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How To Clean and Oil Your Sewing Machine

First Steps

1. Locate and use sewing machine instruction book whenever possible.
2. Unplug sewing machine
3. Remove needle(s) from sewing machine.
4. Remove presser foot.
5. Remove needle plate.
6. Remove any outside panels that you feel comfortable removing.
7. If possible remove bobbin case, race cover and hook

Inspection

1. Electric cord for cuts, breaks, worn spots, cracks and looseness between it and plugs and foot controls.
2. Motor drive belts for splits and loose cord.
3. Bobbin winder tire for deep cracks and flat spots.
4. Needle plate for deep grooves and roughness around needle hole and needle hits.
5. Hooks for roughness and grooves
6. Wear or excessive looseness on hook and race assembly.
7. Up and down looseness on needle bar (side to side looseness is OK)

Any abnormalities should be corrected by repair or replacement.

De-lint and Clean

1. Hook and Race

2. Bobbin Case

3. Feed Dog area

4. Motor Ends

5. Area above needle and presser foot including tension discs.

6. Area around hook drivers, gears and belts. (Lint between gear teeth can be slid out using needle tip.)

You can try vacuuming places you cannot reach easily.

Oiling

1. Using oil supplied with machine or mineral or baby oil

2. Oil every part that moves against another, excluding rubber parts (belts and bobbin winder tires) and electronic sensors.

Using the thin end of a screwdriver is a good method to control amounts of oil used.

Re-Assembly

1. In reverse order of disassembly.

2. If top cover has bobbin winder attached to it replacement can be tricky.  With winder engaged push cover to the right.
   until the winder will run, then tighten the top screws.  Winder should stop when disengaged.

3. Make sure bobbin holder is seated properly in machine.

4. Make sure no oil is on electronic sensors (thin blades on shafts).

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