Singer Cabinet No. 40 project - reveal

Today I finished the last step of refinishing the sewing cabinet. It felt slightly rough after the first coat of polyurethane dried, so I sanded it all over with 220 sandpaper and brushed on another coat. This is what it had suggested on the can.

And it worked really well. Sanding created a bit of a whitish dusty look (which I wiped clean with barely damp paper towel) but it felt much smoother and after the 2nd coat of polyurethane dried the surfaces felt very smooth and nicely finished. I've varnished things before and never bothered to do the "sand between coats" step but I admit now that it really does make all the difference.

So now the cabinet is done and I can show it off. It really doesn't seem like that much work when you look back, it was just sort of frustrating at the time doing the stripping but I think I have the hang of it now. But it's a reminder that I wouldn't really want to try anything more ornate, or too big to rinse in the sink!

As I mentioned luckily it was really only the top that was damaged so the rest is still the original finish and in nice shape. This is the back view:It's funny because in the craiglist picture it really looked worse than it was. Also, the sides were up in the photo and one panel seemed to be sagging. I thought the hinges might need replacing and even had a quick look on ebay and found some listed. But when we picked up the table and moved it, a metal rod swung out and it turns out there's a support for the larger side panel that tucks into the table when it's not in use. And the hinges are in great shape and look practically new.

This support swings right out - there's a felt pad on the top

I used a cream-with-tan-stripes upholstery cotton (a sample square from the Textile Museum sale) to re-upholster the bench. I chose the light colours because it just lightens up the whole set which is a bit dark. Also it matches my new/vintage Bernina sewing machine - but that's a topic for another post. Here's a glimpse of the inside of the bench:
This is the table with the sides out and the drawer open. I didn't refinish the inside of the two side panels so they're not perfect but the polish with mineral oil spruced them up quite well. I did refinish the little panel in front of the sewing machine, so you can see what a nice match the stain was to the original finish.
I'm so glad that the cabinet turn out so well. As I mentioned it would have been less trouble to wait for one in great condition to turn up, but then again it's very satisfying to take something that's been a bit neglected and bring it back to life. Also it was a bargain at $55.

And don't forget that includes the sewing machine inside. That's been brought back to life too, I'll show that next post. Thank you for the comments!

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Singer Cabinet No. 40 project - part 2

The first stage of the sewing cabinet refinishing was stripping off the old varnish. This is the step I dread doing, and rarely do, mainly because it came end up in a big mess. Also there's a lot of different tips and warnings when you look it up online and it can be confusing.

close-up of the flaking varnish with bare wood showing

I don't want to recommend my way because every project is different, but I thought it might be helpful to show what I did. I would have liked to see more pictures before embarking on this step.

First of all, I have to say that this was probably the easiest kind of stripping job as it was only three flat panels. They unscrewed from the table and could be laid flat. But it was still a really yucky chore and I think it's natural to have a few moments when you wonder why you're bothering and wishing you'd just been patient and found a table in better condition to begin with. I was relieved that the rest of the cabinet was in good condition once I realized how hard it would have been to strip all the legs and little details.

I also accidentally found out that mineral oil (just baby oil available at any drugstore) does a surprisingly good job of covering up tons of scratches and marks, so I was able to restore the inner top of the table to the point where refinishing no longer seemed necessary. I just rubbed some oil on with a paper towel and it suddenly looked scratch-free and glossy.

I used rubber dishwashing gloves and an old paint brush. I took the small local shop's recommendation and used Circa 1850 Heavy Body Paint & Varnish Remover. This kind has a jelly consistency and clings in place so it doesn't make a runny mess. Definitely a good thing. It has a smell but it's not that bad at all - I think you need to work outdoors though.
You brush it on quite thickly, otherwise it will quickly dry out and not work very well. I waited 15 minutes, then used a scraper - gently so as not to gouge the wood.

I used this scraper, and wiped the gunk on a paper towel in a glass bowl. I had also poured the Paint & Varnish Remover into the glass bowl as glass can be cleaned up and will not get damaged by the chemicals.

After the first scrape

There was some varnish left over so I repeated this step.
After this there was still some varnish remnants (especially around the curved edges which are hard to get at with a flat scraper), which is when I realized I really did need the steel wool recommended to remove the last of the residue.

afterwards - the scrubbie washed clean

I think the one Bradley found for me is metal, but unlike steel wool it held it's shape and didn't compress and shred. Also it rinsed nicely and could be reused.

So the man in the store recommended washing after the stripping stage with soap and water to removed the chemicals left on the wood. And that's the part I don't recommend only because there are lots of online warnings about washing wood with water being a bad idea. And in some cases it could cause damage. But I just went ahead and did it, using the scrubbie at the same time to scrape off the last of the residue under hot water. I didn't use soap but the hot water and scrubbing seemed to be enough. Afterwards I quickly dried the pieces with paper towel and laid them to fully dry.

Luckily I ended up with some nice smooth panels of stripped wood. Ready for the next step!

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Singer Cabinet No. 40 project

My weekend project is this little sewing table that I picked up last weekend just before we went camping for a few days. It's one of those things that I didn't know existed until recently but turns out is a perfect design for our small living/dining/studio/crafts room. When I did some research I discovered it's the 1940s No. 40 Singer cabinet, designed for machines such as the lovely Singer 15-91 sewing machine which is what is tucked in there right now.

The great thing about the design is that the two leaves open and the sewing machine is lifted up and settled in the top. Then you have the two leaves as extra table space while you work. But when it's shut up it's quite small. The front panel is a funny drawer that is hinged at the bottom only and has small compartments inside.
It also has a matching bench that tucks underneath. The bench has a lid that lifts up with storage underneath for sewing accessories.

Also the style is similar to other furniture we've collected for the room, a 1940s side table, an Edwardian cabinet (to be shown later) and a Duncan Phyfe dining table. It's also mahogany which matches the cabinet. All craigslist finds! In this case it's going to be a labour of love because as you can see the finish is in very bad shape. It's mainly the top, the rest seems to be in quite good condition. The good news is that it's basically the varnish that has scraped off but underneath the wood is fine. So I've been working on refinishing that and I can show you my progress in the next couple of posts...

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