A matter of rust

On By CarynIn repair

There was some rust on the family Singer model 66, even though it lived mostly indoors with some garage time. The worst area was the back access plate. Good news, the knurled knob unscrewed easily!

Photo description: Back access cover for a Singer model 66, embossed metal coated in spots of rust. Knurled knob laying on the side.

I washed the plate and knob with soap and water, then placed it in Evapo-rust for 24 hours.

Photo description: bottle of Evapo-rust next to a plastic storage container with about a half inch depth of yellow liquid covering the back plate, knob, and spool holder.

I rinsed and dried the plate, but it was still tarnished.

Photo description: back plate and knob after soaking in Evapo-rust showing black tarnish.

I used some Brasso, a tooth brush, 0000 steel wool, and a small rotary wire brush to remove as much of the black as I could (and still retain my sanity). When the rust and tarnish is removed, there are pits in the metal, and the surface is dull and needs to be burnished to regain the metallic shine. When I had enough, I did a final wipe with a silver polishing cloth.

Photo description: same back plate showing the pitting from the rust, but the rust is gone, most of the tarnish is gone, and more of the original design is visible.

Polishing to a high finish and shine is really not my thing. I do appreciate an artful patina, probably because I don’t care for polishing. On this part, at least I have removed the rust and protected it from further deterioration.