I was letting my mouse wander freely through eBay today and noticed several things of interest. Somehow my mouse went directly to "Featherweight 221"

I am Always interested in the "RARE" machines, AND THERE ARE SOOOOO MANY RARE MACHINES" on eBay. I really must do some research as I swear I NEVER KNEW THERE WERE SO MANY "RARE MACHINES" AND I must have about 30 of those same machines. I'M WILDLY RICH!!!!

There was another machine that kind of looked like a Featherweight, I mean, it had a needle and it had a hand wheel. It must be quite good as the title of the auction stated "MADE IN CANADA AND IT DOES ALL THE THINGS A FEATHERWEIGHT DOES. Now there's a commendation. $89 plus $36.00 for shipping "as it is a heavy Featherweight."

Another was a person who was selling touch-up paint for Singer model 301's. Brown ones. A one ounce bottle was going for $18, but it had a brush in its cap!

If you have a white (pale celery) Featherweight with paint chips there is a solution. I will assume you have a copy of my book "The Featherweight 221 and I". In the last half of the book I go into repairing chips in the paint of a Featherweight and although I was talking of a black machine, it goes the same way with the celery white machines. In basic you clean the hole in the paint that is the chip and fill the chip with paint, NOT IN BRUSH STROKES, but dip into the paint in the tubes I will describe and let a drip/drop of paint touch down and fill the hole a little more than flush.

That's not the issue here, I want to tell you the formula for the color so you can make a very acceptable mix that will not disappoint.

At better automotive shops (for some reason, not NAPA) you can buy tubes of Dupli-Color automotive (lacquer based) touch-up paint that comes in a tube that looks like a short felt-tip pen in a blister pack hanging on a peg. You need two at about $7 each.

The first is "Pure White", part number NG GM 387.
The second is "Dark Green", part number NG GM 517.

Shake the tubes of paint to mix them and open the new tube of White paint and open the dark green as well. I make a point out of "a new tube of white" so we have a known amount of paint in the tube when we mix the color we are going for. From the Dark Green tube take 16 drops of paint and add it to the white paint. The process is like this; with the white tube open, open the green and using the green tube's brush, mounted on the inside of the cap, dip deep into the green and let the paint run down the brush and drip into the white paint. 16 times. Do not cross pollinate the brushes, keep the white paint white and the green brush green. Only when you have acquired your 16 drops of green paint and put them into the white paint can you put the white paint's brush back into the white paint's tube. (read these words a few times and it will make sense), seal it up and shake the fool out of it. There is a weight within the tube that will thunk up and down mixing the paint for you.

Before you use your paint, shake it to mix it well BUT LET IT SIT QUIET FOR AN HOUR BEFORE APPLYING IT. Shaking the paint tube will mix air into the paint that we pros call bubbles. If you let it set for an hour the bubbles rise to the top and pop, a process we pros call p...................

You can apply a little of your touch-up anywhere on the base of the machine and check the color mach. You can wipe the touch-up paint off with a little lacquer thinner or acetone on a rag and you will not damage the paint on the white machine. DO NOT GET LACQUER THINNER OR ACETONE NEAR ANY OF THE BLACK LETTERING ON THE WHITE MACHINES BASE OR ARM/LIGHT SHADE AND DO NOT WIPE THE ALUMINUM BAND AROUND THE MOTOR. For those having a black machine as well, DON'T WIPE THE FINISH WITH AN ACETONE/LACQUER THINNER SOAKED RAG, EVER, except to remove the paint from a black machine.

NOW YOU'VE GOT A FULL OUNCE OF PAINT FOR $14 WHICH MAKES THE FELLOW ON EBAY not LOOK look so odious, EXCEPT MINE IS A PERFECT MATCH, says the color blind man who is writing this.

Say goodnight, Dave
Goodnight.

Source: Dave's Blog