I have had my MIL old singer in our bonus room for a long time and finally opened it and set it up--it is a cabinet where the machine folds down. It seems to work fine but it needs a good cleaning and I think probably some maintenance. Is it ok to just follow the manual and do what it says or do you all think I need to take it a professional? It would be nice to have this as a 2nd machine for piecing when I have my other machine set up for quilting. Thanks in advance for any help, once I get it cleaned up I will post pics.

I would do it yourself especially if it was well maintained. We buy vintage machines all the time and my hubby does everything cleaning and swapping parts etc if needed.

I clean and lubricate my old Kenmore all of the time, your manual should give you all of the information that you need :D:D:D

Those old machines without all the whistles and bells were easily maintained at home. Clean it, oil it if need be and sew. I just gave away a Singer Stylist today that was in perfect running order. It was one I don't use and one of the ladies in our church needed a machine that worked. She's bringing me two machines tonight that don't work to see if I can fix them.

What a great machine. It's part of the family. Have fun with it.