Sewing machine service 17 July 2013 at 9:14PM in Crafting 6 replies 868 views

cickly

Hi everyone!
I've had my sewing machine for about a year now and I keep reading that this is about the time I should get it serviced. I have looked into this before for an old machine, but couldn't find anyone locally who does this (I even asked in the local craft shops and they had no recommendations) It is not a computerised machine, so do you think I would be able to do it myself? Just find a guide online (or maybe the online place I bought it from) and have a go?
I am a bit scared I'll mess up all the timings though! Has anyone any experience in this area that they can clue me up on? Thanks:)

Katiehound

Has it got places that you can put in a drop of oil? That is all that I would do, and clear out all the bits of fluff which collect around the bobbin casing.

If the machine is running well then I would leave well alone! It costs about £70 to service my machine if I remember rightly and it has been serviced 3 times in 30 years. I have used it a huge amount and really only get it serviced & repaired when things have gone awry.

cickly

Katiehound wrote: »

If the machine is running well then I would leave well alone! It costs about £70 to service my machine if I remember rightly and it has been serviced 3 times in 30 years. I have used it a huge amount and really only get it serviced & repaired when things have gone awry.

Thanks Katiehound, that's reassuring. It does make a horrible clunky thud noise occasionally, but I tend to either ignore it or clean out the fluff like you said. That seams to sort it out! It didn't come with oil and I'm not really sure where it would go, I might do some research on that.

Also £70!? I think I might see a change of career coming my way!

Katiehound

Well, near the needle plate are a couple of holes for oil on my machine- it is more mechanical than computerised so maybe that is the difference. I also investigate all the bits that open, turn the wheel by hand to see the moving parts and if appropriate squirt a drop of oil. The machine certainly runs more quietly then!! You can get sewing machine oil where they sell machine needles etc. It lasts for a long time!!
As I said mine only gets a service when something goes wrong!!

pamperedprincess

Always check your manual - some machines should not be oiled. I think maybe the computerised ones. Mine is a Brother and the manual states it should not be oiled.

Battleaxe44

The computerised machines ate topped up with oil and this gets done when the machine is serviced by the authorised service person.

if your machine is mechanical, i would oil it in the little holes. Some people say use canned air, i do on both types of machines to blow the fluff out of the gubbins that i can see. I make sure the bobbin casing is clean and lint free, I use my vacuum cleaner for this, it amazing where lint gathers.

I use unwaxed dental floss through the tension discs where the machine is threaded. I take it through several times to help remove any bits of broken thread caught in there and also give the thread a spray of silicone (not the baking kind). it helps lubricate the tension discs. it is not necessary but I find it helps quieten things down. the non-computerised machines are good old workhorses, but do like a bit of TLC at times. If you are going to blow an bits out using the canned air make sure it has been given a shake before spraying, as moisture can get into the innards.

I found out by accident the other day, that WD40 is also good for quietening down a noisy machine. i gave my old Toyota a good spray with it, when I cleaned it. I used the machine for the heck of it and it hummed along very nicely.

If you are going to service it ourself, make sure you know where each screw was removed from. i wouldn;t touch the timing bits though if there is nothing wrong with tis, just give it a good clean and see what happens, don't overdo the oil...a little drop will do you...

cickly

Thanks for the tips everyone! That was a good one Battleaxe about remembering where everything goes. It might be a good idea for me to draw myself some little diagrams, then I can add any cleaning notes and refer back to them next time to see if what I did worked.
Ok, you've all made me feel brave, I'm going to just do it myself and see what happens!