You need to see this as a bigger image. Not only are there an assortment of pins and needles, there's a 6" needle behind the left side of the pulley, and a lovely miller moth.
This machine was froze-up. Do you see what I see? How does thread get behind there? It took me a little while to find the problem. Then it took about 20 minutes to remove the thread.
I don't know what she was sewing on, but it's pretty gummy in there.
Yes, YOU really do need to clean under your needle plate!
Yes, YOU really do need to clean under your feed dogs! Her complaint, "stitch #36 doesn't work."
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| "I didn't even know that part came off!" |
On top-loading (drop-in) bobbins, you should be comfortable with removing the needle plate and bobbin case. This should be cleaned out and oiled every-once-in-a-while.
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| "It's alright to sew over pins, right?" |
I've seen the bent pin under the bobbin case several times. As you can imagine, the machine doesn't sew very well with a bent pin underneath the bobbin case. The lint doesn't help either.
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| "I didn't know I was supposed to clean the bobbin area!" |
With an oscillating bobbin, you need to clean and oil the bobbin area about every 3 hours of sewing time.
That includes the feed dogs underneath the needle plate.
Here are some good reasons to
get your machine serviced regularly.
get your machine serviced regularly.
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| "My machine sounds really rough." |
After so much sewing, the driver gear can get packed with greasy lint. It really makes your machine sound bad, and can damage the gears on some machines.
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| "I don't remember the last time I brought it in for a service." |
Please don't go more than 5 years without a service.
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| "I sew EVERY day!" |
If you sew every day, get your machine serviced every year.
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| "My husband used the same oil that he uses on his car." |
Only use clear "sewing machine" oil.
The orange pieces are chunks of her lower belt.
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| Before... |
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| After... |
As you can imagine, she was complaining about her stitch quality.
We are amazed every time we encounter one of these situations. My grandmother in particular. She has been sewing & quilting for YEARS. We sold her belongings last summer so they could move to Florida. I brought the sewing machine home. I was ashamed of her! I was surprised. I guess I assumed she knew to clean out the lint. Her machine was one of the dirtiest that we've ever encountered.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many times when just a quick clean and oil of the bobbin area would take care of the problem. It does amaze me when people don't realize this simple thing.
ReplyDeleteA picture is worth a thousand words...more true than ever as I look at these pictures. Wow...I wish I was a sewing machine mechanic. :)
ReplyDeleteI am always amazed by how much lint is in my machines after just a short amount of time. Since I rotate through the machines in my collection, I'm always cleaning and oiling them. I do have my grandmother's sewing machine that is locked up tight, I haven't opened it up yet but I'm sure it will look like much of the pictures above.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you take good care of your machines! When a sewing machine is locked up tight, it's usually the old oil that has turned into glue. To remove the old oil, we use WD-40. Then work the hand wheel and knobs until they're loosened, then run the machine. When everything is moving, remove the WD-40 and re-oil. We use an air compressor to remove the WD-40. You may need to use a can of air and some flannel rags. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThese machines look like some of the ones I have cleaned. I never thought of taking pictures of what I removed and how clean they can be when it is finished, but I will say a picture is worth a thousand words for certain.
ReplyDeletei just found your blog and I have to say I am very happy I did. Bless your heart, have you ever heard (I just step on the pedal and sew :) keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteThis made my day! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI was taught to sew in middle school, not once did we discuss maintenance!
ReplyDeleteSame Here. My Mom had told me a few things, but I found out how to take parts off through trial and error and lack of money to take to shop. This is a Great Blog
DeleteI am So Happy I found this blog. My clutch stopped disengaging for the bobbin winder when I had about 20 hours to go to finish a quilt for a Christmas present. I was taking the needle out to wind the bobbin and was going to take it to the shop in Jan. Something in my head told me in the middle of the night to check the internet first.....Your instructions were SO thorough and in less than an hour had it up and working. While I had it apart I cleaned and oiled all the Grunge out. There had been 3 quilts made since it was cleaned good. Thank You, Thank You from the Bottom of my Heart
ReplyDeleteThanks, Vickie! I hope you got your quilt finished in time.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite things has always been to clean and oil my machine. But I never knew how to take the top off my 930...and now i do! thank you, so much. sandy
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fun! I do my best to remove lint and oil my machines on a regular basis. Just bought a new foot pedal for my old Singer Zig Zag machine and went to wind up a bobbin. Found your site looking for a way to fix the little "hand" that stops the bobbin went it's full. One or more of my daughters used this machine in their teens and I have never been able to figure out how they managed to loosen this from the machine-it won't tighten and stay in place. Your site has given me the courage to dig in and figure this little mystery out. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAs I searched Google Images, there are several different Singer Zig-Zag machines. They all look like the plastic wonders that you can’t take the top off of. If you could take the top off, you would probably find a nut on the bottom of the “hand.” If you could remove the nut and add a lock washer, that might keep it in place.
ReplyDeleteI have a Singer Golden Touch and Sew, Model 758. Just wondering if the rubber feed dogs can be replaced with metal.
ReplyDeleteHi Texas Mom,
ReplyDeleteThere is a metal replacement for your feed dogs. The Brewer part number is M181843. The retail price is $3.20. You could probably get any sewing machine shop to order them for you.
Thanks! I am thrilled that I found your site. You are a wonderful resource.
ReplyDeleteHi Annette. My Pfaff 7510 just died. Doesn't show anything on the screen, and no movement at all. The power turns the light on and I swapped out another foot. (I have a lot of machines. Oh the shame I have... lol) Still nada. I used it just yesterday and it was fine. I like to fix things myself, if I can get around to it, and if I don't electrocute myself (that 'finger in the light socket' trick of my brothers in childhood ain't so funny after age 60) so if I can figure it out and get the part, I am happy to do it myself. I do keep my machines clean and oiled. Any ideas? I have even switched electrical outlets on a superstition (the light comes on with the existing outlet) but still nada, out of nowhere.
ReplyDeleteHi Cheeky,
ReplyDeleteOne thing to check first… is there a dimmer switch for your screen? There’s a “display” button on the right side on the front of the machine. Try pushing that a couple times.
If it’s not the dimmer switch, I’m afraid it’s time for a funeral. If other Pfaff dealers are the same as our local Pfaff dealer, you can’t get the part. And if you could, the price would be about the same for buying a new machine. They seem to phase their machine parts out pretty quickly, so you’ll feel like you need to buy a new machine. And I searched Brewer Sewing Supply, and there’s nothing for that particular model.
It may be time to find a new machine. Bernina has one for about $900 (model 330) that would be equivalent. Or the Bernina 350, which comes with a walking foot, is about $1300. Can you tell that I’m partial to Bernina?
Hi Annette. I was afraid you might say that. No, the dimmer switch doesn't work because there is no power going to the machine at all, except for the lamp. 8-(
ReplyDeleteI will rip it apart just to see if it is something obvious. One time years ago, after going through "Rowenta hell" with their horribile CS over an expensive iron, and it still no longer worked right, I opened it up and found a silver fish (California cockroach) on the tiny circuit board! How the hell it got in there I'll never know but I delicately brushed it off, closed it up and use it to this day. But I'm not holding my breath on this Pfaff 7510.
I already own a Viking 190, 9X0 (my late mother's, I forget the no., it's buried in a closet) a Bernina 930 (given to me by a friend years ago but I don't like it because of that certain noise that model makes that another friend's does too -- dealer says that's normal for that model; I plan to sell that so I can put the money towards a new machine perhaps), a QuikSew at my local Fabmo.org -- check them out!, pd. $25 -- someone said it didn't work but it does, actually a good Japanese machine and not junk), and an old Pfaff 190? from the 50s (great for leather; pd. $5 because the motor was once frozen). (And I've picked up 4 sergers cheap because people in the SF Bay Area dump good stuff cheap. You should see the $5K sofas dumped on the street! We live in a tech/financial bubble, for sure. Explains a lot politically too.)
I miss that Pfaff 7510 because of the auto walking foot. I take it that cheaper Bernina you mentioned does not have that auto walking foot? (I'm not against buying a new toy, although I was hoping for a pick'em up truck.)
Maybe I should get busy selling the old Bernina to get the new one? (I won't trade it at a dealer because I won't get much. CL or ebay for that since it has everything on it.)
I'll let you know if I can revive the Pfaff somehow but thanks for your quick response and your sage opinion. CB
Hi Annette. I recently acquired a singer 401a and have been getting it up and running. After some cleaning and oiling the stitch is great, and the tension seems to be balanced, but every once in a while the top thread 'jumps,' and binds the fabric. You have to pull gently on the fabric to get it moving again, and that usually breaks the thread. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteHi ShelliRae,
ReplyDeleteMy first thought is that the needle is hitting the hook or the needle plate. Put a new needle in. Then take the needle plate off and watch what the needle does. There should only be enough space between the needle and hook for one thread. And the needle shouldn’t be touching or deflecting off the hook.
Or maybe the needle plate has some burrs (rough spots) around the needle hole. You can use a very fine sandpaper (about 400 grit) to polish it smooth.
Then make sure you’re using good thread, and that your thread isn’t “spinning-out,” when the take-up lever moves upward. You can put a felt or denim pad under the spool to keep it from “spinning-out.” Or if the thread is dragging, you can put an empty bobbin under your spool to help it spin more freely.
Reminds me of my father who serviced televisions. I never knew what a cockroach was but my father would tell me about them because he found them in the insides of televisions.
ReplyDeleteHi Phillypat,
ReplyDeleteOh, I can just see those cockroaches coming out of the televisions! The worst we’ve had is a lady who brings her machine in faithfully every year and they’re covered with bird poop. She has a pet magpie…. It’s pretty disgusting… I go through about 6 pair of rubber gloves.
Have a great Thursday, and keep your machine clean!
Hi, Annette. I love your site. The Hall of Shame gives me chills. I'm getting back into sewing after taking a break for over a decade. I just bought a used Kenmore 385.19233. The previous owner told me she only used it a few times. It came with one bobbin that had 4 different colors of thread on it so I know she used it at least 4 times. The whole machine feels tight. The needle threader even got stuck halfway between the up and down positions. The stories you tell make me wonder if it's stiff because of old oil. What parts of the machine should I take WD-40 to so that I can get this nice machine back in shape? I'm a little nervous about spraying it here, there and everywhere due to the electronics.
ReplyDeleteHi Annette: I love your pictures of dirty machines. I will explore more of your site. Any advice as to which used Bernina(old or older) machine is the best one to purchase. Or, which Bernina used machines to avoid??
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance if you answer this.
Hi Annette, Firstly, thank you for this wonderful site. I am really happy to have come across it. I have an older Babylock BL4 736 DF serger(overlocker). It has begun to act up. It sews a beautiful stitch for a while then begins to labor and slow down until it is almost at a stop. I have taken off the bottom plate (having the machine on its back) and watched the moving parts to see what seems to be under labor. The parts underneath the feed dog on the left hand side stop moving or move intermitently when it slows down. It is very clean under there and I have oiled moving parts. Could it be needing replacement brushes and where do I find those? What do they look like? Thank you in anticipation.
ReplyDeleteHello Annette: What a site! Fabulous, and thank you! I have a 1970s Singer Fashion Mate Model 252 (Zig Zag). Needs tightening of belt, found this which matches direx on page 38 in book (which I have!) http://www.singerco.com/uploads/download/1315_257.pdf but bracket won't budge, though I can see there's room for play and I tried loosening it with WD40. Ideas?
ReplyDeleteHi J,
DeleteWD-40 is a great start. When I can’t get something loosened, I get out my mechanics gloves. I got mine at Lowe’s in with the garden gloves for less than $15. It makes my hands soooo much stronger, because it gives me a great grip. If you’re using a flat screwdriver, try to find an L-shaped screwdriver, or a folding driver with different bits. It gives you more torque. Use the biggest, longest screwdriver that will fit. Also gives more torque. Some motor mount screws can also be loosened with an open end wrench – slotted screw with hex head bolt. If you push the machine up against a wall, then you can put your body weight into it, so the screwdriver doesn’t slip out of the slot as easy.
Good Luck to You!
I've got the screw loose. (Oh that was fun to type.) It's the two touching metal plates that won't budge. As if they are designed not to, but I can see plenty of available "track" that the outside part could slide down. (I'm trying to make the belt tighter.)
DeleteOK. Be liberal with the WD-40 and then add heat with a hair dryer. Make certain that there isn’t a second screw.
DeleteThat worked! The heat was key. Thank you for rescuing my 50-year-old machine which I loooooove. Where can I donate to your site to properly thank you?
ReplyDeleteYeah!!! Those old machines are still awesome!
ReplyDeleteNo place to donate. I just like to help people.
Good karma back at you.
DeleteI've been learning to do maintenance on my machines on YouTube because 'repair men' are becoming extinct around here. Sunny So Cal. I've been rescuing machines from the thrift store (5 plus my 2) I can't stand to see them sit there. Anyway, this is a great go-to site I found on Pinterest.
ReplyDeleteHi Gloria,
DeleteHave fun fixing your machines. And send an email if there’s something I can help you with.
Can I get an email for you. I have a question on a knee lifter component for a Pfaff 463
ReplyDeleteHi Regina,
DeleteYou've got my email, and I replied back to you. Here's what I said...
"You've got an industrial machine. I only work on domestic machines. But, If you're having a hard time finding parts for a Pfaff, you may be able to find a Juki part that is the same. Juki has made a lot of other brands of sewing machines. So look for parts for a Juki 463. It may be the same machine.
I'd try bending the pin, but only if you have another of the same part, just in case the bend doesn't work.
Good Luck to You!"
Hello-- I just read your whole website-- what a great service. I'm a new Bernina Serger owner-- inherited from my late mother-in-law, but it has a broken thing that I was calling a spindle but that I now know is called a spool pin. It didn't come with a manual-- at least, not in the mountain of stuff I've sorted so far. I sew a little-- mostly easy A-line dresses for my daughter and things like curtains. I have a 20-year old Brother (the kind they use to sell for home ec classes) in mint condition that does what I need, although I now know to take it in and get it cleaned (!). I'd like to donate the Bernina to someone who could really use it. It's pretty hefty to ship so I wondered if you could suggest the kind of group that might benefit. Do quilters use them? Should I just offer it on Craig's list? And since I assume it should be cleaned and of course I'd like to get that pin repaired before I give it away, would my local sewing machine shop know how to replace that pin like you showed in the pictures? My spouse is pretty handy but I don't know where we would find a replacement pin. My mother-in-law loved it, and she'd be happy to know I found it a loving home. Happy for any advice,
ReplyDeleteJeanne
Bahahaha! Love the Rogue's Gallery. They remind me of the repairman whpo gave a lady her machine back after cleaning it and she called the shop and asked why he didn't replace her felt pad under the feed dogs. He must have had such fun explaining that to her.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm off to explore the rest of your goodies.
Love you!
TheMadPatter
I absolutely laughed out loud after reading your comment!! That is hilarious!
DeleteI really hope this is still being monitored! I have a Kenmore 158.950 Model 95 machine that uses pattern discs or cams, placed into a compartment atop the machine. With pattern disc 1 in place, it will do a satin stitch, but today when attempting to zigzag some seam allowances I found that it will only perform the side-to-side zigzag movement to the right, and not very far. Actually it starts wide and moves in both directions, but after a couple of stitches it goes mostly straight. I had the machine overhauled a little while back, but have moved far away from any sewing machine repairmen. Any idea what is causing this, and how I could fix it? Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteHi Kiter,
DeleteThat's a great old machine!
Usually, the problem is from the stitch width mechanism being gummed up. It's somewhere in the top of the machine. What we do at the shop, is to spray WD-40 on everything in the top of the machine and work it around until it breaks free. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort. Here's how we use WD-40 at the shop. http://shesasewingmachinemechanic.blogspot.com/2014/12/using-wd-40-on-sewing-machines.html
Another thing that may help is to use a blow dryer to heat things up.
Another thing that happens is the spring that moves the needle side to side on the needle bar, looses it's spring. Some machines have a screw on the front of the needle bar to tighten it up, others require some bending.
I also have an old Kenmore that uses cams. I had not used it for years so when I went to try it out, I couldn't remove the cam. Unfortunately I couldn't remember how to do it either, so I used force (a very large plier with a long handle) and tried to twist it. I sheared off the pin that holds the cams. It still sews, but I was wondering if there was a part I could buy to replace what I broke.
ReplyDeleteIf those parts are available, you could find them here. https://www.searspartsdirect.com/ Just type your model number in the search bar then figure out from the parts diagrams which parts you need.
DeleteIf they're not available, you can try to find a parts machine on Ebay. You might even find a working machine to replace the one you've got.
Good Luck to You!
Hi, I just recently acquired an old White model 951 machine in very good cosmetic shape and with original instruction book. Oddly the book does NOT say what bobbin the machine takes But the drawings suggest a singer class 15 (lots of holes in the bobbin). The machine was pre-threaded when I tested it --so I just sewed several test pieces - stitching was ok but tension was off - I moved top tension all the way down to keep bobbin thread from showing on top. Sewed 10 feet of a project - when bobbin ran out of thread I pulled the vertical bobbin case and was shocked to see a singer class 66 bobbin in there. I was happy because I figured when I put the correct class 15 bobbin in the tension would be better and the machine (already sewing OK) I expected would sew great. shockingly the class 15 bobbin makes the machine almost un-useable. with the 15 bobbin the bobbin thread will hardly pull out and after sewing less than an inch it will either jam or pop the bobbin case right off the machine. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated ?
ReplyDeleteUpdate on White 951, I tried a new singer class 15 bobbin in the machine and it is working better. the initial bobbin I tried was seemingly in good shape But for whatever reason (slightly bent, or slightly oversized or something ?) the original class 15 I tried didn't work at all.
Deletethe machine itself is ok - struggles a bit with 4 layers of regular cotton fabric. But 2 or 3 layers it works fine.
Greetings:
ReplyDeleteI might have some White bobbins for you. I need to check to see first. Not sure how to connect with you. Please let me know. I just saw this link in my social section of my email.
Does anyone have any experience with juki ms-1190 offarms ???? I am pretty handy with them but can not get it to chain when the material comes out!! Please help
ReplyDeleteI just found your site while googling how to repair my bobbin winder. i have been watching youtube videos the past 2 years on sewing after not being active in the hobby for a number of years. i am 52 years old. i started sewing when i was about 9, took classes in junior high and high school. besides using oil (4 in 1), i have never been told to clean OR service my machines! i did not know i was supposed to take it apart to clean lint and such out until i started watching various youtube creators. and service?? i just thought you were supposed to take them in when something wasn't working. can't imagine how my first machine "just stopped working....". i've been using modern machines since the 90s, but just picked up a nice white 710 rotary (i suspect from the 50s as made in japan). it has ONE bobbin with it and the modern ones that say they will work, don't. so now trying to find original vintage ones. can't wait to read thru more of your site.
ReplyDelete