Originally Posted by
miriam
I took a 401 in trade the other day. Today I tackled it. I knew the stitch selector was frozen. I cleaned and oiled. As I cleaned and oiled I realized it was much worse than I thought it was - the zig zag pins were frozen - the front and back selectors were frozen - the needle arm was not moving at all either. I oiled, gave time out, oiled, took apart things I didn't want apart - oiled, cleaned put things back, still frozen. I took time out. I finally used heat. I hate using heat. After 4 or 5 hours... Now it just needs the tension worked on - I noticed the screw that holds the bobbin tension is very loose. I bet the upper tension has been tampered with, too. The pressure foot tension was all but off - one more turn and I think someone might have been in for a surprise. That will need some adjustment, too.
And that's why people charge for a good service. I had a little rant on my blog about it this evening after someone tried to lowball me on a machine. Seriously? A fully serviced machine and you want it for $30? The machine in question took a "mere" 2 hours, but I have parts and other costs into it, and I was supposed to show her how to work it. That would end up being about $8 an hour. Might as well go work at A&W
OK, so I guess my rant wasn't quite done. Sorry.
Originally Posted by
miriam
dental pick?
That would be my choice before removing and cleaning the stack. Unless it's sticking or something, the time investment doesn't pay off. It's just for looks really.