To stabilize the top of the sewing cabinet for the Singer model 66, I did a bit of laminate repair by taking some of the broken wood laminate from the curved back of the cabinet (which is usually against a wall) and putting in in the larger holes on the top. I am not going for a full “like new” restoration, just stabilizing and reinforcing to protect it from further damage.

A craft knife and some scissors were tools enough to fit the wood laminate pieces, then I used wood glue and a brush to get glue in as far as I could on the lifted areas. I clamped and weighted the glued areas and let it sit overnight.

Some fine grit sandpaper was enough to smooth the edges of the laminate, then I wiped down the wood with Howard Restor-a-finish. This evened out the tone, but was not able to completely blend the water marks, which is OK. I then used Howard Feed and Wax, which is my newest favorite product. I love this stuff and what it does for the wood surface as well as the shellacked sewing machine body.

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!

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

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

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.

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.

I took off and cleaned the bobbin winder from the family Singer Model 66. The rubber wheel had rotted, which happens with age, so I ordered new wheels. While I waited for those to ship, I cleaned off what I could without disassembly, since the mechanism works fine.

It isn’t super shiny, but my goal is not to restore to like new, but to get things working in reasonable order. I’m not big on polishing (I admit, I get bored and frustrated and it hurts my hands, I’m glad there are other people who enjoy it).

Here is a video of the bobbin winder working!

The Singer treadle cabinet that came with the Model 66 sewing machine has lockable drawers! And no key. Luckily it was not locked when it came to me, and a little peeking through the keyhole and some perusing the internet suggested that a small screwdriver would work. I happened to have an original Singer wire screwdriver that came with my Model 27. It worked!

Each drawer has corresponding grooves, so when the key is turned the lock engages both drawers. Each drawer has grooves on both the top and bottom edges, so they aren’t position specific (I love good planning). I did put some sewing machine oil on each latch to help them get moving. Though I probably won’t lock the drawers either.