Originally Posted by
miriam
I had one out of the trash that was covered in leaves and smelled like some of it was dog poo... well at least I thought it was dog poo..... it was a 401G though...
You are so right... usually I see lint, broken needles, backward needles, tension that is maladjusted, sprung tension springs, dried up oil... etc. You do have to know what to look for though. And I have seen people's eyes glass over at the thought of sewing anything let alone maintaining...
I just repaired the bobbin area in an Elna - somebody put it together wrong. It sews beautifully now. Miss L sewed her first quilt for her baby sister's doll today on that Elna. I fear I have spoiled her for life. She was used to old Singers. That Elna can go so slow it seems like one stitch at a time. She was thrilled. What I wonder is why somebody took the bobbin area apart in the first place?
As some know, I take care of my parents these days. I taught Dad to use the blender so he can make his own smoothie when he gets up in the morning. We had success for the first month or so. Then yesterday he used the blender, made a smoothie, turned it to take it off the unit and the top came off but not the bottom... Yup a mess. He did it again today only I just watched him clean it up... I tried not to laugh or swear... He knew how to use it. He just had a user problem. He's ready to quit... Maybe that is how it goes with sewing machines. People learn how, get familiar, get comfortable and forget what they know to do? One little glitch and they are through.
*shudder* That one would have stayed in the garbage almost regardless of model. The thing is that if people wanted to learn what I want to teach them, they would know what to look for, and the danger of leaving stuff (broken needles, lint, etc) in there and continuing to sew. I bet the bobbin case was either so linted up that it wouldn't sew anymore or they got something caught down there. Took it apart and then it didn't work anymore.
I think user problems happen at all stages of the learning and using process and for all reasons. It just depends on one's frustration level whether/when they quit. Those are education opportunities though when we see them. And lost opportunities when a tech just takes the machine to the back, turns the dial, sits there for a minute or two then brings it back out.
Originally Posted by
Cari-in-Oly
Cat barf isn't much better. I can't even hope it's something else. I have no excuses why those machines haven't been cleaned up.
Cari
Oh! That's awful, I agree! One of the cats hairballed on my ironing board. I've steam cleaned it twice. DH said he can't smell it but I can smell pork based home made cat food still and I'm terrified of hitting that with my iron! Rebuilding it this weekend. I just have to remember not to use that side until then.