So,

I just finished that huge bumble bee quilt (and a couple of other small projects) and realized that I haven't cleaned and oiled either machine since I bought them (Bad Jessica!) but the oldest one is really only 6 months old. (Don't hit too hard!)

So I got the manuals out for both of them, cleaned as instructed, but NO WHERE in EITHER manual did it say anything about oil! As a matter of fact it said not to oil a particular part of the bobbin area.

Am I doing it wrong?

(OMG the lint that came out -- almost gagged a little)

If it didn't say anywhere under the Maintenance section on where to oil, then don't oil it. There are many machines out these days that don't need oil. Where did you get it from? Maybe you could ask there. Or go to the Brother website and look there.

You've taken the first step to keeping your baby running smoothly. From now on, clean her often. One trick I learned from a Bernina repairman, take a q-tip and put one drop of oil on it. Then clean the machine again. You'll be surprised how much more lint you will get out. Be sure to avoid the areas the manual says not to oil. Be sure to only use sewing machine oil. Good rule of thumb, check how dirty the bobbin case is every time you change the bobbin. It only takes a few minutes to clean the machine, and makes her purr afterward. Be sure to pop off the throat plate and clean under the feed dogs.
Never use canned air.

I get so excited to sew I forget to clean my baby. I have made a rule to clean it before each project. That helps me remember.

Unless you're only making runners and table mats, that won't be often enough. Like changing your needle every 8 hours, you should clean the lint out about the same. Lint build up can slow down or break your machine. It gets caught in the moving parts. I try to clean it at the end of each day I sew. That way it's ready for me when I sit back sown at the machine the next day

Do they have a drop-in bobbin? If so, I was told in my Babylock Machine Maintenance class to take the bobbin shuttle out and put 1 drop (no more) in the center wick area. Mine has a little dot there. Check if your shuttle comes out and if there is a spot that could be oiled. The teacher said not to overoil though.

I know several of my machines say don't oil.
but my juki says oil daily
I also clean with each bobbin change
I have a set of makeup brushes with long handles
you can get back in there and pull all kinds of things out!
I have made this a habit because a few years ago a big ball of that link got pulled back up with the needle and when it came down for the next stitch broke the needle and threw off the timing!
an expensive repair bill can have you brushing lint in a jiffy!

The no oil machines have self lubricating silicone parts, when the machine is in use the parts are lubricating themselves. Don't let one sit unused for a long period of time. Oil itself won't hurt the silicone lubed parts just collect a lot of lint and dust that could cause the parts to start to bog down. I oil my no oil machines on any metal part that moves.

Why not use canned air?????????????????????????????????
Bev

Why not use canned air?????????????????????????
Just wondering
Bev