Hi Cathy, I took the machine to a professional to clean, oil and do any service needed on the machine. He needed to use a rubber mallet and screwdriver to get the faceplate opened and off. It had so much dirt & grime in the tract it was "sealed". It can be done but if you have a sewing machine shop or someone that services old machines, I would take it to them. The guy that worked on mine hardly charged me because he had never seen a Minnesota machine. It only needed cleaning. Best of luck with your machine, they sew wonderfully.