Mdaniels

I am new with tinkering but I am rapidly gaining machines and having lots of fun. I was advised here to use TriFlow on a 401a I did not think would've ever budged and by golly, it's a work maven now. TriFlow has put the "sing" in my Singers.

Suze9395

I came tonight to ask a question and found the perfect post already in action.

I went to the shop (bicycle) to buy my first bottle of tri-flow. All they had was a soy based version. The man said all the properties are the same. The only difference is it is soy based...meaning it is a renewable resource, biodegradable, etc.

Did I mess up buying the soy version??

Cecilia S.

Suze, I have no idea! But, so far, I am certainly enjoying hearing everyone's responses! I like it that we all have different experiences and can share and learn and even change our minds from time to time. And hey, if your LiquidTofu works, I will be keen to hear about it! :-)

What is the brand name of your LiquidTofu?

miriam

I think I have tried all kinds of oil. One of the worst machines I worked on was an old Singer 401G. I used 3-in-1 oil on it. Initially it worked. Then it set for a few weeks. The machine acted like it was encased in concrete. I think I tried everything to get the 3-in-1 oil off. Maybe it was a combination of the 3-in-1 oil and the dried up SM oil. I believe I tried kerosene with some success but I wasn't happy with the results. I heard of Tri-flow and Kroil but I couldn't find it locally. I had a couple really stuck machines and used kerosene or brake cleaner or xylenol to get the old gunk off, then re-oiled with SM oil. It was a lot of work. Then I found T-F at sew-classic. I had a machine that was pretty much frozen up. http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...r-t169127.html In a matter of minutes we had it unfrozen. I experimented with the T-F after that. I used it on the 401G and let it set for about a year. At first it was a little stuck but then it was right back to where it should be. I'm thinking the teflon is just like the stuff on your cook ware - I won't use it for that because it doesn't stick to the metal. I don't see any long term setting up from the T-F but I do from stuff like 3-in-1 oil and SM oil - lots of paraffin in it. I think it is the machines setting around that freezes them up. Use the machines. Turn them once in a while. You can always oil a machine with SM oil and another with T-F and see what you like best. For me, I'm liking the ease that they turn when the T-F is used. PS I agree with Joe.

Candace

Huh???? I sure hope no one plans on cooking with Tri-flow. LOL.

amcatanzaro

The eggs slide right off!

miriam

yeah right.

SteveH

I think one of the good things this thread is doing is to let folks see that there is no such thing as "the one true way"

Some materials work better for some machines and some conditions. Experimenting yourself to understand after reading the cautions here is really the best way to decide what works for you.

I am currently trying to track down a bottle of actual old oil, as advertised "the best sperm whale oil" I want to see if there is a difference in motions. Remember that the early machines were designed with that in mind.

Oh, and until I get a chance to pick up some wadding cloth to try, Brasso is my current defacto goto cleaner for metal. (NOTE: it EATS paint and decals if you are not careful)

Vridar

It would be interesting to know if any old jewelers (are there any around?) might have some.

miriam

Glenn uses clock oil or whale oil - pricy. He doesn't like T-F.