Hello lkirtley
Show us some pictures of your machine - we want to admire it!
Don't be scared of cleaning up a machine. A few years back I started asking around at sewing machine shops for old machines. Even though they know how to fix and service them, they really aren't interested in them because they don't earn them enough money. If I wanted one from them (if they found one) and if I wanted one serviced, either way it would be £35. Needless to say they never came back to me with a second hand machine, so I started looking on Ebay for machines and taught myself how to clean them up. It's not difficult, and I made the videos so other people could have as much fun as I have had. Get cracking - you can do it!
PS I am a real girlie and wouldn't dream of using a screwdriver on anything but a sewing machine.