The Endless Project - My Re-painted Sewing Machine

Not too long ago I obtained this old Japanese made Zig Zag Edison for a few bucks.  My intention was to fix it because I wanted to get better at maintaining my machines.  This machine needed a new band, the tension needed re-assembling, oiling/lubrication and a good cleaning.  A few months later, it was up and running fine but not perfect.  Still, I was not happy with the overall color.  So I considered giving it away or selling.  I soon realized that no one would be interested in this is old, heavy (40 pound) machine without a base and without all the bells and whistles you can get with a new lightweight machine.

Stripping process

I am sure that this was a very nice light pink sewing machine when it was new but now the "pink" just looked like a boring salmon-y color.  I had some epoxy paint remover in my garage and decided to strip it and repaint it a color you do not normally see on sewing machines.

All pieces coated in primer

I had to basically take the machine apart as much as I could and cover everything with plastic and masking tape.

Almost done

I know.  Red.  What?  Well I have not seen many red sewing machines except for the plastic Hello Kitty sewing machine and older Husqvarnas.

I did not paint the motor or motor bracket and the inside of the fly-wheel because the front of the machine still has some pink on it.  And the base?  I  purchased the base from an eBay seller for a different machine but that machine now has its own case.  The base was brown but I repainted it as well. 


The upper tension and bobbin tension are just not agreeing with each other and nothing seems to work; it just keeps puckering up the fabric.  I have checked everything, oiled every required spot, replaced the needle, changed the thread, checked for burrs on the needle plate, and still nothing. This is the only high shank sewing machine that I own.  Taking it to the local repair shop is out of the question as the service would cost way more than what I paid for the machine.  So,  I guess this will be my on-going project for a while.  I think I love the color.  What do you think?