Hi Patty,
I know what you are talking about the cost of cleaning a machine. The nicks on your plate is somethng you can take care of yourself. There is a very fine sand paper you can use and it smooths out the nicks and burs you get from learning to use your machine. I ordered mine form Clotilda's catalog not to expensive and it does the job. I use a set of craft paint brushes to clean my machine. they are really small and some are flat so you can get in places otherwise you couldnt. Long handles help a lot too. good luck Bonnie