Antique Sewing Machine Restoration - How To Make Real Gold Decals

How to make 24-karat gold decals. IMPORTANT UPDATE! After posting this video, I continued researching paints used on antique sewing machines and discovered most of them used a bronze powder based paint, not gold leaf. But, the formulation of this paint is long lost and today gold leaf is the only thing that get close to the color and luster of the original paint.

[@breyerhorsecraxy]

Wow. Just, wow. Thank you for sharing this! Super informative and helpful.

[@wayneschmidt490]

Thank you! Right now I'm filming a video about how to re-Japan a machine the same way it was done over a century ago. I hope to have it uploaded by this weekend.

[@guilhermerobaldo6852]

This video is both literally and figaratively GOLD. Thank you for sharing this information! This is so far the only video teaching how to do this I found on KZbin.

[@wayneschmidt490]

Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. If you like antique sewing machines, you might also enjoy our most recent restoration: an Improved Taylor. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqLFepJ9f8SEY7s

[@hiddenhistoryofearth5090]

Beautiful work!!! Thank you for the care you put into these lovely machines.

[@wayneschmidt490]

Thank you very much. I apologize for not replying sooner, but I just got home from a long stay in the hospital.

[@hiddenhistoryofearth5090]

@@wayneschmidt490 oh no! Hope you are healing!

[@philnewman1110]

That is a work of art, you should be very proud of your talent in being able to restore a beautiful item such as this to its former glory. Well done indeed!

[@wayneschmidt490]

Thank you! My current project is bringing a pile of rust that used to be an 1873 Howe back to its prime. This one's going to be tricky because I have to figure out how to replace mother-of-pearl inlays. Wish me luck! I checked out your channel and saw that you are into trains. I imagine restoring them is harder than sewing machines because not only do they have more parts, they are much smaller.

[@mjremy2605]

Real craftsmanship, painstaking and so rare to see. Like hand engraving. Very nice. I wonder ... what if you applied a band of gold foil to the machine then stuck a larger decal over it covering up the gold in reverse. So the letters would be hollow and gold shine thru, and the rest of the gold would be masked off with a black decal further opaqued by a pen or such. Now the lines would be crisp with less effort, no? Tricky business. There is no shortcut for craftsmanship.

[@wayneschmidt490]

That's an interesting idea: instead of applying the gold to the back of the decal, apply it directly to the machine before the decal. One big advantage would be that over time, the decal shrinks exposing the gold at the edge of the decal. With your technique, the black decal could be cut large enough so that when it shrinks, it's covers the gold under it. Great idea! I'll give it a try. Thank you!

[@wayneschmidt490]

Another good thing about your idea is that the decal would be much thinner and therefore it would be easier to hide the edge.

[@denisebennett3144]

Brilliant work

[@ramloganfracic5761]

Great video. With talent and skills. You must be also be patient Blessings

[@wayneschmidt490]

Thank you!

[@ramloganfracic5761]

@@wayneschmidt490 You are quite welcome I have a few antique and vintage collections Gritzner Doulach and some Singer I am retired but it is a hobby. Since I was a teenager now I am 73 years old. Blessings and keep you the good work .We are fortunate for the advancement in technology that we can learn and enjoy these wonderful videos .May God continue to bless you and your channel OmShanti Shanti Shanti.

[@joeeveryperson3279]

hi again, Would you consider gluing the gold leaf right on the machine for a hand painted look on the howe A? There are so many fine lines and little flowers...

[@wayneschmidt490]

Applying gold leaf directly to the machine is the technique I use whenever possible. Half the time I'll free-hand it. For more complex designs I'll cut precision stencils. I apologize for not replying sooner, but I just got home from a long stay in the hospital.

[@joeeveryperson3279]

@@wayneschmidt490 Sorry to hear that! Hope you are feeling better. Thanks for replying. I follow your videos faithfully and have applied a lot of your knowlege while restoring my machines. I saw the video stating that design master clear coat is the best but here in Canada its virtually impossible to find. Do you have a close second choice that I can apply over shellac? Why I'm asking that, I find my shellac is too amber to be called clear and the mother of pearl loses its wow factor. I plan on builing the base on my Howe A with shellac to get it even with the mother of pearl then clear coating over everything. Does that make senseor do you forsee problems? Again, wishing you a speedy recovery.

[@heroandflor]

Thank you~~ I will try it!!

[@wayneschmidt490]

Thanks for the comment! It's a slow, fiddly business but the results can look great.

[@angiegroppe1867]

do you suggest making all decals first? I am restoring two machines that need their black paint refinished. Some of the original art work is in pretty good shape but I can't see applying new decals to mostly dull or missing black finish. Also, have you restored any machines from the ~1905 Egyptian Series? I have one that I want to bring back to its glory but the artwork is so detailed. Do you sell your decals?

[@wayneschmidt490]

Sorry, I don't sell decals. If you are talking about Singer's Memphis Egyptian decals, also called Sphinx, these are available on-line from several sources. What I do with machines that have pretty good decals is clean them thoroughly with a degreaser like GoJo or 409, then polish them with Novus 2, a very fine-grained polishing compound for removing fine scratches from plastic, touch-up the decals or leave them as is, then finally spray the machine with a clear coat. I prefer Design Master Clear Gloss Finish #168, which is available from Amazon. The clear gloss not only makes the machine look shiny and new, but darkens the black finish at the same time that it makes the colors of the decals pop. If the black finish has chips in it, I fill them in with Testors gloss black enamel. This is found in the model building area of craft and hobby stores. It's the paint in the tiny, square bottles. We have two machines with Egyptian-styled decals. They would take a lot of work to recreate. I haven't done so yet because we're focusing on restoring our much older machines. I've just started making a decal set for our current project: an 1873 Franklin Agenoria and it's reminded me how hard it is to do. I have to warn you if you're thinking about making your own decals that complex sets like this and the Singer Egyptian machines is a very long process. I hope these comments help. Thanks for writing and good luck with your restorations!

[@angiegroppe1867]

@@wayneschmidt490 Thank you for your very informative videos and replies!

[@dart70ca]

Wayne Schmidt Do you remove the shellac before installing/repairing the decals?

[@stephaniegant4557]

Do you mind telling me what hand crank attachment you used with your Willcox Gibbs sewing machine. The originals are hard to find.

[@wayneschmidt490]

Hi Stephanie! Thanks for commenting! I have both American style and British style hand crank attachments, which you can see here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5fbm2uOfLN8n6s Both come up for sale on Ebay or Pinterest very rarely. It took a year of looking before we found the upright British one and twice that for the geared American. When the do come up for sale, because of their rarity and high demand, they usually sell for several hundred dollars. Sorry I couldn't give you better news.

[@jameswagner3685]

Hi Wayne, I also have Photoshop Elements 2022. I am having difficulty getting more than one decal image on an 8.5 X 11 page. I see that you have done that in your printing. I have an HP printer not a Connon like yours. Can you recommend a video tutorial of how to do that in Photoshop Elements? Thanks for your great videos. They are very informative.

[@wayneschmidt490]

After finishing a decal, I use Canvas Size to expand the canvas so that it's 8 1/2 by 11 with the decal in one corner. Then in a separate image I create the second decal. Once it's done, I use copy and paste to transfer it close to the first decal on the first image. Repeating this process for each decal lets me place as many as will fit on a single sheet of decal paper. Does this help?

[@jameswagner3685]

@@wayneschmidt490 Does this help?......... I don't know yet! I will need to try it. I have to try some things several times before I get it. I'll be back to you on that. By the way thanks for the Photoshop Elements 2022 recommendation.

[@jameswagner3685]

@@wayneschmidt490Hi Wayne, You asked me "Does this help>". Not really. I followed you too creating a second decal image. You said to copy and paste the second image next to the first decal on the first page. My Photoshop Elements 2022 doesn't seem to offer copy and paste as an option at that point in Edit or Layers. I can't drag from the thumbnail in layers. I lose my crop and everything goes crazy. I tried it in the Organizer and on the print page, no luck. Long way of saying, where did you find the cut and paste for the second image?

[@wayneschmidt490]

@@jameswagner3685 I'm sorry, but I won't be able to help you. I'm using Photoshop Elements 2020 and in that version, copy-and-paste is a very simple task, as shown in the video from 7:30 to 9:00. If your 2022 version doesn't have a way to select a part of an image, copy it, then paste it like I show, then I don't know how to help. I've never seen the screen for PS Elements 2022 so I can't recommend how to do it. I watched several KZbin videos of how to do it and although they used many different versions of Elements, the copy and paste process was pretty much the same in all of them. You use a selection tool to select what you want to copy, open the 'edit' menu and click on copy, then click on 'paste' and a copy of what you selected will be pasted on your image. Using the 'move' tool lets you move it around anywhere on the page. I don't even bother with layers because the process is so simple it isn't necessary. All I can suggest is that you read the manual (which I admit can be slow, painful and frustrating because they always seem to be written with the assumption that you have a PhD in photo processing) and watch a lot of KZbin videos of how to do it. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

[@jameswagner3685]

@@wayneschmidt490 Hi Wayne, you were more helpful than you realize. I watched your video, 7:30 - 9:00, over and over. I finally got into my thick skull what you were doing. I was able to print several decals on a single piece of 8 1/2 X 11 paper. Now, all That I need to do is clean them up, print them again on water transfer paper, and start the gold leaf process. Thanks again for your help and your excellent videos. I don't think that I could have figured this out without your help. You have a video on how to color tint and tone gold leaf that I will dig into next. I am sure I will be in touch. Thank You!

[@hangarfiftyonehangarfiftyo9942]

This is absolutely fantastic! I have just got a jones Swan neck that I would like to try to bring back to something near it's former glory ( never done anything like this before!) that has lost most of its decals around the base and damage to the patterns on the arm Would it be best to re enamel and replace the decals as you have(though that looks pretty complicated)? Regards and thank you for your tutorials We can't get decals for the Jones machine in the Uk

[@wayneschmidt490]

Dear Hangarfiftyone, Thanks for commenting and congratulations on your new Jones Swan Neck! I almost always re-enamel with Rust-oleum's Gloss Protective Enamel Black spray after thoroughly degreasing and then cleaning with alcohol. It gives a smooth, clean surface that accepts decals much better than a restored old finish. It'll look better too. As far as I have found, no one anywhere makes replacement decals for Jones Swan Neck sewing machines. However, if you can send me an email you feel safe sharing over the Internet, I will email you a copy of the complete set I made for my machine. I should warn you that printing the decals, backing them with gold leaf (or fake gold leaf to save money) reversing them and applying them to a machine is complicated and difficult. Expect to put in at least fifteen hours of frustrating work. Here's a video of how to do it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIGunp6OjNmEo7s Redoing the decals on a Jones is particularly difficult because of the chain or rope decal that circles the base. It has to be flexed around surfaces that curve in two directions at once and in four places the direction of the curve reverses. Since the film on which the decals are printed doesn't stretch, doing this is extremely difficult. Look very closely at the before and after video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZe5oKqqebt5sLM) and you may spot two spots where the rope segments are distorted to make things match up. If you decide you want to take up this difficult challenge, I'll send you some hints to help. These hints won't make it easy, but will make it possible. Of course all this comes after the machine has been mechanically restored and all the metal parts polished. I'm not trying to discourage you. Doing a good restoration on one of these machines is not only rewarding, but can add another hundred years to its life. It's entirely possible many generations will enjoy the work you do to preserve it. But I want to be honest in expressing how hard a job it is. If you decide to take it on, I will be happy to provide as much help as you wish. Thanks again for writing! Sincerely, Wayne Schmidt.

[@wayneschmidt490]

I just emailed you the decal files. Please let me know if you got them and if you need any assistance. I'll be happy to help. I deleted your comment in which you provided the email address to prevent Spammers from picking it up.Take care!Wayne Schmidt.

[@pdbay47]

Hi Wayne. I have just acquired a Jones Serpentine Machine for restoration. It has the benefit of being undamaged and not tampered with, but is very grubby and rusty, albeit it is free to move. My question is: is it possible to do a partial replacement of the decals, or must I do the whole lot? Will the new ones be obvious? Have you ever attempted to plate the nickel plated parts yourself, or would you put them out to a professional shop? Thanks, Paul.

[@wayneschmidt490]

Hi, Paul! Congratulations on finding a great machine. I'll address your questions in reverse order. It's easy to do nickel plating at home. Here's my video about doing, what can go wrong and how to avoid some of the worst problems: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYqcdGx6pqyAr8U That video looked at immersion plating. You can also try 'brush plating,' where instead of immersing the entire part you cover there plating electrode with a cotton pad soaked in the plating solution and rub it over the piece to be plated. There are many KZbin videos about both techniques if you want other references. I only get good plating half of the time. But, that's not a big issue because you can always sand the bad plating off and try again. If you have someplace that does nickel plating, they will almost certainly be able to do a better job than the DIY option. Two other options are to sand, then polish the metal piece until it's shiny and forget the plating. If the underlaying metal is steel, no one can tell the difference, though it may need more frequent polishing to prevent rust. One final option, if the metal is copper or brass, is to use a wipe-on silvering solution like 'Nushine Silver Plating Solution,' which is available from Amazon. It's not as durable as nickel plating but is quick and easy. If the gold decorations on your machine are mostly there and only small spots are missing, I recommend filling them in with gold paint. The problem is finding one that matches the color of your gold and that if it's clear coated that the clear coating may dull its appearance. The best touch up paint I've found after years of experimentation is bronze powder mixed with Testors Glosscoat. It's a hassle to make and expensive, but produces the best result. If you have large sections that need repair, it's difficult to fix them free hand, even for professional artists. You could try gold leaf or silver-backed decals, but they both will leave visible edges that can make the repair noticeable. A cleaner solution is to use a high resolution stencil. The problem with that technique is that it requires a Scan-N-Cut machine, which runs a few hundred dollars. Simple stencils for small areas can be cut by hand. If you can provide more information about about how your artwork is damaged, I'll be happy to offer some recommendations. Better still, if you can post a quick video of your machine it'll give me the clearest idea. Thanks for commenting! I look forward to hearing from you.

[@pdbay47]

@@wayneschmidt490 Thank you Wayne for your most helpful comments. My background is in furniture restoration, where it is important not to obliterate patina. It seems that for sewing machines the objective is to restore to "as new". I have now had the machine for a few days, and had chance to clean it up somewhat, which has made an enormous difference. Thankfully, it appears mechanically perfect, the only work it needs is to replace the rubber? leather? idler wheel tyre on the bobbin winder. I have also cleaned up the cloth plate with metal polish, and it is almost acceptable, so I am wondering whether to spend on plating (thank you for the link to your video). The biggest remaining issue I would say are the decals. If I knew how to post images on youtube I would, but I have about 50% loss of decals. Added to this, the Jones decals on sale on ebay have a blocky design around the base. My base decoration is a leaf design. The black japan lacquer is almost complete. Thank you again for your help.

[@wayneschmidt490]

@@pdbay47 It's easy to replace the rubber ring on your bobbin winder. Here's how: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6WWfoygfr56i9k

[@wayneschmidt490]

@@pdbay47 The debate regarding whether or not to restore an antique sewing machine seems to parallel the same question for antique cars. Most people seem to prefer cars in perfect condition, but there is a faction that believe they should be kept in their natural condition. I made a video to act as a forum for discussing this topic, which you can see here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5Cpl6awoLaVjqM In your case, since half of the artwork is gone I'd do a full restoration. But, to do that you're looking at 100 to 150 hours of painstaking, difficult, frustrating work. Making the decals is hard enough, applying them is a nightmare. Because they have to be fitted over compound curves, in many cases they need to be cut up into small sections. For example, the line of tilted rectangular squares that circle the base is made up of 16 separate small pieces. Getting them all lined up and to follow the curves was extremely difficult. Whatever you decide, I'll be happen to help. Good luck!

[@jameswagner3685]

I like this technique and would like to try it on a New Companion sewing machine. However, I do not have the proper photoshop software. What photoshop software do you use?

[@wayneschmidt490]

I used PhotoShop Elements 2020. It's a very basic images processing system. Any image processing software should work. All that's needed ks something that can cut and paste, erase, and draw. Good luck and thanks for commenting!

[@jameswagner3685]

@@wayneschmidt490 Thank you for responding so quickly. I watched another video of yours about silver backing decals and found that you mentioned Adobe PhotoShop in that video. I have signed up for a 7-day free trial based on what I have seen in your videos. Great information, Thank You.

[@wayneschmidt490]

@@jameswagner3685 You're welcome. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

[@wayneschmidt490]

@@jameswagner3685 Since posting the decal videos, I've continued to try and improve them. With the silver-backed decals, I recommended clear coating the decal, then silver coating it and finally clear coating again to protect the silver paint. I have found that eliminating the first clear coat and going instead straight to the silvering creates a shinier metallic finish that looks more like the original. One of the big problems with any type of decal is that the edges of the decal are so obvious that they compromise the overall effect. The following video provides examples of this and a couple of ways to hide the edges: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioraiISwl66Mr6c Good luck!

[@1crazypj]

That was an incredible tutorial. A|re you a museum restorer?

[@wayneschmidt490]

Sadly, no. I'm just a retired mechanical engineer who enjoys restoring old sewing machines. Over the last several years I've developed some interesting techniques that I share in case someone else wants to restore a machine. If you'd like to see everything that goes into a complete restoration, you might enjoy my video about restoring a Biesolt & Locke: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKG0Y6B3fNF7hLs Thanks for commenting!

[@HSWilliams]

very cool

[@wayneschmidt490]

Thank you!

[@valeriep.4716]

Were the Singer or any brand sewing machine's decals really 24k gold? I thought they were just metallic foil.

[@wayneschmidt490]

For a long time I thought they were gold leaf because they never tarnished or faded and had a metallic luster no modern paint can replicate. I spent many hours researching Victorian gold paints and finally found a very obscure industrial publication that explained that the sewing machine companies used specially formulated bronze powder based enamels for gold paint. Each company had its own secret formula. To date, the only machine that I believe used real gold leaf was our Franklin Agenoria, and I'm not sure if they did it on all of their machines. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I'll add a clarification to the description. I still use gold leaf because although it's not historically accurate in every case, it still provides the closest match to the original paint, looks great, never fades and in 100 years will be easy to restore because gold leaf is the same now as it was hundreds of years ago and will be hundreds of years in the future. Gold paint formulations are always changing so using a stable product will make it easier for the next restorer. Thanks for commenting!

[@valeriep.4716]

@@wayneschmidt490 Thank you for taking the time to research the "gold" the early sewing machine maker's used.

[@jameswagner3685]

Hi Wayne, I have used this video, and other videos of yours, to complete my New Companion Gold Leaf Decals. I think that I am ready to install. However, I have run into a small snag. My longer decals for the base are small in the middle and a little over 9 inches long. The decals tend to tear in the small middle when trying to slide them off of the water transfer decal paper. I have tried to leave the paper on, coat the gold back with Shellac, stick the decal to the machine with the paper on, wet the paper, and, remove it after the Shellac is dry. It appeared to work in testing. What do you think about this? Do you have other suggestions?

[@wayneschmidt490]

Tearing long, narrow decals is common. My solution is to cut them into short pieces no more than 3 inches long and line up the ends as they are applied to the machine. One drawback to this is that as they dry, they may shrink enough to create a hair-thin line where they were cut. This is easily touched up with a little gold paint. These lines are so thin that after touching them up they're almost impossible to see unless you're wearing magnifying glasses. I hope this helps.

[@jameswagner3685]

@@wayneschmidt490 Thanks Wayne, I am taking from this that Shellac is a bad idea for gluing down the decals. I took a closer look at the decal after reading your reply and found a good place to cut the decal. The cut will be between two loops of filigree. The cut will not be exactly in the center but I think that I can work with it. It's going to look great. As usual, thanks for the quick reply and great videos. The videos are a huge help to me and I find myself going to them for Decals and also Photoshop Elements 2022.

[@wayneschmidt490]

@@jameswagner3685 I've never had good luck with shellac. I use spray can clear coats. But, many of them are lacquers, which can attack most enamels. If you used a gloss black enamel on your machine, the following video shows wh9ch clear coats may be safe to use: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2aXaKCFqbKiq9k Please, always test which ever clear coat you choose to make sure it doesn't attack your base coat.

[@macieldiego]

Amazing job! Can you tell me the name of this program you are using? Thank you

[@wayneschmidt490]

I used Adobe PhotoShop, but almost any photo processing software will work. Thanks for the comment!

[@valeriep.4716]

Wayne, I'm redoing an 1887 VS-2 fiddle-base and there are no restoration decals available for it. So I'm attempting to make my own using GIMP and your video is my lifeline! I made the machine's logo following your information, but as 24k gold leaf is expensive for me, I'm using metal leaf (imitation gold) and it looks quite good. Now, my question is... at the end of this video, where you used color on the decals, did you use acrylic paint or acrylic ink or something else, and what brand?

[@wayneschmidt490]

I'm glad my video was helpful. Thank you for commenting! The colored areas at the end of the video were produced by the printer when the decal was printed, along with the black areas. I wanted the green to be pure green so after clear coating the decal, I painted over it with white enamel before applying the gold leaf. This prevented the green from looking like shiny green gold. I didn't back the brown areas with white because I wanted them to let the gold show through to give those areas a shadow look. If you have a steady hand, an alternative is to add color to the decal after it's been applied to the machine but before the final clear coat. I use Testers gloss enamels. These are those tiny, 1/2-ounce bottles of paint sold in the modeling section of hobby and craft stores. fiddle-base, but not what make or brand. Is it a Singer, Domestic, National?

[@valeriep.4716]

@@wayneschmidt490 Testers is still around? My brother used this for his toy models when we were kids. Thank you. My printer doesn't print color, so planing to hand paint parts of the decals, then add the gold leaf before placing them on my Singer. I'm doing my own slightly downscaled variant of the "Ottoman Carnations" decal. This design was not used on the VS-2 fiddle-base, but the time frame for the Ottoman is correct for the 1880's. I hope the copywrite police are not reading this!

[@wayneschmidt490]

@@valeriep.4716 Yep! Testors is still around. You can find it in Michael's Craft stores, Jo-Ann's and Hobby Lobby.

[@junecooper]

@@valeriep.4716 I heard Ottoman Carnations? I have a 48k that's in a regular condition, I'd like to restore it to its full beauty someday.

[@valeriep.4716]

Wayne, can gold-leaf be applied using a laser printer with laser water slide decals? Also, you said to print the design on "color" slide paper. Is that correct?

[@wayneschmidt490]

You need to use "clear" water slide decal paper. I'm sorry if my pronunciation made it sound like "color." I don't see why laser paper in a laser printer wouldn't work, though I have to admit I've never used one. The decals have to be sprayed with a clear coat after printing when using inkjet printers because the ink they use is water soluble. If laser print ink isn't water soluble, it might not be necessary to spray them before applying the gold leaf. That's something that needs to be tested. If you do, please let me know. I'm sure there are many other who'd like to know that. Thanks for commenting

[@valeriep.4716]

​@@wayneschmidt490 Thank you so much for making this wonderful tutorial video and taking the time to respond to me and the others. Your decal looks lovely. I’m anxious to give this a try. I noticed you did say “clear” water slides at the beginning of the video, so my mistake.

[@ZacharyDBrooks]

Would the modern cling film survive the low temp baking process for the final clear coat?

[@wayneschmidt490]

I have no idea. Even if it did, I doubt it would be hard enough to provide the protection of a true clear coat.

[@ZacharyDBrooks]

@@wayneschmidt490 Thank you for responding! I keep going back and forth on whether I should use modern methods for the final clear coat, which all depends now on whether modern decals can survive the "cooking" temperature.

[@wayneschmidt490]

@@ZacharyDBrooks I'm not sure what you mean by "the cooking temperature." Why would you bake a sewing machine after applying decals? Are you thinking of Japanning a machine, applying decals, then baking it again?

[@ZacharyDBrooks]

​@@wayneschmidt490 According to this contemporary description of the Japanning process, after the decals were applied, the machines covered with varnish and then baked at 150 degrees for 12 hours: ismacs.net/sewing_machine_articles/japanning.html

[@wayneschmidt490]

@@ZacharyDBrooks Okay! Now I get where you're coming from. Thank you. I was stuck on baking temperatures over 300-degrees. I hadn't read that the varnish was baked. Hmmm... that's a little different than what I've read, where shellac was used to clear coat machines. Shellac doesn't require baking, though I guess it could be if you wanted it to dry faster. Interesting fact: If you shine a UV (black) light on a shellaced machine, the shellac glows. This is useful for uncovering otherwise invisible traces of the original art. One minute into the following video shows how well this works: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5LQoX6Cib6bo80 I've done shellacing on machines and don't like it. There are too many ways it can go bad. I've decided to use spray on lacquers like Design Master's Clear Finish Gloss #168. It's very forgiving and produces a great clear coat. recommendationcommercially

[@dart70ca]

Do you have any links to suppliers of decals? I have an old National machine that has a lot of decals on it that need replaced. These have a lot of colors in them on top of the gold. They appear to be silver topped with gold, then detailed with transparent colors.

[@wayneschmidt490]

I'm sorry, but I don't know of anyone making National decals. There are many sources for Singer decals, a few for Wilcox & Gibbs and one for Jones Swan neck machines, but that's about it. Even these aren't as bright as the original lithographed decals. As it happens, my next restoration project, after finishing an 1875 Biesalt & Locke, is to develop a technique for recreating the silver-backed, multi-colored decals used on many machines. Until then, I'm afraid all you can do is attempt to touch up the existing decals. Here's a video I made on how to do this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHW9h3mVfZxsipo Fast forward to 6:50 into the video to get to the part where I discuss making and applying transparent colors over existing decals. Please note: always do a test on an out of the way area to make sure this technique works on your machine. Each manufacturer used its own finishing techniques and you never know when a repair technique might have a bad chemical reaction to the original artwork. Since posting that video, I've tested two dozen more paints and found Design master 14KT Gold spray paint (#230) is a closer color match and has more shine to it than the Decocolor pen. I don't take any steps to remove any old shellac before re-decaling my machines. Which National machine do you have? I have several in my collection and it would be interesting to see if we have the same one.

[@dart70ca]

Wayne Schmidt This is my first foray into sewing machine restoration and the learning curve is steep. A couple weeks ago I knew nothing about sewing machines at all. Still can't sew with one, but I can figure out how to thread one and adjust tensions and stuff. Basic troubleshooting and adjustments, cleaning. I have some pictures I took and found online but nothing concrete yet. A serial number. It has the capped needle and foot bars, a retrofit electric motor (a National one). The decoration is not the art deco style; all filigree, leaves and simple flowers. The overarm badge just says National on it. No way for you to see pics in this comment interface. It uses a shuttle; i guess you call it a vibrating shuttle? Is swept forward and back by an arm under the bed anyway.

[@wayneschmidt490]

@@dart70ca The best source for figuring out which National model you have is a site called Needlbar. Here is a link to their page about National vibrating shuttle machines: needlebar.org/nbwiki/index.php?title=National_Vibrating_Shuttle_Machines National sold its machines under hundreds of different brand names. They had warehouses stuffed with completed machines with a blank spot for whatever name a buyer wanted. Many of these are listed, but many more were such small orders that no records remain of them. There are also no records for National serial numbers as they relate to manufacturing date. In trying to figure out which model you have, ignore the brand name on the machines in the pictures, unless you are lucky enough to have one with one of those names, and instead focus on the details of the machine's shapes. The shape of the body, location of badges, position of the bobbin winder, the shape of the finial on top of the needlebar and what the main drive wheel look like are primary clues. A vibrating shuttle is one that moves in an arc. Transverse shuttles are those that move in straight lines. Learning how to repair and restore antique sewing machines is a difficult and frustrating hobby, mainly because no repair manuals survived to modern times. It takes a lot of fiddling and thinking to figure out what to do. But, doing so can be very rewarding when you return something glorious to its original condition. Good luck, and please let me know what model you have!

[@dart70ca]

Wayne Schmidt Wow, excellent. Thank you. Mine seems most like the “ Expert BT” shown here; needlebar.org/nbwiki/index.php?title=File:19govc.jpg Similar decals, the handwheel looks like it would accommodate a hand-crank (notch in a spoke), the remains of my wooden base look similar. I do not have the double spool holder and the medallion cover on mine is plain and nickel plated. The lid latch plate in the wooden base, left side is different (mine is more like the right side latch plate). Not sure what they mean by the sizes there or what the measurements refer to. By coincidence, one popped up on ebay that looks identical to mine, except for the name on the overarm. www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-SEWING-MACHINE-NATIONAL-Empress-Grand-WITH-WOODEN-CASE/184357472933? Sorry for the single paragraph reply; this ipad doesn't have a return key 😜

[@wayneschmidt490]

@@dart70ca Happy I could help!

[@jomercer21113]

how does one remove a decal to use on another machine?

[@wayneschmidt490]

Hi again! I don't know of any way to remove an old decal to transfer it to another machine, though I have one machine on which it seems to have been removed. Originally, sewing machines weren't decorated with decals. Instead, industrial transfers were used. This is a process where the artwork is lithographed onto transfer paper, then applied to the machine. When the paper is removed, only the paint remains. There is no transparent backing as in modern decals. How anyone could remove and preserve a transfer is a mystery to me. If you have a machine you want to apply a new decal to, many decals are available on-line for doing so, especially if you want a Singer decal. May I ask what machine you want remove the artwork from and what machine you want to move it to?

[@jameswagner3685]

Hi Wayne, I am working on a Franklin Scarab. I need very good pictures of a Franklin and I have seen that you have one (Nefertiti May) Can you share your photos with me? I need good close-up pictures for decals. The internet is useless for Franklin's pictures. Very poor quality and the detail is lost. I know that this is a big ask. Thank You!

[@wayneschmidt490]

I don't see how I could send you photos of the decals without exposing both of our emails in the public forum. Something I think neither of us wants. So I made the following video which, if you go to full screen, should provide the detailed images you need: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqHKonmfppmjntU I hope this helps. Good luck!

[@jameswagner3685]

@@wayneschmidt490 Thank you, Wayne. This helps very much. Great pictures! Much better than I expected.

[@wayneschmidt490]

@@jameswagner3685 You're welcome. I misspoke on the third to the last decal. I said it went on the bottom of the horizontal arm. I meant to say 'vertical arm.'

[@jameswagner3685]

@@wayneschmidt490 Hi Wayne, I can honestly say that working with excellent photos of the Franklin decals is much easier than working from bad photos taken from the internet or eBay. I am to the point of printing and spraying them. I have got to say, the ones that I have printed look pretty good. I did have trouble with one. The front Franklin script is not the same as the rear, as you mentioned in your Franklin video. The "F" in the Franklin on the front is on the wheel side and the "F" is on the head of the wheat side in the rear. I was able to separate the script from the body of the decal by using layers and turning them independent of each other and then putting them back together. I don't think that anyone would notice that it is not exactly like the original, but, I do. Would it be possible to add a picture of the rear script decal to the KZbin video that you made? I think that would help me a lot. As always your help is priceless. I can't thank you enough.

[@wayneschmidt490]

@@jameswagner3685 Ouch! Sorry about that. I really thought they were the same. Here's a follow-up video of just the rear horizontal arm. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHeseXxooLWGZq8 I hope this helps, and again... sorry for the mistake.

[@ekramalrawi477]

Is this machine for sale?

[@wayneschmidt490]

Sorry , no. I collect and restore antique sewing machines as a hobby. I don't sell any of them.

[@goodasgoldsporthorses5829]

What computer program are you using? Thanks!!!

[@wayneschmidt490]

Thanks for commenting! I use Internet Explorer for web surfing, Windows Movie Maker for editing videos, Photoshop Elements 13 for still images and Webpage Construction Kit by McMillan for my website. Why do you ask? Wayne Schmidt.

[@dart70ca]

Wayne Schmidt I think she meant which software you used to make the decals? Same question I have.

[@valeriep.4716]

@@dart70ca I'm using GIMP. It a free download and it is great, but a bit of a learning curve to it.

[@srv232]

Why not use a laser cutter to cut out the decals and then proceed? It is much easier.

[@wayneschmidt490]

I agree, but I don't have a laser cutter.

[@nicholasperry2286]

How excellent. This has inspired me to restore my Jones Swan neck. Like a previous comment mine has very poor gold decoration. Would it be possible for you to send me a copy of your decal print set? No sure how to contact you except through these public comments.

[@wayneschmidt490]

If you contact me via email, I will be glad to send you a copy. Here's mine: [e-mail]. Use all of it except the first "x" which is there to block spammers.

[@nicholasperry2286]

@@wayneschmidt490 I get a send failure with that email address. Can you send to me direct (email address now removed). Copy decals have been received thank you so much. The comprehensive instructions are going to be such a help. Thanks again. Nick p.

[@wayneschmidt490]

I sent the decal files Monday afternoon California time USA. Please let me know if you received them. If not, I will resend them.

[@denisefeetham2586]

Hello can you help find out where I can get new decals for my Jones and held manchine please.please.☺️