Help with very dirty Singer 111w155

[PMCREATIONS]

I am trading a saw for a Singer 111w155. Unfortunately this thing has been sitting in a barn for a few years after his mother passed away. It has some rust and alot of gummed up oil. 

 

This is my first industrial sewing machine and I just would like some advice on how to get this thing into the best shape it can be. What cleaners do you recommend or should I just find a shop to service it?

[KAYAK45]

Great idea to save a classic!  I also have a 55.  The marine manual says to soak it in diesel fuel for 48m hours to start with, then wipe dry and oil w/any available motor oil!  LoL!  That's the start.

[Evo160K]

When I've been faced with similar situations, I've removed the easy stuff like tension assemblies, etc. then slathered the painted and other substantial parts with Gojo non-pumice hand cleaner.  Let it sit for about 45 minutes then wipe if off with paper or cotton towels.   This does a surprisingly good job of removing surface dirt and oil., so you can see what you have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjhnzfmuLgg

 

[PMCREATIONS]

Any suggestions on getting the rust off?

[Evo160K]

Once it's set up, electrolysis works well.  I've use an assortment of WD40, wire wheels, abrasive papers, metal files, abrasive stones and the like depending on the piece.  The wire wheel is generally my first choice.  You might find other choices with a google search.  Also check some of the documented restoration projects on LW by member Constabulary and others.

[PMCREATIONS]

Took some pictures of the amount of dust, grim, and rust. Its offly bad now that I actually have it in hand. 

 

Edited June 24, 2019 by PMCREATIONS

[PMCREATIONS]

[PMCREATIONS]

[Evo160K]

PMCREATIONS,

  Your originals words: This is my first industrial sewing machine and I just would like some advice on how to get this thing into the best shape it can be. What cleaners do you recommend or should I just find a shop to service it?

If you actually want to get the machine into "the best shape it can be", you'll get a few more ideas from this LW restoration thread:

https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/83226-first-try-at-japanning-on-a-restoration-project-the-conclusion/?tab=comments#comment-561233

If it were mine, first I would do the Gojo thing all over to see what's uncovered.  If it still looked promising, I would brush Kleen-Strip mineral spirits onto the moving parts.  After it dried, I would oil all of the moving parts, then see if maybe it would turn over properly and perhaps do a stitch.  At that point, not being a sewer, I would have someone knowledgeable look at it and give an opinion about the feasibility of going further with a restoration.

 

[PMCREATIONS]

I guess I'm just looking for tips on making this thing functional. I think at the moment I'm just going to gojo it and wire brush it like you suggest then test the timing and stitching.