Working on the 'frozen' Singer 201-2
 

I have spent a week going from store to store in our little town trying to get some three in one sewing machine oil to start working on this monster. No such luck, none, negative, not gonna happen here. Even Walmart did not have any. While I was bemoaning this problem to the cashier at the local Bi-mart, and an older gentleman turned to me and said "What kind of oil do you need?" I told him sewing machine oil. He said that I could substitute 3 in 1 oil for guns, it is the same thing. Well I bought a spray can of gun oil, cleaner, and lubricant, with a spray nozzle and a narrow tube to attach for spraying into difficult areas. On Monday, my friend is coming over to work on it again, and I really need some of you experts to tell me if this stuff will work, or if I should keep looking.... The 201-2 is completely frozen, nothing on it moves. Thanks for any and all help.

Never, ever, ever, ever use 3in1 oil in a sewing machine. Or WD40. It is not sewing machine oil. Walmart carries Singer sewing machine oil in the craft dept if your store has one, some don't. You can also get a product called PB Blaster at Walmart or auto parts stores for freeing things up. Better yet, find a bicycle shop and ask for some Tri Flow oil. Someone else will have to comment on the gun oil.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...a-t199038.html
Kroil is another product that some people use to free up seized & rusted parts.

You might have to use one thing to free up the rustys, then sewing machine to actually oil the machine.

Cari is dead on. Now you're going to have to clean the inside of the machine really well and remove all that junk you sprayed on it. Not a fun job. Good luck!

Since you are on an on-line forum, it's a simple matter to to go to Sew-Classic and order your Tri-Flow oil, grease, and / or plain old sewing machine oil if you want. It is easy to get. No need to drive all over town looking for it. You could also use a telephone and call a sewing machine or bicycle shop if there is any in your area.

Joe

You might consider having a shop take care of that machine for you.

The good news is I have not yet used the gun oil. The product I bought, but have not used yet, is made by Safariland company, and is called "Breakfree CLP cleaner, lubricant, preservative" the back states " Break free CLP has a special cleaning action that breaks loose oil encrusted dirt, greasy powder fouling (made for guns remember- my editorial, not theirs), grime, and corrosion that can damage metal. It even penetrates mechanisms to displace trapped, gritty grime and free sticky, rusted, or corroded mechanisms. Do any of you have any comments about the product so I can decide if I need to return it and find good old sewing machine oil?

Break Free CLP is an excellent product. That wont hurt the sewing machine in the least. We were much more concerned with the 3-IN-1 or WD-40. Those two will cause problems down the road.

I have also used Liquid Wrench penetrating aerosol in stubborn stuck up machines without any damage or unwanted problems too. I've been told by many this stuff is bad ju ju, but I've yet to see any.

The trick is once you get the machine freed up, to oil it thoroughly with sewing machine oil to flush out the other stuff.

Joe

Go with what Joe said. Go ahead and use it instead of sewing machine oil or kerosene then clean it out and use the sewing machine oil or tri-flow afterward. I also answered your other post.
Good luck and be sure to update us.
Rodney

You can order Singer sewing machine oil from Amazon.com