Re-painting a Vintage Sewing Machine

So you want to re-paint an old sewing machine do you?  Some of you e-mailed me wanting more detailed information on how to do this so here we go.

I am sure there are many other ways and products to use when re-painting an old sewing machine but here is how I painted one of mine and the products I used.

Original ugly color

The machine is a vintage Edison Zig Zag sewing machine; not a great looking machine.  It took me about two weeks from start to finish working on it few hours everyday.  It was hard and tedious because I had to take a lot of the machine apart and strip the paint off of it and its parts.

I did not do anything to the bottom of the machine so some of the old color is still there but not visible when the machine is on its base. I used masking tape and plastic to cover most of the machine. I also used pieces of toothpicks and q-tips inserted into the various holes throughout the body of the machine to prevent paint from getting in there.

I used Jasco brand paint & epoxy remover and a stripping tool to strip it, then I sprayed it with primer (for metal), then I re-painted the machine with Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2x Coverage spray paint in Colonial Red. (Warning: stripping paint can expose one to lead.) I made sure to do this outside in a well ventilated area using goggles, a face mask and gloves. I also used a large box to spray in to prevent paint from flying all over my patio.

The knobs and other items I was unable to remove, were either covered with plastic or a piece of paper towel then wrapped with masking tape or just covered with tape, you can also use painter’s tape.  The tape was wrapped from behind the knob towards the front of it to create a sort of bubble.

If you notice on the photos where the machine has been sprayed with primer and/or sprayed with paint (but not finished), the machine appears to be puffy on top and other areas and that is because I filled the inside of the machine with paper towels. I did this in case there was any paint seepage when spraying the machine. I ensured that the knob areas on the inside had extra paper towel pieces there too.

In order to get a smooth, non-drippy paint finish you need to thoroughly remove all existing paint including the original primer coat on the machine (see photo for blue primer on my machine).

In addition, one needs to be patient and let each coat of primer and paint dry. I pretty much followed the instructions on the cans regarding how to spray and the number of coats.

Much better!

I also forgot to mention a couple of things:

• I decided to use the paint and epoxy remover gel on the machine because sanding it off (as noted on the spray cans) would have taken longer, in my opinion.  I did sand off the final patches of stubborn primer and paint.

• Once the machine and its pieces were stripped, I cleaned all with a slightly damp sponge and then dried every piece thoroughly with a towel and let it all sit outside and air dry overnight.

The materials probably cost me $35 or less for the epoxy, primer spray (1 can), spray paint (1 can) and stripping tool.  Sending my machine out for re-painting was not an option because I have read it is really expensive (above $500) AND I was unsure if I would keep this machine.

Although my paint job is not perfect I am pretty happy with the results.  This machine found a new home recently but I definitely want to paint another!