Originally Posted by
pennycandy
It is a left homing machine. You may have to remove the top cover and do some more cleaning and oiling. Allow time for the oil to penetrate the crud for several days before oiling again.
I agree.
Glad you got the manual. Sometimes, to change to the zigzag or decorative stitches one needs to have knobs or levers in a particular position before something else can be changed. With the top off, one might be able to tell where it is supposed to move to oil and clean. Another thought is that there are some machines that the bobbin and associated/connected parts move as well as the top. The top gears and cams move the needle bar from the top and the connects to the bottom so that the hook assembly is in the correct position to make the stitch.
A way to double check if it is left homing is if you have a straight stitch foot or straight stitch needle plate (which should be shown in the manual) and see where the hole is in the needle plate and where the needle should be in the foot in relationship to the feed dogs.
Also, sometimes one can get it freed up, but the next time it doesn't work the same. This is sometimes because the gunk got moved and then "freezes" up again. Sometimes it takes multiple cleaning and oiling to get it all flushed out.
Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.