006O9K5Q

It's a special solvent type stuff, that softens the decal, and makes it "suck" down onto an irregular surface

[Parfektionisto]

2 hours ago, jimi said:

Hello parfektionisto, very nice restoration, well done. i think the gold decal was used with the black crinkle finish. i do not think they ever sprayed the letters on. you would have to dab the air bubbles out when you put on the decal otherwise if there is any air behind it, when it dries it will come off in that area. the acanthus floral design was used up until i think 1920´s but i am not 100% sure.. here are a couple of links, one is of the different types of decals and the other the black crinkle finish. regards jimi.

http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/decals/industrial-decals.html

http://needlebar.org/cm/displayimage.php?pid=6337

Hi Jimi, 

Thanks for the info, didn't know that 45k was made with crinkle finish, or was that repainted like mine? I'm aware that you have 3 45k, and one of them is a 45k1, will be great if you can post some pics as I would like to see the decals design on your 45k1. By the way, where can I get a decal that's suitable for 45k1? 

[Parfektionisto]

2 hours ago, trash treasure said:

If you decide to use decals, you might look for something like this :

https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Setting-Solution-Microscale-Industries/dp/B0006O9K5Q

It's a special solvent type stuff, that softens the decal, and makes it "suck" down onto an irregular surface

Hi Trash Treasure,

Thank you for the advice, I have not use a decal before, so first of all I need to find out how to use it. 

Edited September 17, 2017 by Parfektionisto

[dikman]

The decal-setting solutions are used by plastic modellers, if you have any hobby shops nearby that sell plastic model kits they may be able to help.

As for cutting a stencil and spraying the name, that would be a lot of work and may not look as neat, particularly on a rough surface.

[Parfektionisto]

6 hours ago, dikman said:

The decal-setting solutions are used by plastic modellers, if you have any hobby shops nearby that sell plastic model kits they may be able to help.

As for cutting a stencil and spraying the name, that g would be a lot of work and may not look as neat, particularly on a rough surface.

Hi Dikman,

After hearing the advice from Trash Treasure, I did look up a tutorial on YouTube, and I knew this solution is commonly use on plastic modelling, but thanks for the highlight. As for stencil for spray paint, I was thinking of printing a die cut sticker to stick on the surface before spraying but I wasn't sure what kind of paint to use. It would be nice if someone can advice me where I can purchase a suitable decals for my 45k1, that will be very much appreciated. 

Tony

Edited September 18, 2017 by Parfektionisto

[WoodysWorkshop]

Contact Mark at Stickershock23.com is the GO TO guy for Vinyl

He does a LOT of work for us Model Rocket guys.

Often he makes stencils for painting, then you remove the stencil.

He also does large commercial stuff.

He's done stuff for me...

[Parfektionisto]

47 minutes ago, WoodysWorkshop said:

Contact Mark at Stickershock23.com is the GO TO guy for Vinyl

He does a LOT of work for us Model Rocket guys.

Often he makes stencils for painting, then you remove the stencil.

He also does large commercial stuff.

He's done stuff for me...

Hi WoodysWorkshop,

Thanks for the info, it seems like decals is the way to go for my restoration, but I'm looking for a ready make decals for my 45k1, not customising one yet unless I really can't find one that's suitable. Still hoping someone could kindly shed some light here. 

[mikesc]

Try these people..if they don't have them, they may be able to make them.
http://www.keelersales.com

I think they also run an ebay store under the name of "keesew".

Edited September 18, 2017 by mikesc

[Parfektionisto]

3 hours ago, mikesc said:

Try these people..if they don't have them, they may be able to make them.
http://www.keelersales.com

I think they also run an ebay store under the name of "keesew".

Hi Mikesc,

Thank you for the info, I knew them from eBay, the closest decals they have is either a singer 29 or 31, which I'm not certain which is suitable for 45k1, like if the size is correct? Even within the 45k there are a lot of subclass, different subclass models had different decals design depending on which period they were made. I bought my 45k1 without any decals and it was already repainted, so I have not seen how an original 45k1 decals looks like, the only real ones I saw are pics I found online and there are different decals design among the 45k1 machines that were made, I guess that has to do with the period it was made as well. If someone could post clear pics of their 45k1 with original decals, or with a restored decals will be very much appreciated! 

Tony

[jimi]

Hi Tony, i will try to send a pic of the decals on the 45k1 but there is not much left of them. the old machine was not treated very well and has lost a lot of the decals. also it is from 1895 if i can remember so they will probably not be the same period as your machine? what year was your machine made? now that you have the crinkle finish i think the one in the picture of the 45ksv100 would be closest to what you are looking for, just gold letters saying "Singer" and the  small letters on the top saying "The Singer Manufacturing Co".  jimi.

[Parfektionisto]

7 hours ago, jimi said:

Hi Tony, i will try to send a pic of the decals on the 45k1 but there is not much left of them. the old machine was not treated very well and has lost a lot of the decals. also it is from 1895 if i can remember so they will probably not be the same period as your machine? what year was your machine made? now that you have the crinkle finish i think the one in the picture of the 45ksv100 would be closest to what you are looking for, just gold letters saying "Singer" and the  small letters on the top saying "The Singer Manufacturing Co".  jimi.

Hi Jimi,

Thank you for sharing your 45k1 pic, im really looking forward to it. Mine was made in 1918, if I'm didn't make a mistake. In your humble opinion where can I find a suitable decals for my 45k1? Should it go with or without the floral motifs? Beside the paint work, I'm trying to restored it as close to the original as possible, so any suggestions, opinions are welcome. Till now I still have no idea where to purchase decals that's suitable.

Tony

[Constabulary]

Sewing machine finish often has to do with personal preferences - I have restored a few already and most of the time I have used Keeler decals. My preference is silver with black decals but your black crackle finish really is excellent!!! What sort of paint have you used?

How about this one:

http://www.keelersales.com/singer-model-31-basic-decals-for-restorations/

It is - in my opinion - a bit too bold but this set has the best value for money ratio - I have used it on My Singer 133K3

 

Or check Pinterest if you see something you like:

https://www.pinterest.de/gmcculty/restoration-decals-for-singer-sewing-machines/

[Parfektionisto]

24 minutes ago, Constabulary said:

Sewing machine finish often has to do with personal preferences - I have restored a few already and most of the time I have used Keeler decals. My preference is silver with black decals but your black crackle finish really is excellent!!! What sort of paint have you used?

How about this one:

http://www.keelersales.com/singer-model-31-basic-decals-for-restorations/

It is - in my opinion - a bit too bold but this set has the best value for money ratio - I have used it on My Singer 133K3

 

Or check Pinterest if you see something you like:

https://www.pinterest.de/gmcculty/restoration-decals-for-singer-sewing-machines/

Hi Constanbulary, 

Thanks for your input on this, and I really  appreciate everyone that shed some lights here in helping me to finish up this restoration work to get this cast iron back in action.

You are right, restoration work has a lot to do with individual preference, I'm someone who likes old stuffs not just sewing machine alone and I like bringing old things back to life preferably in their original form if possible. I was hesitating to repaint it a shinny black finish or crinkle finish at first, but seeing a trend in some restoration work online with the crinkle finish really caught my interest. I begin doing research online on crinkle paint and it seems like crinkle spray paint is supposedly easier to use than normal spray paint(trying to get that perfect smoothness). The crinkle paint I got is called VHT wrinkle plus, it's a product from Australia. I used about 2 cans for this restoration work, it was my first attempt, but if someone who is good at spray painting, 1 can might do the job, hope this help.

Back to the decals, Iike I mentioned earlier beside the paint work I would like to restore the rest to its original form thus I started this topic to find the right decals. Right decals to me is in terms of the design, the typeface and the size(the right measurements), so you mentioned the one you used was meant for a 31k which is bigger, so could 29k decals be closer to the original 45k? I will check out Pinterest as well.

By the way, why are you called folker? 

Tony

[Parfektionisto]

Another thing I will be interested to find is the original treadle base for my 45k1. I saw another LW member found one for his 45k, but since I already started a post on the restoration of 45k1, I shall just start a search from here. Anyone with info on this will be a bonus for me, and I'll be very grateful for that. This part of the world I'm from is hard to find such things, they are mostly sold to the neighbouring countries long ago or already modified before they were even sent here. 

Just a little info, the 45k over here were used for making military boots in the past, but they already stop the production. I manage to find another 45k1, and a 45k25, both in working condition and I'm still considering whether to get them, both machines will need restoration work in terms of the appearence. I found a local store that still have some 45k parts, mainly the feed dogs, plate, presser foots... anyone looking for something can let me know, I can help to ask the seller. 

Tony

[Evo160K]

10 hours ago, Parfektionisto said:

Just a little info, the 45k over here were used for making military boots in the past, but they already stop the production. I manage to find another 45k1, and a 45k25, both in working condition and I'm still considering whether to get them, both machines will need restoration work in terms of the appearence. I found a local store that still have some 45k parts, mainly the feed dogs, plate, presser foots... anyone looking for something can let me know, I can help to ask the seller. 

Tony

Tony, I'm looking for 45k parts, mainly feed dogs, plate and presser feet.  I'll PM two lists of what I would like to have.  Thanks so much for your kind offer.

[Parfektionisto]

1 hour ago, Evo160K said:

Tony, I'm looking for 45k parts, mainly feed dogs, plate and presser feet.  I'll PM two lists of what I would like to have.  Thanks so much for your kind offer.

Hi Evo 160K,

Got your list, will find out for you when I drop by the shop the next time, will keep you posted.

Tony

[Evo160K]

Thank you, Tony.

[jimi]

Hi Tony, here is some pictures of the decals you asked about.

[Parfektionisto]

9 hours ago, jimi said:

Hi Tony, here is some pictures of the decals you asked about.

Hi Jimi, 

That means the 45k1 originally did have the acanthus floral motifs, do you think 29k or 31k floral motifs will work? Thank you for the pics. 

Tony

[Constabulary]

I´m not sure but I don´t think there were 45K with crackle coating AND floral decals - though not 100% sure. If I were you I wound not use the floral decals but thats my personal choice. Not sure how well these large decals will apply to a crackle coating.

However - I think you can use 29K / 31K decals. I don´t think Singer had many decal variants for their industrial machines back then maybe they had minor difference over the decades but I think basically they were all pretty much the same.

Other 45K examples w. floral decals:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SINGER-45-K-37-LEATHER-SEWING-MACHINE-/231919645088

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Industrial-Architectural-Singer-45k-Sewing-Machine-Can-Deliver-/152515176398

[Parfektionisto]

48 minutes ago, Constabulary said:

I´m not sure but I don´t think there were 45K with crackle coating AND floral decals - though not 100% sure. If I were you I wound not use the floral decals but thats my personal choice. Not sure how well these large decals will apply to a crackle coating.

However - I think you can use 29K / 31K decals. I don´t think Singer had many decal variants for their industrial machines back then maybe they had minor difference over the decades but I think basically they were all pretty much the same.

Other 45K examples w. floral decals:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SINGER-45-K-37-LEATHER-SEWING-MACHINE-/231919645088

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Industrial-Architectural-Singer-45k-Sewing-Machine-Can-Deliver-/152515176398

Hi Constabulary,

Thanks for the input on this, I know both 31k and 29k  decals are the closest and available decals that I can use on my 45k1, the only difference is probably the size as you mentioned the 31k seems quite bold. I was thinking of custom printing the decals locally, it's faster that way and probably cheaper too. LW member Evo160k sent me a copy of the decals he bought from you, so that I could trace it, I'm really grateful to him, and I also found out I could copy the image from keeler decals on eBay too. 

I didn't know 45k came in crinkle finish until Jimi sent me a pic of 45k100 in original crinkle finish. I think crinkle finish only came in the 50s, and you are right it's without the floral motifs. I'm not sure if the floral motifs will fit well on the crinkle finish, but I'm tempted to try it. Below is a link or the crinkle finish 45k100 posted by Jimi. 

Tony

http://needlebar.org/cm/displayimage.php?pid=6337

[Parfektionisto]

On 24/09/2017 at 3:54 PM, Constabulary said:

I´m not sure but I don´t think there were 45K with crackle coating AND floral decals - though not 100% sure. If I were you I wound not use the floral decals but thats my personal choice. Not sure how well these large decals will apply to a crackle coating.

However - I think you can use 29K / 31K decals. I don´t think Singer had many decal variants for their industrial machines back then maybe they had minor difference over the decades but I think basically they were all pretty much the same.

Other 45K examples w. floral decals:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SINGER-45-K-37-LEATHER-SEWING-MACHINE-/231919645088

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Industrial-Architectural-Singer-45k-Sewing-Machine-Can-Deliver-/152515176398

Hi Constabulary,

I tried tracing the decals you sold the Evo160K and keeler's decal and I found out the typeface is different, as your decals is an original vintage piece, I will use yours instead of keeler's. Now I need to complete my tracing then I will sent it to print as decals. 

Tony