How often do you (should you) use your secondary machines?
 

I just realized recently that I've been sewing exclusively on one machine for quite awhile. It's been over three years since I touched one of my older ones. I think I'm only keeping it for sentimental reasons! Even my Featherweight has been idled since COVID has kept me from retreats and traveling. How often do you alternate? Should I make a project on each of my backups to keep them in shape?

I was told by a Janome tech that all the no oil machines should be run often or the silicone gears will harden. The silicon embedded gears need to stay lubricated and the only way to do that is to run it and not let it sit in a closet for months. If harden then it is sewing with no lubrication until the gears heat up and that is a bad thing. The machine you oil shouldn't be a problem not being used for long periods even decades as you can oil the gears before using.

I get out my ( backup machine) when my main machine has to go into the ( service shop) for maintenance or repair- it’s never been a problem going a couple years without using one.

It happened to me this year that my high end Bernina was having issues, just when I was ready to take it to the shop, covid struck and the shop was deemed non-essential and closed. When I got out my trusty old vintage machine, the foot pedal fell to the floor and there was like a bakelite/early plastic insert in there that just shattered. Thrift stores were also closed, my usual place to look for a vintage foot pedal.

I got out my super low end portable Brother to make masks, and let my next door neighbor borrow my 301. Still had at least 1 working machine and one that could be working with a bit of oil and cleaning.

Feeling better about my spares...

some times I got three machine set up in my sewing place and that is in my big kitchen, I have a four bedroom house but I also have a little poodle that will not stay with me in the bedroom while i sew lol she will lay at the door and bark down the hall sooooooooo I am getting up all the time to look and see if she sees something so now she lays on the sofa and we get along fine.

Right now I am working with my Janome that I purchased in the mid 1980's. I just had it in the shop for cleaning and minor repair. I also recently did the same with one of my FW machines. I used it the whole time the Janome was out of service. the next one to go in the shop will be the Juki for cleaning and timing issues. When it comes back I will use it as my primary machine as I am partial to it. I have 13 different machines here and only one is not in working order. I change machines just because I want to keep all of them working well especially my vintage machines. So the primary machine depends more on my mood than anything else. Service is the key as to when I change.

My 2 main machines get used a lot. My FW gets used when I want to watch a movie or a series, etc, but I don't worry about older machines. They need very little other than cleaning and oiling.

I have 4 piecing machines, my FMQ machine and my Bernina which is my general sewing machine. I rotate the piecing machines every project so that they get used regularly. I also keep a spreadsheet of when I oil them so that that gets done regularly also. Mine usually get used every few months. More if i'm doing a lot of piecing.

I do pieceing on my Janome, FMQ on the Bernina, and string pieceing on the vintage Viking which belonged to my mother. So each machine has its own particular function so to speak, and each gets used regularly.

great question--I have used both my computerized machines a number of times during the pandemic--my lightweight because the good machine in for maintenance which lasted longer than usual due to "sewing machine rush". But my two mechanical ones--the industrial and my original Deluxe machine don't get used as often--when I do dig them out I oil before use. I did pull out the Deluxe when my good Elna was tired from making 4 layer masks for the local medical center and my lightweight Brother travel machine wasn't tough enough. Amazing how small the harp to the Deluxe is! But other than no needle up/down which I dearly missed, it tackled the masks without issue!