Question about greasing gears...
 

I thought gears all needed grease, but on the upper gear on the Singer 201, the one you get to behind the round plate on the back, all I can find is the information to OIL it. Does it not need greased? (It doesn't look like there has ever been grease on it.) Is it not a gear, though it looks to me like what I think of as a gear?

The gear I am talking about is the arrow to the right of the "B" in the photo below.

Oil it then. I've greased this gear in the past but that's only because I'd never read that it required oil: I'll be oiling it from now on.
The engineers who wrote this weren't stupid, looking at the machine they made: It's a brilliant machine and a pleasure to use.

Hmmmm, I can't remember weather I greased or oiled that gear on our 201.

Probably oiled it but I'm not sure.

Joe

I doubt it matters much Joe. I've greased many of them and I think an advantage of using grease is it will stick to the gears a lot longer than oil. The disadvantage would be that it would have a small binding effect and might make the crank a bit heavier. Now I write this I believe it to be true. My 201s did feel slightly heavier to move by hand after greasing but I didn't worry, thinking that at least they're protected.
With oil the only disadvantage would be that it needs to be done more often because (as we all know) oil doesn't stay put very long. S'pose if you have a routine of oiling every so often and don't forget to include the gears you win :)
Tri-flow would probably be the best thing to oil it with: I think it stays on a lot longer than regular SM oil.

I think if you had a routine of oiling it every time you used it you would be fine. The old Singer guy around here says he never greases anything - he recommends oiling everything often.

Thanks! It helps to hear your thinking "out loud" to work it through. I have ordered some of the Tri-Flow oil, and will go with what the Singer guys said to do. :thumbup:

Just googled Tri-Flo lubricant and my eyes crossed. I suspect it makes a difference which version of Tri-Flo one uses where but I'll be darned if I can be sure what to use for my machines. Help, please. Thanks in advance.

Pat

Pat,

The oil to use for sewing machines is the one on this page:
{ http://www.shop.sew-classic.com/4-Oi...e-Tools_c6.htm }

My local bicycle shop sells the same oil for the bicycles.

Joe

Now, I guess I'll be checking for that little "oil here" on my 201s. since I don't have books for them, I never realized this was a point to check. First thing, next trip out to my sewing room......

My booklet, says to grease the top and bottom gears. I took a class on how to maintain my Featherweight 221 and the teacher said to use only Singer oil and Singer grease. I think I bought both tubes at Joanne's.