Oil, Water, Air and Oxidation

I know, sounds boring, but what you don't know about these things can hurt your machine.

Understanding how these elements interact with your machine will save you money!

So you got your sewing machine serviced 6 months ago and shoved it into the closet. That zipper that was threatening to break finally does and you get your trusty sewing machine out.
What the hey! It's frozen solid, you can't get the needle to move without a lot of force, it certainly won't sew.

Sitting a long time is bad! Chainsaw, antique auto, lawn mower, sewing machine. These things need to be run occasionally, if only to circulate fluids such as - you guessed it - oil.

Older, once-upon-a-time expensive machines have at the very least, oil channels that funnel oil to where it does the most good, some have wicks built in to constantly supply lubricant to the right parts.
Many inexpensive machines today don't have oil channels, they have a teflon washer that wears out. Then the machine rattles, eventually overheats and dies.

I'm sure at the time $79.95 seemed a great price - But 3 times a year? Unless you shell out at least $600 these days for a new one, you better have a dependable old one to fall back on.

The easiest machines to maintain are the most used. Quilters and Volunteers have the least problems because their machines are always in use.  Oil and lubricants can congeal, evaporate or slowly migrate to where they do no good in time. Once a month, drag old Gerty out and fire it up for several minutes. This helps circulate the lubricants over the moving parts and increases the life of the machine considerably. Use only white ( clear ) sewing machine oil specially made for sewing machines. Other lubricants can gunk up over time. Don't use grease - use pure white ( clear ) petroleum jelly. That's right - in the baby isle.

Use it or lose it...

Repair vs. Restoration - The difference is Black and White

Repair is what I do. Check electrics and timing, put petrolium jelly and white (clear) oil where it goes, clean everything and wipe down the outside.

What restoration specialists do is begin with total dis-assembly. Polish each metal part and paint the frame from the metal up. ( See link to restoration )

This is exacting and professional work, taking many hours. A lot of the time, customers will have to reserve an appointment to take in their machine to start the restoration process. Some specialize in various models such as Singer 222K.

If you can afford it, I imagine there's nothing as satisfying as using a 50 year old machine that looks as good as the day it was taken out of the box. Beautiful!