How often should I oil my machine?
 

I bought a used Bernina 630E machine and can't find any information about oiling it in the booklet. My old machine was a Sears and had to be cleaned and oiled frequently. Also I need information about where to oil it. If anyone can help me I'd sure appreciate it. Also, does it need to be cleaned and adjusted by a service person and how often. It seems to work fine but I don't want to ruin my machine. Thanks a bunch. I really enjoy reading the discussions on here. This is a very helpful site.

The newer electronic machines don't have that many user serviceable parts. I bought a Brother machine a couple of years ago, and found out that the only place one can use oil is in on the wick underneath the bobbin (it's a drop-in bobbin). My embroidery machine, according to the booklet, was oiled enough at the factory and it doesn't require more oiling. It recommends that if it needs servicing to take it to the dealer.

You might consider having it serviced first... then make sure the technician shows you what needs doing. Maybe you can "google" your machine for a service manual. Hope the machine gives you many years of fun sewing.

I took a class at the Bernina dealership, and the instructor stated that the Bernina's should be oiled every 8 hours. One of the ladies in the class pulled out a yellowish crusty bag, and said, "Is this the oil?" i.e. most of the women didn't know to oil that frequently. I know that before my Juki, I was totally negligent in oiling machines. The expression,"Nothing runs like a well-oiled machine" is true in sewing also. If you look at the guts of a machine the needle bar goes up and down, and it only makes sense to have it oiled often to reduce friction.

Please ask your Bernina dealership, or service repairman. You might be surprised.

whatever the manual says....

Here's the owner's manual for the Bernina Artistsa 630, from the Bernina website: http://www.bernina.com/getdoc/ad3439...4_0507_a630_EN

It's a PDF document that you can save on your computer or print. You have to have Adobe Acrobat Reader to read it, but most computers come pre-loaded with that software. If yours doesn't, then you can get it for free at www.adobe.com.

If that's not the right machine, then go here and search for your machine in the Support Info drop-down menu: http://www.bernina.com/en-US/Support-5

My dealer told me that I don't need to oil my machine as long as I'm bringing it in for an annual checkup because they'll do it for me and that's all it needs. If I do oil it myself it has the same sort of wick-under-the-bobbin arrangement labeelady mentioned.

If the oil has any color, it is not good oil to put in a sewing machine. Machine oil is clear and is made to evaporate. That's why you have to oil so frequently. Regular oil does not evaporate, it breaks down and loses it's lubricating properties. How would you get old oil out of a sewing machine? so don't use regular oil. I use Bernina oil for all my machines because I like the applicator bottle. Singer brand of machine oil is fine, probably the same, and easy to find at stores.

My Bernina (and yours too) has a built-in stitch counter. When it gets to a certain number of stitches (180,000???) the display tells you it's time to oil. However, I never rely on that stitch counter. I clean and oil frequently, more often if I'm using one of the lintier cotton threads. I generally check the area for lint with every bobbin change, and oil with perhaps every 2nd or 3rd bobbin. Some machines don't require oil, but these do, and putting it off until you take the Bernina in for service would definitely not be a good idea.

I oil my Bernina whenever I clean out the lint and everything. I use my machine a lot and it gets linty! I swear she runs so smoothly after doing this, just purrs along.