Spring Cleaning (not really, just cleaning while it's Spring)

I've been doing a lot of sewing, (like this, this, this, and this) and all of a sudden

I was wondering why my tension was off, 

and why my stitches looked like poo.

Ethel, my workhorse. 

Maybe because of this...

bobbin case

or this...

Or all of the above? 

Yes, yes, and yes.

+Singer 66+ The Cleaning

I've acquired a Singer 66, from 1926 and I'm going to attempt to convert it into a handcrank machine. It was in a table that was pretty torn up, or in Craiglist terms, "Shabby-chic".

TaBLe:

~voices inside my head softly chanting: "Plug it in. Plug it in."

I took off the face plate, round cover plate, bobbin cover, and presser foot to soak in a vinegar bath( I used distilled white vinegar because that's what I had on hand. Though I've read to use non-distilled.) to remove the rust.

BeFOreS:

SoaKiNg:

The parts soaked about 2 hours, then I used a soft nail brush, kind of like a giant toothbrush for nails and some baking soda to scrub the pieces. And I confess I used a brillo pad to clean the really tough crud on the sides and back. . .OKAY! I used it on the front of the pieces too, but gently. Then they soaked some more. I rinsed them off in soapy hot water and dried them really well.

FinISHEd: