Singer 15-91

I've been looking for a Singer sewing machine with a potted motor for a little while now. I passed one up on Shopgoodwill.com a few weeks back because the bidding got too hot. Someone wanted it badly, and I didn't feel like fighting over it (or paying more for it). So when I lifted the lid on a sewing cabinet at a local Goodwill this past weekend and saw this (for only $30), I felt I'd lucked out.
I wasn't exactly sure of the model (I have a lot more vintage Kenmores than Singers) but I suspected it was a model 15-91. And I was right. Just in case you can't see through all that dust, the serial number reads AG787409. According to the two letter prefix list of serial numbers on the Singer site, this one was made in 1946.

It's not the cleanest machine in the world, but I've been partial to extra dirty machines lately. I want to get some restoration experience. And nothing gets you quite as familiar with sewing machine parts as having to give a machine a good, detailed cleaning.

Just look at all those cobwebs on the underside of the machine. The case was full of them too, as well as a heavy blanket of dust, and some long dead spider egg sacks. I took the whole thing outside on a mild, sunny Monday morning, and brushed it all out. A light wind was blowing in just the right direction to keep all that stuff from getting in my eyes or up my nose.

Here are some more before pictures.

Is this one heck of a thread tangle, or what? That must have been the last straw, but it wasn't difficult to remove.

The paint job does have some pin pricks in it, but for the most part the decals appear to be in good shape, though dim. There is a bit of rust also. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how she cleans up.

And remember that large box that sat inside the case, next to the machine? This is what was in it.

 

It's a buttonholer with the manual included. This type doesn't use templates. There are a few adjustments on the side that dictate the buttonhole size--I'll figure that all out later.  

Cleanup has already begun. I'm cleaning the parts that I can while I wait on some Kroil and a proper screwdriver set. I've got some stubborn screws that need loosening before I can look at the motor, and clean up the outside of the machine. In the meantime, I have plenty to keep me busy.