Vesta Sewing Machine

Just over a year ago  I (stupidly) bought a machine from a local scrapyard.  It came in a treadle table ("Where are you going to put THAT?" asked Mother) and the head is in very bad condition, cosmetically anyway.  I suspect someone tried to 'clean' it and stuffed up.  Badly.  There are no unharmed decals left on it, just a few shadows in a few places and there are actually scrub marks on the arm.  The pillar paint has been damaged by something and is very rough and a funny colour.  However the table itself was in fair condition and it was complete and I think it came with accessories, they are still in the table and I cannot easily access it to check as it is sandwiched in between two other tables.  The machine is a Vesta, a German made machine.  It has an oscillating shuttle and a very interesting thread holder, which was the whole reason I bought it, would you believe, $170 for a thread holder, mad I know.

Inscribed on the back plate

From the front, see the thread holder?

 As well as having no decals to speak of this machine is filthy, I think it's dirt and grease that has solidified.  Whatever it is, it is most difficult to remove.  Most of the time I just use some cheap(er) oil and some steel wool but that was not shifting anything.  On some of the mechanical parts that were not nicely chromed and on thumbscrew grips I used a brass brush and followed up with steel wool but I found that my best friend ever was an old sewing machine needle.  If I was careful I could scrape the dirt off and not scratch the surface,  This was particularly useful on the snakeskin patterning on the little cover plates.  And, by the way, I do have the faceplate I just do not have a screw to attach it.

Incredibly the machine is not seized although it is very dry, however the back shuttle cover plate and the handwheel absolutely refused to move.  Brute force removed both of them though, allowing me better access to clean.  I do not think that most of the screws in this machine have ever been removed and they are almost all impossibly tight so I have to clean everything without unscrewing it, which greatly limits my access.  Anyway here are a few photographs:

Cleaning around the feet using my machine needle.

From underneath before cleaning

Stitch length adjusts this part.  Before cleaning.

Shuttle area before cleaning.

Before cleaning.

Under the throat plate when it was first removed.

After the removal of both shuttle covers.

The shuttle area after extensive cleaning.

It is also the anniversary of the passing of one of my favourite singers today, John Lennon.  I was reading some quotes by him today, I never knew he had so many well known ones!