Painting barn find?

[IslandMoose]

1962 Pfaff 145

Bought it for next to nothing, I've cleaned it without full disassembly with Kerosene.  I'm replacing a damaged part, and soon I will adjust it fully into perfect working condition.  The paint is quite worn, and I am thinking about what would be involved in a full paint job with new decals.

The prep and paint is straightforward, but I'm concerned about pulling it to pieces and relying on an exploded parts diagram to put it back together.  

 

Question to anyone who has fully disassembled this or a similar machine...what resources are out there that would assist me to tear down the machine to a bare chassis for re-finishing?

 

 

[DanishMan]

Hi John

I have painted a PFAFF 335 and four skiving machines.

It is not easy...................................................................

The 335 and the first two skiving machines were grinded down completely - then primed before using hammerite paint. The result was 

okay, but the paint is not as strong as the old paint.

On the two last skiving machines, I did not remove the original paint. Instead I used putty filling and then sanded the machine, before painting. I did

find the result to be better, and the paint is stronger.

I have taken several PFAFF 145s apart. It is fairly simple. It can be a major challenge to remove the main shaft. Be very observant of any burrs a the hand wheel. You have to remove any burrs - otherwise, it can be almost impossible to take the shaft through the machine.

Also you have to be carefull, when removing the pick up lever - It can only be removed from one position.

Kind regards

DanishMan

[Handstitched]

G'Day, 

@IslandMoose I love it the way it is , looks great, lovely patina   I'd be just giving it some much needed TLC , and thats it. 

 

HS 

[trash treasure]

I don't think you have to take it completely apart to paint it - Or even completely strip the old paint.

Take all the external controls, plates, tension units, etc, off.  Next, sand and / or scuff the old paint down with fine paper, and "Scotchbrite" type abrasive pads - I would not strip the old paint in your case, as it's just worn, and not cracked and peeling, and it's actually a decent primer for new paint. The beauty of hammered paint is that it's a textured finish, and it hides any little irregularities to the point where you won't notice. That's why manufacturers use it.

Clean the machine well, at that point, with solvent, to wash out any abrasive residue, and blow it dry with compressed air. Give it a wipe down with acetone, or even just alcohol, making sure the surface to be painted is dull and OIL-FREE, and then mask off everything, including all openings, really carefully.  You don't need to worry about the paint "below the belt" - You won't see it. Just mask the machine with a little "skirt" below table level. Exacto knives and razor blades are your friends, here.

I made myself a little turn table, or "Lazy Susan" type of platform, to paint machines like this - It really helps avoid one side being in shadow, and missing something when spraying. If you want to use a primer, I'd suggest a light coat of a self etching type - A LIGHT coat. Hammered paint is pretty tough, in my experience, but it's best to let any paint dry and cure for a LONG time - Weeks or longer, before using. This doesn't apply, of course, if you paint with some kind of 2 part stuff, but I won't go there - Too toxic for me.

Anyway, that's what I got - I used to be considerably more anal about this kind of stuff, but I've found that unless you want to create a museum piece, doing this kind of simplified prep work usually gives pretty good results.  Good luck.

OTOH - Handstitched is also right - You could just get it mechanically perfect as possible and just use it - If it does good work for you, you'll soon get to like it just the way it is :~)

Edited August 4, 2021 by trash treasure

[CowboyBob]

We used to paint alot of machines & prepping as Trash Treasures says is very important esp washing off before you paint with alcohol when using the hammertone or you'll get big fish eyes in the paint .After they were done we would put them outside in the hot sun to bake or use a heat lamp on them  if you have a garage or shed to bake them in the fumes are terrible.

[Tugadude]

Painting an old machine doesn't make it new.  And done poorly, makes it look worse.  I would vote against painting it, but I don't mind patina.  The heavy wear spots show the amount of use the machine has had and to me it contributes to its charm.  An exception would be when not painting results in deterioration from rusting, etc.  I don't think that is a big risk with a sewing machine.  If it were, it would be rusting now, right?  Those are my thoughts, YMMV.

[chuck123wapati]

you can paint it up but the spots that are worn off now will be worn off again in about a month. Clean up and restore the important stuff and save your self some time and money.

[dikman]

I did one once and just removed all the external bits. I've decided a machine would have to be a lot worse than yours before I'll do it again!

[Handstitched]

18 hours ago, Tugadude said:

I would vote against painting it, but I don't mind patina.

Yep, same here. My machine is 55 years old,  has a few scratches etc.  similar to the singer , but not enough to warrant  a re-paint. The only thing I did to it was clean &  service it, oil it etc.  paint the logo, and cleaned up the brass plate and clean up the shiny bits   

HS 

[IslandMoose]

Thanks all, I might just leave it alone once it's mechanically-restored.