Oiling Your Vintage/Retro Sewing Machine
 

I have been repairing sewing machines for almost 30 years, and a lot of people ask me how to oil up a sewing machine. This is the most important thing you can do because, more than 90% of the sewing machines that I fix just needed to be lubed up and oiled. That's absolutely true.

So, ok. Obviously the best way to oil a machine is to put oil in all of the oiling holes, oil up all of the moving parts underneath, including the shuttle, and touch oil on all of the bearings, top and bottom. BUT, if you are in a hurry, don't have a manual to show you the places where to oil, or just want to do a "quickie," here is what you do.

Take the cover off of the bottom of the machine so that you can see all of the pieces and parts. Remove the bobbin and lightly step on the "go" pedal so that the machine begins to run. Take a can of spray lube, any lube will do as long as it is NOT silicone spray, and begin at the shuttle. Spray the entire bottom of the machine while moving from left to right. Just make one complete back and forth pass, with the machine still running, beginning at the shuttle and ending at the shuttle. That's it. Button up the bottom and move to the top.

Remove the top cover and, once again, make the machine run slowly. Start at the far left and spray back and forth arcross the top of the machine. Once done with that, open up the access door where the take-up lever is, and spray inside while the machine is still running. Wipe off all of the excess oil if it is dripping, feed some scrap material beneath the needle and over the feed dogs to soak up any leftover oil, and you are done.

Although this is really basic oiling at its simplest, if just this is done, your machine will keep on running and sewing for many years more than if this wasn't done at all. Of course, this isn't going to work on modern plasticized machines that are hermetically sealed and have limited access. But on metal retro or vintage machines where the top and the bottom can be unscrewed and removed, this is a dandy way to keep your machine up and running for the long haul.

Oh and, for you older Singer lovers, just remove the front and rear plates and blast away with lube. If you get some oil on the belt, wipe it off so that it doesn't slip. Wipe off any drippings and you are good to go.

Thank you!!!!!!

We have some very nice tutorials on Quilting Board - these are the best way to clean and service a sewing machine. Usually the machines do not need a lot of rough treatment unless you are planning to repaint them.

I haven't been repairing sewing machines for very long, but I have been maintaining all sorts of mechanical items from cars to fans to guns to tools for nearly 50 years. Spray lube has it's place, but not for general lubing of sewing machines or finely made mechanical devices.

I can see using a spray lube on a very very dry neglected sewing machine that will be cleaned thoroughly and properly lubed after it's freed up. But to hose a machine with a spray lube because you're in a hurry just makes a mess. Plus the excess just builds up everywhere and makes a machine that much harder to maintain down the road.
I've cleaned so many that have been amber with old oil and lube that I just can't do that.

And those that have been hosed with WD-40 are usually a disaster down the road. That stuff is not a lubricant per sea, but a water dispersant with some limited and temporary lubricating ingredients.

It takes so little time to properly oil a normal machine ( I agree with you about the current plastic wannabee machines ) that I just have to disagree ( politely of course ) with using an aerosol lube for a quicky lube.

On old sewing machines and many not so old, there is a rule of thumb .... if the hole isn't threaded - it's an oil hole. Oil it.

Joe

well said, Joseph!

I also agree with Joe....We spend HOURS cleaning old, yellow dried oil off of all the places it doesn't need to be. Put oil in the oil holes, oil anyplace metal parts rub together, & grease the gears. It's simple so, why make an oily mess of things with a spray?

I prefer to just dip the whole machine into a tub of old motor oil, while running, and then just let the moving parts fling off the excess.

What Joe said.
The WD in WD-40 stands for water displacement. It isn't a substitute for proper oil. Most of my experience comes from restoring vintage woodworking machines. We don't use a lot of WD-40 or other spray lubes for for that either. If a machine is frozen, it may be of benefit to spray it down and walk away for a couple days to let the WD-40 do it's work but after the machine is freed up it's important to wipe the machine down well and oil it properly. Leaving the spray lube in the machine is just asking every bit of stray dust and lint to collect in your machine. You'll end up with an even bigger mess down the road. Also, I haven't had to deal with this yet but if your machine has plastic parts inside the worst thing you can do is oil them. It's been reported that some types of plastics used in these machines will swell or melt if exposed to oil.
There are also machines out there using cloth belts to drive them and you want to be careful around those as well.
Also, let's face it. If we're playing with these old machines there's a good chance we already have more than one that's running so time spent cleaning and oiling another one really isn't that critical. There's no need to rush it.
Rodney

Mark,

I do hope you are joking.

Joe

Surely you jest.

Absolutely, though it is only a slightly more ridiculous method than that of the OP.

I think I've cleaned up a few that were done either way... Not pretty.

It was once explained to me that WD-40 and other similar sprays were not lubricants as such. These sprays were considered as emulsifiers to break up and move old oil and grease away from the part to free it up. Why would you want to put something on a machine that will move the oil away from a critical joint. I suppose if you had a part that was glued in place by old grease or varnished oil you could put a drop in the frozen part to free it up. This drop would come in the form of being placed with an eyedropper from a can and not a spray. Just my opinion.

I have seen dried up old not moving machines come to life with just one drop of Tri-flow in each moving joint. I did that with the help of my 6 and 3 year old grand children. They think Tri-Flow is magic oil. The good side of that is there is no time spend cleaning up the spray residue.

My first reaction to The Sewing Guy's process was, "You're joking." Then realized 30 yrs experience would surely include cleaning up some of these "hosed" machines. He's kidding. Some of mine look like I've "hosed" them prior to getting un-froze, but it's been applied a drop at a time over time.

I agree with Joe. You said it right Joe.
Skip

Did you guys notice how many posts that "The Sewing Guy" has?

Suppose it's somebody pulling our chain?

CD in Oklahoma

When you've been doing it as a business, often time = $$$, and if the customer won't pay the $$$, the repair person isn't going to spend the time.

DH often spends 20 hours or more just cleaning up an old machine before he gets to the oiling and adjusting phase. No way could he do that if he was doing this to put food on the table.

There is always the rule - Cheap, Fast, Quality - you can get two of the three - your choice. The OP is going for the cheap, fast method. Most on here go for the cheap, quality method - and are willing to put in the time required.

Surely, I don't jest. Although I did say what type of spray lube you care to use doesn't matter, it has been corrupted to mean WD-40, which I specifically did not single out.

OK, I shall say this again. This is a quick and easy way to do it. Am I saying it is the correct way? Nope, and I even stated that, IF you are in a hurry, IF you just want to do a quickie or IF you don't want to follow the manuals instructions, by oiling the machine in this way, at least you get some oil where it is needed. Regardless of what anyone believes, just by doing this, as messy as it may be, you will extend the life of the machine.

Now then, I did not say this was proper, that this was legitimate nor did I say it was recommended by a manufacturer. However, oiling it this way is the least, read that again, the LEAST someone can do to keep their machine up and running. Had my own mother, and countless other people who brought me their own ruined machines because they never oiled them, just done this very simple way to get some oil on moving parts, those older retro machines may still have been sewing to this day instead of ending up in the salvage/recycling yard.

Now then, would I ever use this method? Absolutely not. I clean them and use military spec bearing lube. But there are many, many people who have these machines and they refuse to oil them at all. (Some older Necchi's have 30-something oiling points, and even though I repair machines for a living, these are even a pain in the tail for ME! Imagine someone who has zero mechanical ability and is faced with the prospect of getting oil on all of those joints. It doesn't happen, and I have revived many a dead Necchi because it was never oiled.) In that case, using a spray lube on the machine, as I have described, will at least save it and keep it usable.

So please everyone, let's not in any way say that this is the end all for lubricating sewing machines. It is a quick way to get oil into the moving parts with not a lot of hassle. In reality, the machine should be properly lubed by someone who knows sewing machines and can take the time to do it right. BUT, if that isn't an option, you can spray lube the entire mechanism, and the machine will keep functioning. No more, no less.

I'd worry that people following this service method would shoot themselves in the eye with the spray. ;)

Ha,ha, Mimack. I just sat here and giggled at your comment. What a laugh. I thought "surely not". Because I have read a lot of your words and I knew better. LOL

whoooweee may the battle of the oil spray cans cease (I hope). I was always told that MORE is not better when oiling sewing machines. one drop will do. for ROUTINE maintenance. a little extra if old and unsticking, but then I wipe off excess.

Wilburness, my Mom oiled her machine faithfully - she put one little drop in the hole. Yup one. The oil was spattered all over the inside of the machine when my sister and I did a major clean up a couple years ago. Mom saw parts of that machine that had not seen the light of day since it was made. That machine was needing a good clean up but it was still running. I think setting around does more harm than running them on very little oil. Most people that use them do dab some on now and then. People that let them set never oil them and what oil is in there dries up and the machine freezes up. I have never had to quickly spray something inside a machine to get it to move - it is quick enough just to drop a little oil on each part. Besides I like doing it. Usually oiling a machine is the least of my worries.

Usually someone who has been in the sewing machine business for 30 years has moved on to computerized and plastic wonders years ago because that is where the money goes. I'm surprised that the sewing guy has bothered with us no money vintage people.

The Sewing Guy is trying to drum up business. Why else would he come here, assuming that we "quilters" know nothing about taking care of our machines, (old, new, indifferent) and tell us to turn them on and spray them?
It's either that, or he's not read one other post on this board where we tell folks how to repair, clean, take care of their machines.
The last "Guy"....well...I won't go there.

Quite frankly, spraying down a sewing machine with oil isn't going to get oil into the rotating parts, especially not a machine with close tolerances like a Necchi, and all of that extra oil is just going to collect dust and create problems down the road.

There are plenty of resources that people can access in order to help them oil a sewing machine, so ignorance isn't a compelling argument in favor of such a method.

The Sewing Guy,

You will find this group to be more knowledgeable than some. Most of us own many or at least a few ancient to vintage to classic machines and repair and maintain them ourselves. We tend to "adopt" them rather than "buy" them.
So although what you said is one way to do it, as you've admitted it's not the right way to do it and that got us kind of in a tizzy.

I understood your second post and will let the subject drop.

However you could post some pics of your shop or some of your machines. We are a photo oriented bunch of folks and love to see pics of all kinds of older machines.

Joe

I'd also like to mention to anyone who reads this without the experience that there are some "oils and lubes" that come to mind that should never ever be used - spray or drop can. 3in1 comes to mind. Lithium Grease. Anyone else want to chip in on the "oils" and "lubes" they recommend staying away from?

I would never advocate a "quickie" job. Proper oiling (after cleaning) takes me 10 minutes - if that on a vintage machine. What sort of time does the cleanup time from a spray quickie take? With my accuracy, I'm thinking years when I kept finding the stuff on the ceiling, floor, and every horizontal vertical or in between surface (the cat, the dog,...) . My supplier said they still had spray cans of TriFlow they could ship me. I said no thanks. The nightmares I could have caused with those cans.... *shudder*

Oiling a machine like a 1990s Pfaff? That can be character building, but that's not the type of machine we're referring to here.

Hermetically sealed machines,... I'll reserve judgement on those. I've yet to come across an airtight sealed sewing machine. Probably because I've only been fixing machines a couple of years though.

We are always happy to have help with how to fix things & we have a search up at the upper right and there are many problems solved here. Maybe there is something we have missed helping someone fix. New topic, etc. Expert advice is always in line. Obviously the sewing guy did not read much in the sticky notes. LOL.

I understood what you were saying on the first post.
Doesn't WD stand for war department? (not that you even mentioned the stuff)
If I get an old machine, I should say when I bring an old machine home and it is still in the garage I will spray it down with the smelly blaster and let it sit. They are going to be cleaned when they come in the house and I can't spray that stuff inside.

Some times that is too much bother
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Charlee, did you hear alarm bells, too?!?

there are people on this board that dont know how to oil a vintage machine because they talk about taking them to be serviced

My Mother took her 1970s Kenmore to a large Sewing Machine dealer (local to Portland, they advertise a lot on the radio) for a servicing. This was before I go into vintage machines and started doing my own. They must have used the OPs spray method, because two years later it stopped, frozen solid. I took her my older Kenmore (My Dad was a Sears Man, and bought both of them) and I brought hers home. When I opened it up, I could still see the spray pattern, and the sticky, whitish residue. I had to use PB Blaster to get it freed up, then clean it and oiled it with Tri-Flow. I will never let her take it to someone else again. And I tell everyone I can not to patronize these guys!

Let's just say my "offended" button was pushed....hard! ;)

That's true, but there's no reason to mislead them into thinking that spraying them with WD-40 while they're running is going to work out well for them!

We have SO much info on here about cleaning and oiling it is really hard to miss. Taking a machine somewhere for service is always an option if there is someone you can trust near by. This guy just proves that you need to check and see if he is any good before you go there. I can think of places I've taken machines where I would NEVER go back and they have been in business for years.

I suspect he was being sarcastic! <wink> lol

Sorry, not as "PC" as some folks here. You are high as a kite! this is some of the worst advice i have read on this site

Sorry, I know I am behind on this but I just read this crud.....

Please do not post more messages suggesting methods that YOU would not use. Really. This is stupid.