[/quote]No, I didn't oil it. I have the instruction manual, a real plus. It shows how to open the face at the needle area, no problem, and a bird's eye view of the machine, but I am not sure how to get in there. I am hesitant to start removing screws and bits and pieces, without knowing what I am doing. I REALLY don't want to screw this machine up.[/quote]
When I take screws out of a machine I take only as many as needed to get one part off and when I am done with that part, put it back. I keep a muffin pan handy - put the screws in the pan in the order they come off. Use magnets and sticky notes too. Keep small hands and pets out of the area. Clean what ever you took off and put it back on. If you take off the nose plate there is usually one screw maybe two - some are hinged and don't have screws. There isn't anything else in there you want to remove if you can possibly help it. Then go the tension. Don't remove anything or adjust anything if it works. You can clean it like Muv does in her video on cleaning. Then look at the bobbin area. How much gunk is in there? Get a small brush or a pipe cleaner and clear out any lint. If it is fairly clean just oil it up. If it is gross you might want to take it apart - see a manual for that - again use a muffin pan - take pictures if necessary. Turn the machine upside down. There may be a pan. It usually only has one screw - oil anything that moves. On the top of the machine. Some can open up some just have big holes with covers. Oil anything that moves. If there is dried up gunky oil you will need to clean it with something that will dissolve the oil. That's about as hard as it gets. White is a good sewing machine - worth the trouble. If you want to practice find an old machine for free or cheap and take it apart and put it back together - nothing to lose. If it works then you win. Do you have a friend that can help? It is fun to do it with a friend. You both can learn.