Necchi BU Mira

This machine was a gift that I bought for myself while on a girls' weekend in Wisconsin.  My college roommate and I met in Milwaukee this summer for a couple days of fun.  We checked out the Schlitz Audubon Society, Havenwoods State Forest, and great restaurants.  J, what do you say, shall we do it again next summer?  On the first day I got to the hotel a bit early so I made a quick side trip down the street to the Goodwill.  There was only one machine in the whole place, but I was completely taken with it.  The machine was hidden in a broken cabinet in the back of the store surrounded by furniture and buried under some boxes.  I almost walked right by it, but the type of legs on the cabinet spurred me to take a closer look.  Inside the cabinet I found the discolored and somewhat worn BU Mira. The hand wheel would barely turn, but the wiring was crumbling and I didn't want to plug it in to try it out. Near the hand wheel was an attachment that I did not recognize and I guessed it was a wonder wheel. There was a small box of accessories and three discs for the wonder wheel in the door of the cabinet, and I practically ran up to the counter to purchase all of it.  I spent the next few days hauling a sewing machine and cabinet in the back of my car everywhere we went.  I was tempted to carry it into the hotel one night so I could look at it, but my friend gave me the 'you might be a bit too crazy' look, so the machine stayed in my car until I got back to Chicago.
When I finally got home, I took the machine out of the crumbling cabinet and threw the cabinet away.

The lighting is a bit dark in the garage

Top view: Lots of oil residue discoloring the paint

The bed looks to be in pretty good condition

  The tire for the wonder wheel and the bobbin winder need to be replaced

The belt looks to be in good shape

There a good collection of lint and such behind the faceplate

Handy panel for access to innards

You can see some wear on the side of the bed--maybe from the cabinet

Oil ports keep out dust, but have accumulated a residue around them over time

Some paint worn off on the bed and body

I did not get a manual with this machine, so I had to go online and do a bit of reading before I started cleaning her up.  This machine is from the early 1950's.  The Mira is a top-of-the-line Necchi and it will sew straight stitch, zig-zag, and reverse.  The wonder wheel allows the machine to do a few decorative stitches, but I don't think that I have all the pieces for this wheel right now.  The motor has two speeds, high and low, with a switch on the back.  There is also a built-in light. Since the wiring is crumbling, I did not try to see if the light works. The box of accessories came with a few class 15 bobbins, two needle plates, several different feet, an automatic threader, and what I am hoping are the wonder wheel rods. 

The plan was to have this machine working by Christmas.