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pjnesler---a craft pipecleaner will get in so many of those spaces that a brush will not get to. Bend it in half and use the fold to poke around the bobbin area and you will be surprised how much lint it will pick up and stick to the pipe cleaner. The pipe cleaner will bend and not harm your machine.
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I once had a student who's machine was very noisy and producing less than quality stitches. We changed needles, re-threaded the machine, checked the bobbin, cleaned around the bobbin area, etc. but with little change. Finally, I asked if she had her little screw driver so we could take the plate off and she looked at me funny and said, "I always wondered why that screw driver was here." Needless to say there was a lot of lint build up there and when I removed it, it looked like a mini felted wool blanket!
The machine sewed beautifully after that, but the student was not quite happy. When I asked her what was wrong, she said that the machine was now too quiet and she kind if missed that familiar rhythmic pounding sound. She got used to the quiet and now regularly cleans her machine. We still laugh about that. :-) |
Originally Posted by quilttiludrop
Originally Posted by Jennie and Me
Yep, my Viking hates lint.
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I have had that same problem. The stuff packed in the bobbin casing area was like thick gray felt. Icky!
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I have a friend who always preferred to hand sew her blocks - 'til we cleaned out all the lint in her machine!
Thanks for the good reminder! |
Great reminder! I just bought a new Viking and I need to clean mine too. Even have the attachments for my vacuum cleaner.
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Originally Posted by spartan quilter
I have finally gotten in the habit of removing my needle plate every time, I put in a new bobbin of thread. I am amazed at how much lint gets under it. It really is good to clean out the lint.
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My rule of thumb is to pre-wind three bobbins for whatever color of thread I am working with. When the bobbins are out, it is time to take off the plate and remove lint! It is amazing what can build up in that time.
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I also use pipe cleaners to clean my machine. Amazing how much lint gets way down in all those nooks and crannies. When i owned the shop and sold Janome's that usually was the main problem when people brought their machines in. Favorite saying "I didn't know I had to clean it." DUH!!!!
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I clean out all visible lint when I change the bobbin and give it a good cleaning before quilting a quilt. If there is a lot of lint I clean it again.
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What??!!! You're supposed to clean them?? No wonder my machines been acting a little crazy lately. I'm going to have to make this my weekend project!
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Originally Posted by jljack
My modern Brother machine had been very trouble free for the 18 months I have had it. It was great and had 80 decorative stitches, was a strong stitcher, etc. I had no complaints about it at all.
About 3 weeks ago it started acting really strange, tangling bobbin thread, breaking top thread at the feeddogs, not moving the fabric through right. I set it on the floor and took out my vintage Singer 301 and Featherweight and finished a couple of projects. Last night DH helped me get the needle plate off to take a look. Well, goodness!! No wonder it was acting strange!! I realized not once had I taken that plate off, and every single nook, cranny, spring, space, crack, feeddog track and all was packed solid with lint. DUH!!! I just hadn't thought about it, since it's a drop in bobbin in front of the foot. SO....CLEAN YOUR MACHINE!! I should post that over my thread rack on the wall. Sorry, little Brother machine....I promise not to neglect you again!! |
I found a little vacuum attachment set on line that has an adapter to connect to my vacuum's hose.They are sized to clean out sewing machines and computers and keyboards. Those cans of air have moisture in them that can eventually damage the machine and just blow the lint further into the machine workings.
The attachment set was only $10 and I think well worth it. I found it on Amazon and a couple of other places. |
I've done that
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I'm sure most of us had done this to some degree in the past. I have a little spot next to the bobbin case where I can see through my clear bobbin cover. When I start to see some lint building up in there, I stop what I'm doing and clean it ou, it saves a lot of headaches later on. Also, be sure to clean between the feed dogs. I find a soft, used toothbrush helps there, and I have a small, short bristled brush that I use to clean out the rest of the cavity area. The first time I cleaned out between my feed dogs, I think I could have used the lint as a piece of tiny felt, it had built up that long. Look at it as a lesson learned that you won't repeat in the future. Every day we have a new learning experience. Happy quilting - lint free.
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I'm glad you didn't burn up your motor!
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I am bad about cleaning my machines too. Get so involved in sewing I just don't think about it. But when I do clean, what a difference it makes. Maybe they should start making machines with "Clean Me" printed on them. LOL
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Originally Posted by quilting.addict
I never thought about cleaning my Viking. Of course, I had never quilted before. So seven years go by and my sweet machine starts acting up. I take the bobbin area apart...lo and behold, I had enough to lint to make batting for a baby quilt!!! LOL
My Viking works so much better after a good cleaning, too!! |
My first quilt teacher did this as well so don't feel too bad. She said she "forgot". lol
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My rule is: change the bobbin--brush the lint out--change projects--take faceplate off & clean lint. Had my Bernina for 15 yrs--no problems or service.
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I have made a habit of cleaning my machine every time I replace the bobbin! It is a habit that get great results. When I take it to the shop every May, they question how much I use it, because it is fairly clean inside! Sure is nice.
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It's amazing how much lint and fluff get into our machines!
I try to remember to clean it but we all seem to get busy with the projects |
LOL, I'm glad to see that others have embarrassing moments too. Glad your quilting buddy is ok.
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If this had been a Bernina, you would have found out after you sewed 6 bobbins. They are very sensitive to dust.
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ROFL.....that was so funny
Originally Posted by quilting.addict
I never thought about cleaning my Viking. Of course, I had never quilted before. So seven years go by and my sweet machine starts acting up. I take the bobbin area apart...lo and behold, I had enough to lint to make batting for a baby quilt!!! LOL
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Originally Posted by jljack
My modern Brother machine had been very trouble free for the 18 months I have had it. It was great and had 80 decorative stitches, was a strong stitcher, etc. I had no complaints about it at all.
About 3 weeks ago it started acting really strange, tangling bobbin thread, breaking top thread at the feeddogs, not moving the fabric through right. I set it on the floor and took out my vintage Singer 301 and Featherweight and finished a couple of projects. Last night DH helped me get the needle plate off to take a look. Well, goodness!! No wonder it was acting strange!! I realized not once had I taken that plate off, and every single nook, cranny, spring, space, crack, feeddog track and all was packed solid with lint. DUH!!! I just hadn't thought about it, since it's a drop in bobbin in front of the foot. SO....CLEAN YOUR MACHINE!! I should post that over my thread rack on the wall. Sorry, little Brother machine....I promise not to neglect you again!! |
I constantly tell people this. It causes a lot of issues.
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mine was nasty after i finished piecing a quilt, with cotton and flannel pieces.
i cleaned and oiled her..before i started the actual quilting! Make sure you get the bunnies in between the feed dogs! |
Thanks for the reminder. Though I am usually "religious" about cleaning and oiling, I appreciate the reminder that most machine problems can be avoided by making sure you keep the lint out!
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I try, but don't always remember to brush my bobbin area out after each project. If I'm working with a linty fabric I try to remember to do it during construction of that project. Some people I know brush out after each bobbin change.
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Originally Posted by sylvia77
I'm glad you didn't burn up your motor!
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