Lets see .... when I get a new to me machine I usually turn it over by hand to see it will sew that way.
Then I'll Tri-Flow it so it can start soaking. I also oil the motor if possible.
Then I check the wiring. Good wiring makes me happy ... less work to do.
Then if the machine looks like it will sew I'll thread it up, put some fabric under the foot and see what happens.
After that I pull off everything that can come off. I clean with oil, Hoppe's or denatured alcohol the mechanical things which needs cleaning.
I usually start under the top if it will come off, then go to the needle bar area, then under neath.
Then when done, I'll go back to the top and do it again.
The bed and arm will get cleaned only with oil and cotton pads or flannel if the machine is old enough to be Japaned and decaled. If it's a newer machine with real paint I'll use Simple Green sprayed on a cloth or paper towell to clean the surface.
I don't always remove the top tension. If the machine sews and the tension is good, I'll run a strip of dental floss, or thick thread or a very thin strip of fabric soaked in oil or solvent between the disks then dry it.
If the tension will not cooperate, or there is lots of gunk or rust I take it apart and clean it.
Will I buy a machine someone else has cleaned? Sure, but I'm usually disappointed cos I like to tinker with them. I almost always find something that needs fixed, adjusted or replaced; even on the best of them. It's rare to find a machine that needs nothing. But I have.
What do I charge when I sell them? Depends on how much I have in them. Usually I set the price then my wife jacks it up higher and so far we've sold 'em all. I really don't have a set formula to go by.
Joe
Last edited by J Miller; 09-13-2013 at 07:12 PM.