Snowglobes

oh yeah, am I supposed to Oil before every use?

leonf

You'll need someone with more sewing experience on the preseer foot question. I am more of a tech than a sewist.

If you run it 8 hours a day you should oil everyday. If it sits a long time you'll need a thorough oiling.



Again, others will have better answers.

OurWorkbench

Usually, the presser foot is not changed often. It really depends on what you are sewing. If you switch between light weight flimsy material and heavy denim, then you would need to change the pressure of the presser foot. I found a good guide at
General advice/info on presser foot shaft tension on vintage machines?

You didn't mention getting a manual with the sewing machine. Those do tend to be hard to find for the particular model, but frequently there are similar machine manuals that can be found. Actually, a frequently asked question would be how to thread it, so the threading path on the machine can be helpful. The threading instructions would be in the manual I've noticed that some machines come with threading directions on the machine when it was manufactured. As far as getting the marks off, at least on your machine, I think I would try a metal polish that is safe for plastics. I had a plastic case that I got from the thrift store that had a permanent marker price on it. I used a product called "Simichrome" (Link) which you may be able to get at the link. I'm having a hard time finding it locally, rather than ordering online. If possible, test in an inconspicuous small spot.

I'm glad you didn't try to clean with any chemicals. Wiping with sewing machine oil is the recommended method, especially for the old antique black machines with decals.

As far as feet, almost all low shank feet should work. You can find some vintage feet for the old Singer low shank machines in a thrift store or auction site. These should work https://www.ebay.com/itm/Singer-Sewi...EAAOSwOqZfLb~T or https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Lot...IAAOSwh0NeuDKp You need to be careful with adjustable zipper feet as the ones for a zig-zag machine will not work. Frequently sets have many different type of feet that do not belong together. I bought a machine that had feet with it that would not work on the machine. Singer had feet for low shank, slant shank and high shank. Also there were some Greist attachment sets that had an adapter that was on the machine, when the feet got separated and so the feet will not work without the adapter (which is generally missing) like the majority of https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sears-Gries...IAAOSwpU5end5z

As far as oiling, it really is dependent on how much you use the machine. You will want to clean out the lint that builds up around the bobbin and feed dogs, frequently. If you haven't used it for a while you want to oil before you start and run a bit. Some of the old Singer manuals say that if you sew continuously, to oil daily, but with moderate use, an occasional oiling is sufficient.

Hope this helps.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
Not affiliated with off-site link(s)

Snowglobes

Between the both of you, you've answered all my most important questions. Thank you guys.

Now, since ya mentioned it, no I didn't receive a manual. I knew ahead of time about that, so once I found out from you guys that most japanese 15 clones are very similar, i i look up a ton of them on YouTube, and skimmed through a few manuals to get a good idea as how to do most things. It's why I knew how to run a machine and thread it and stuff.

The only question I can think of is, should I attempt coating the machine's paint job? As in adding a layer over it to protect the paint. If yes, do you have a guide for it?


Btw, after using the machine in the past 2 days, I have no regrets going with a straight stitch machine. The fact it goes through denim like butter, and requires maintenance and oiling make it so worth getting an old machine. (I enjoy doing maintenance)

Chaz_Hoosier

Polishing the machine with car wax will make it shine like new. I wouldn't paint it.

bkay

I've found that WD-40 will remove magic marker from lots of things. Try it with a q-tip in a small area first, but I wouldn't think it would hurt the finish. It might not work, but I've found it works often for me, as does "goo-gone".
bkay

Snowglobes

Cool, I'll try a bit of WD-40. Hopefully it gets rid of that horrible marker.
As for the car wax, I'll see if I got any. I'm hoping I don't have to buy a whole bucket (on a student budget, so I'd rather save money where I can). Worst case I don't wax/polish it.