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Yes, I've separated the head from the base and you are absolutely correct about the positioning pins and precise fit. However, I don't really see a good reason to do this on a repaint project. I want a seamless paint bond across that joint.

@@wfjenterprises--billjohnso8701 For me it makes easer to prep for black oxidizer. And I might end up painting it doesn’t take.

Thank you, Karen! A single can of aerosol paint is enough for 2-3 machines, usually. There's really not that a lot of paint on a Featherweight. The clear coat goes even farther because I normally apply only 2 coats.

That sounds like a good plan, Mike. I assume you’ve used that air brush with that paint previously and know it will spray well. Also, if you haven’t used the clear coat you’ll be using over that specific paint previously, be sure to test it on something else first. If they’re not compatible, it will wrinkle and be a mess. You’d have to restrip and start over at that point. Don’t ask how I know this. You don’t mention primer, but I like self-etching primer for bare aluminum. I’m not familiar with Birchwood Aluminum paint but it may be formulated for good adhesion to bare aluminum. If so, you may be able to skip the primer step. Good luck with your project!

@@wfjenterprises--billjohnso8701 The aluminum black is a chemical . Same company makes gun bluing. Properly prepared body would mean no sanding black finish.

@@michaelbean739 Interesting. The bare aluminum on a Featherweight is not super smooth after chemical stripping, it's more like very fine sandpaper. Will you be applying decals? I'm not sure how well those would adhere. You'll be going somewhere I've never gone, so be sure to test out the whole sequence on a similar piece of aluminum to be sure you'll get the level of finish you expect.

Good feedback, Gene. I would certainly have used a mini socket on those tiny hex heads, but they are smaller than any of my sockets. Full disassembly gave me the opportunity to fully clean and polish every part. I’m mainly a clock guy and that’s what we do in the world of clocks. I wish I had a smaller puller to get the wheels off. They had to come off to get the motor apart. It was totally filthy and I could not have done a food job cleaning it without disassembly. When I put the wheels back on they were very tight. I don’t believe they had ever been off the axles. That was my first Lionel loco project and I learned a lot. More experienced Lionel aficionados will sure see many rookie mistakes on my part. That’s how we learn!

Thank you, Megan. Yes, paint would work for marking. If I were going to mark the gears (I don’t believe it’s needed at this point) I would use the pointer tool you see in the video to make scratch marks. It has a hardened tip that should be able to scratch the hard alloy used for the gears.

Thanks, Bill. Like you, I’ve had auto rear ends and trannies and engines apart. Lots of clocks, too. Gear trains all work pretty much the same way.

You’re totally right about that. I saw one on eBay and bid $30 for it, but was outbid. So, for now, that light bulb has a ground wire added and it’s basically sitting loose behind the face. It’s my brother’s loco and I shipped it back to him that way. He’s going to look for a boiler face on his own.

Your comments "made my day", Megan! Thank you!

Thanks, Robin. I haven’t bothered with auto fillers. The surface defects I’m correcting via wet sanding are too minor to bother with fillers, whether pure fillers or filler primers. If the casting was pitted, I’d consider filler to level over the pits. Otherwise, I see no need. As for the advice on fans while spraying finishes, I hope I’m raising awareness of the dangers of using a household fan. Safety is a big deal and not the place to take chances.

@@wfjenterprises--billjohnso8701 safety first is always the best advice. Thanks for putting out your videos with clear advice for achieving a professional finished product.

Just to be clear, Bill: I’ve got zero credentials in electrical engineering and don’t want to pretend I know in detail how to properly test everything. What I’ve learned is mostly from the School of Hard Knocks. The basic test of an armature is to go “around the commutator” and test each coil with an ohm meter by touching the probes to commutator bars opposite each other. As you go around, they should all read the same, or be very close. If not, it’s a bad armature and will need to be rewound or replaced.

I have an ohm meter but I didn’t know where to test. I have a 221 motor apart now and will check it out - I thought this might make a good video showing how you test a motor as I hadn’t seen anyone else do it - I hope you keep going as I love your meticulous approach

Yes, I will be making additional videos of the finishing process on the 1936 Featherweight you see in this one. I use acrylic enamel in rattle cans. I have a spray gun but it’s too much bother to set it up and clean it afterwards for such a small job.

Thanks for your comments, Kevin. I’m not familiar with Ceracote. I have no objection to using auto body fillers (bondo) to smooth the casting but there’s no need on a featherweight. The aluminum casting is quite smooth. I do a light sanding of the self-etching primer before I apply acrylic enamel topcoats.

I bought it from an eBay seller, knuckleheadsupplyco, but when I searched for it just now, I come up empty.

@@wfjenterprises--billjohnso8701 Thank you!

Smelly is usually a bad sign, Robin. If you have an electric meter, you can use the ohms setting and test the resistance of each of the 11 coils in the armature, by putting your test probes on the commutator bars opposite each other. All 11 coils should show the same resistance. If they differ by more than a small amount, your armature is bad. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a motor with that burnt smell that turned out to be OK. My guess is that you’ll soon be shopping for an armature or another motor. Sorry to be pessimistic!

Thank you. I will try that. Hoping having my fingers crossed won't short circuit anything.

Welcome to a great pursuit, Kevin! Just keep at it. You might want to start with free/cheap machines and develop experience and confidence along the way, before you get into a more costly Featherweight. There are plenty of good old black Singers out there. Singer 66 and 99 models are great and sew really well. The 15’s are also excellent, though I like the top-load bobbins on the 66/99.

@@wfjenterprises--billjohnso8701 thank you

You don’t need to clean them. Those are the steel core of the armature (like the nail in my demo). Remove anything loose or scaly but no need to polish.

@@wfjenterprises--billjohnso8701 Thanks! I’ll leave well enough alone. Next I need to master soldering new wiring. Hint, hint….

I highly recommend watching Bob Fowler’s videos. No need for me to repeat what he does so well.

Thank you, Jen! It was such a nice surprise to discover that the factory gear mesh could be restored.

What a great recollection, Steve! Thanks for sharing it.

Thank you! I can see how these Lionel trains can become addictive. It was fun to restore that locomotive. I did the Type V transformer first but didn’t record any video of that.

I get my grommets from McMaster Carr. Unfortunately, the minimum quantity with them is 100. I’ll have to look up the size. I’m shamelessly following Bob Fowler’s lead on the McMaster Carr grommets.

I know they are “deeper” than most grommets. The featherweight shop will sell them but they want too many $$$ for them. I have seven grandchildren that I’m collecting for them and need 10 grommets the featherweights that I have. So,if you could enlighten me as to the actual size for them, I would appreciate it. Where are you located?

I’m out of town this week but I’ll measure them when I get home. You are correct get they are deeper than the grommets available at the hardware store. I buy them with a smaller center hole, as well, to better fit the modern 18 gauge wire I use that is thinner than the cloth covered 18 gauge wire that Singer used. I’m located in Altamont, NY.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I bought my grommets at McMaster-Carr in February of 2022. At that time, they were $13.59 per 100 (that’s the smallest quantity they sell). They are for 7/16” hole and material thickness of 1/8”. Part number 9600 K45. The Featherweight motor housing is thicker than 1/8” where the grommet goes through, but this is the closest match from McMaster-Carr and they work well. These have a smaller center hole than the Singer original grommet, which is perfect since the 18 gauge wire I use has a much thinner insulation jacket than the 18 gauge wire Singer used. I hope this helps!

Thank you. It’s a traditional glass varnish finish.

@@wfjenterprises--billjohnso8701 Glass varnish finish? I've never heard of this, but I sure love that finish, it is just gorgeous. Maybe, if we're very good, you might show us how it is done one day (perhaps just on a plain piece of wood, so we can practice it that way ourselves)? I absolutely love working on the machines but would love just as much to learn about how to get the cases and bases and treadle-table tops into good condition. And for the very special machines, beautiful like this. :-)

@@meganmills6545 thank you for your comment. There’s a typo in my earlier reply - it a traditional “gloss” varnish finish. I use oil-based varnish, applied with a brush. The secret, which isn’t really a secret, is lots of sanding between multiple coats. I sand with 220 after the first coat, then 400 after the second and third. I switch to wet-sanding after that, with 600 and then 800. I don’t remember exactly how many coats are on that bentwood case, but probably at least 5. I am sanding quite a bit of it off after every coat, until it is glass smooth. Then I switch to tung oil for the last 1 or 2 coats (coats 6 & 7), wiped on with a cloth. The decals were applied after coat 3 or 4 so they have a good varnish protective covering. I regret not taking any photos or video as I restored this case. Maybe next time!

I don’t have one. Saw one locally on FB marketplace a few weeks ago but passed on it.

That’s a really lucky find at that price!

Thank you. We have a nice collection of machines, but the model 12 is my favorite because of what it represents. It was truly a marvel in its day. And, it produces a beautiful stitch. Sewing machines advanced a lot after the model 12, but the stitches really aren't any better.

Thanks, Jon. I completely disassembled the E-unit, cleaned everything, and soldered on new wires. It wasn't in bad shape but I couldn't reach the spots to solder on the new wires without taking it apart. The motor was filthy dirty and a thorough cleaning and polishing of the commutator and brushes was what got it running well again. The locomotive is totally clean and properly lubed now and runs like new. These old Lionel trains are fantastic. This was my first experience working on one and now I totally understand why they have such a loyal following.

Thank you, Megan!

Thanks, Megan! The reprint manual I have does not say anything about using your finger. In fact, it gives very little guidance on winding the bobbin. I haven’t tried winding a bobbin without guiding the thread with my finger, but you may well be right that it will go back and forth on its own. Your tip on trapping the end of the thread is a good one!

I have an 1887 model 12 and it doesn't have the little spring mechanism on the left slide plate (or any sign there was one), and neither do any of my other my other Model 12 machines. However I did some work on an 1880s Henstenberg and it did have that feature, so it could be a difference the Vesta did too that the model 12 machines didn't have? (The Hengstenberg had a few nice features, like auto tension release when you raise the presser foot, the best long bobbin winder I've ever used and a thread cutter built into the 'rest' for the presser bar lifting lever. Apparently a few other companies did this sort of thing too and then marketed their machines as the 'improved' model 12. Singer was not impressed and sued them, doing publicitiy to say that the quality etc, etc couldn't possibly be improved upon. Maybe not the quality - but the functionality, very much improved for their time, I think.) :-)

@meganmills6545 there was crazy competition going on. Every company wanted their machine to be the IT model. Fun reading about all the machines and history behind them

Thank you, Bob! You're first on my list of people to ask when I have a question. You've already been a great help with your excellent UA-cam channel and willingness to share what you know.

That's an important question, Mike. One of the best aspects of the drivetrain in these Featherweights is the helically-cut gears that transfer the power from the upper shaft to the lower shaft. There are 2 pairs, at the top and bottom of the vertical shaft and the adjoining horizontal shafts. Those gears were lapped at the factory, meaning that they were run with a mildly abrasive paste in the gears so that they fit together perfectly. That's why the drivetrain is so smooth and quiet on these machines. If you remove the shafts, it's virtually impossible to get everything reinstalled in exactly the same positions as before, with the same teeth meshing exactly the same way. They simply won't run as smooth and quietly again. None of the folks I know who restore Featherweights take out the shafts, for the reasons I just described. It's simply not necessary unless one of the shafts or gears are damaged, and that's a rarity. Cutting and lapping those gears was expensive for Singer, and they eventually did away with them and switched to using a toothed belt to transfer the power from the upper to the lower shaft. That's how pretty much all sewing machines nowadays work. Thanks for asking!

@@wfjenterprises--billjohnso8701 Hey Bill, Kinda disappointed in the reply. You are very passionate in all that you do I can tell. The reason for the disappointment is that you are repairer of clocks. It would seem that that would be a challenge. Marking gear placement is the only issue here. So be the first to video a main shaft being disassembled and reassembled. On a Singer 221

Sorry to disappoint, Mike. Gear trains in clocks are a very different animal than the helical gears in a Featherweight. I'm certainly not afraid of a challenge, but removing the shafts and gears on a Featherweight when there is no problem with them is not advisable, in my view. The likelihood is that the machine will never be as smooth and quiet afterwards. I like to think that I am adhering to the same sort of Hippocratic Oath that Doctors follow: "first, do no harm".

@@wfjenterprises--billjohnso8701 I took a 221 with a 5” harp space and stretched it to 8 5/8”. Removed hook and bobbin and rocker shafts feed dogs and installed Singer 20u hook and bobbin. So now I have a free motion 221. Runs fast and smooth. If the 221 has end play you adjust. Main gear on main shaft was designed to be adjusted. The shaft is slotted to get close tolerance . I can speak with experience that pulling it all apart is a complete and better job. Personally i think the whole gear messing thing is silly with the 221. Now if you are talking about gear messing a Singer 201, I would agree on almost on all your points but the 221 is really very easy machine to tackle

Very impressive, Mike!

Wow - nice catch! Luckily, the machine is forgiving enough to sew well, regardless of my mistake in threading the shuttle. Thank you for pointing me to a more authoritative video.

Repairs to the curved bentwood are not easy. The bentwood is actually several thin layers that were formed around a mold after being steamed to soften the wood. The layers were then glued together, again under pressure in a mold. Repairs require creating curved clamping cauls that fit both the inside and outside of the curve so that glue can be applied and clamped.

Thank you, Jen!