Featherweight Refinishing -- Rita

Late in the summer I found a Singer Featherweight on Craigslist for a reasonable price.  Before I could get together with the seller, Bill, I actually found (and purchased) a really nice 1941 model, but that will be another post.  I debated whether to go and see the first one after I had spent my money, but decided, what the heck.  The machine was a little beat up and looked like someone had tried to "dress it up" using a Sharpie marker or some paint.  The decals were faded and there were numerous dings in the bed from the foot pedal riding loose inside the case.  It had a decent set of accessories, the case was intact and it sewed great.  I figured I could take a chance and refinish it myself.  It came from South Florida, the owner had a 2nd and wanted to have it gone.  It was a brief negotiation, and I had my 2nd Featherweight of the week.  It is a 1948 with the straight faceplate.

You can see the dings in the bed, but the insides are relatively clean and in good condition.  The flip up bed decals look much better than the others and are a clue that some refinishing has been attempted already.  Once I started stripping the paint off, this would prove true.

I used an aerosol chemical stripper, lots of time and some scrub brushes and pads to get the old paint removed, followed by fine sanding and a rinse.  Then primed with an etching primer.

Then several coats of silver Rustoleum spray paint.  

Then some water slide decals in black and some clear coat.

This paint job was not perfect.  There are several runs in the paint, but I learned about painting silver.  Now to see how I like the color during use.  It may get re-done next summer.  During reassembly I learned that the hook drive shaft was "boogered" up on the end, causing the hook to wobble slightly.  It did sew just fine, but I went ahead and machined a new shaft using 1/4" drill rod and my mini-mill.  I set up the machine using the original service manual and it worked great.  This machine still runs slower than the 1941 and I suspect that the motor is to blame.  It will be replaced when funds allow.

This machine is named Rita!