Antique Sewing Machines
FYI: Nearly all decals on the sewing machines shown herein are GOLD - Not Silver - as they frequently appear in the earlier pics.
Nor is my desk Orange - it is Honey-Gold-Brown. The wall behind it is a super light shade of gray. Almost white in the earlier pictures, but more recently, I've painted my walls a light shade of Minty Aqua (blue/green).
My Computer colors are way off, & despite multiple tries to correct for that, it's still way off.
Please view all "After" photos herein knowing that the majority
are Black & Gold in real life.
Also, Please know that it's really not possible to duplicate the decals or hand painting from the original sewing machines.
I do, however, attempt to keep with the feel of the original decorations.
Ie, if they were originally mostly scroll-work, I'll aim for mostly scroll-work. If originally heavy on the flowers, I'll aim for heavy flowers.
Many of the old machines were quite gaudy, & heavy handed with the decorations. I try to keep in the style of the originals, but since many were also hand painted, that's a bit harder for me. My hands shake a bit, & as a result, I tend to use Decals where I can, & hand paint only the colors.
Would I do some differently now, as I look back on my earlier machines? Probably - but I hope
that means I'm improving with time, & I hope that's so with all things.
Live & Learn. That's my goal, anyway. : )
This is often how I get them - Super rusty, & often frozen, after laying around out in some barn for 80 years - but I'm happy to have the chance to see them up close, & see how they work.
This is how I sell them - All rust removed, Often fully operational, & a work of Art to my mind, as well as being an amazing piece of history.
I'm so impressed by their precision & quality - even by today's standards.
NOTE about Photos: Many of the "Before" pictures herein will be the seller's photos, not mine, & many have employed various levels of color adjustments to make their machines look less rusty than they are. If the colors appear all muted & dull, you can be sure the effort was made to minimize my ability to see the rust. I'm on to that trick now, so I see through it, but I have been burned early on.
MINE - I try very hard to take accurate photos of my machines after I've fixed them up. Any off colors are due to computer/camera issues, & not intentional. Frankly, I always think my machines look a LOT Better in person, than in the photos I post. My camera seems to highlight flaws (& god help me if there's a speck of dust) - making all my pics look cold, & dreary. I've tried, but I can't seem to get it to show how beautiful they really are in person. Sigh.
(BTW - Not one buyer has ever given negative feedback, with most saying how delighted they were when they saw it in person.)
Many of these early Sewing Machines are from around the Civil War era (1861-1865). Men were still fighting with Muskets - loading loose powder & 1 bullet at a time, yet these precision Sewing Machines were held to tolerances that many current manufacturers seem unable to match.
One of the hardest things I do is get the drive shafts out, because the tight tolerances are such that I must get all the rust off first, before I can slide them out of their super tight holes. No wobble at all, even after I get all that rust off.
It is a testament to their skills, that so many of these machines not only survive after 100+ years of operation,
but that they often work well, & look Beautiful - after being shown a bit of love.
( And a grinding wheel ! : )