I have an old White's sewing machine. Some say to strip it and redo it.
I'm more for a light sanding, some staining and dark staining of gouges and
then a light finish coat of clear. Or two.

Either way, this brand is not going to be significantly improved in value
with a full on restoration.

My wife's hall tree wood hat/coat rack needs some work, both straightening
and finding one missing hat/coat hanger. It's very sentimental to us, and
I'd like it to look nice, yet keep it looking old, as to make it new would
destroy it's ambience.

When it comes to furniture restoring, where's the line?

I see all the time where TV shows say that "restoring" furniture devalues it
sometimes by 75%.

Steve