Bernina 530-2 Sewing Machine

September 01, 2015

Bernina 530-2 Sewing Machine

My very first Bernina sewing machine was the 530-2, purchased from an Ebay seller in Canada. It was filthy, partially froze up (no zigzag stitches worked), & in desperate need of a major cleaning & oiling. I was shocked to see it go from sewing very slowly, to just speeding through projects, just because I used alcohol on Qtips to clean all of the old dried up oil out of the joints & everywhere it is supposed to be, & oiled it lightly with sewing machine oil.

The zigzag unit, & the needle position controls had frozen up, just due to dried up old oil, so once that was cleaned & oiled again, it sped right back up to it's normal high speed, with very quiet motor. The motor brushes were easy to access & replace, & once all of that was done, this little machine is a speed demon! The photo below shows how dirty it was before I cleaned it, but it also shows the incredible high quality workmanship & quality materials of this Swiss manufacturer.

Bernina 530-2 before I cleaned & oiled it. Notice how dark the metal & plastic looks, from the old oil. it is easy to clean off the metal parts.

I never realized how important needle position was, until I got this Bernina, & the special presser feet. I find that in mending & alterations, needle position is incredibly important, because you have to be able to get the presser foot & needle into the area that needs stitched, but often, clothes, shoes, purses, & other items, are either too bulky to get the needle & presser foot where you want, or that you just can't fit most feet into these odd areas. Particularly for top stitching, that needle position control can take a miserable mending job, & make it quick & easy to repair.

Bernina 530-2 dirty, before I cleaned it. I have edited the photos to make it easier to see, but it makes it look cleaner than it really was, lol! Notice the funny zigzagged metal piece with a slender little metal finger in the center position, at the very front of the machine, in the lower middle portion of the photo, this is the needle position mechanism which needs cleaned & lubricated, before most needle position control knobs, & stitch width controls will work properly


Cleaning Bernina 530-2, it is so heavily coated in old, yellow & brown dried oil, a Qtip dipped in alcohol, only lasts a few seconds, as I clean off half a century of old oil & lint! Many sewing techs & collectors use kerosene to remove the old dried oil

Bernina 530-2 free arm workings, very sturdy metal works, showing how desperately it needs this cleaning & oiling!

Bernina 530-2 cleaned & ready to give to my sister Debi! Notice the presser feet, in their little drawers that rotate out from the metal post, the top of which is exposed, having punched through the plastic of the accessory case

Bernina's presser feet, narrow freearm, and specialty presser feet really do make sewing easier, as well as making it a joy! The wonderful accessory storage case & drawer set attaches over a large spool pin on the back of the machine, holding it neatly to the freearm Bernina when it is stored in it's case. There is also room in the case for the manual, pedal & cord! I only gave this machine up, to my big sister, because I have been blessed with other good machines, & Bernina sewing machines are very expensive & difficult to come across, particularly in good running condition, with all of their feet, attachments, cases, etc... Since I had a couple of other vintage Bernina sewing machines, I gave my 530-2 to Debi.

To see it in action, I made a YouTube video when I sewed my "magic hair bun" accessory for myself, hoping to be able to show others how wonderful these classic mechanical machines are. I believe they are definitely worth repairing, even if they need the nylon gears replaced (the 700 & 800 series, including all models, had a recall due to a new nylon material being used for their gears, & cracking & splitting being a major problem.) You will not get the long term ease of use, high quality feet & attachments, educational materials, & high functionality of a classic vintage Bernina mechanical sewing machine, anywhere else. Here is the link to copy, to watch the video on Youtube-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys_IxRptlNU

I do have a few other "favorite" brand & model machines, but Bernina really gave me an incredible education into what a machine can do, & how it made the normal frustrations in sewing, go away, by inventing new ways to make things faster & easier! I highly recommend Bernina's sewing machine manuals, Feetures book series, & any flyers, magazines & workbook manuals you can find, as well as videos.

(above photo)Steve, a Bernina technician, & member of BerninaThirtySomethings group on Yahoo, kindly indicated where to clean the old oil out of my Bernina 530, to help fix the zigzag mechanism. This is where you clean carefully with a Qtip dipped in alcohol (you will go through several Qtips per area, usually, but do NOT clean the red paint off, it is to show you where to oil.) The part being pointed out with the pen tip, looks like the top of a wrench, it is U shaped, & is supposed to be able to move back & forth, but the old oil is dried to a glue, holding it stuck, in one spot.

Steve also points out the spring loaded pin, which is located behind the knob that controls the needle position. If that pin has old oil dried up, it makes it either stuck in an in, or out, position, so it can't change the needle position. Clean it with a Qtip dipped in alcohol, to remove all old oil, then work it in & out, to make sure it stays free, and that the knob can turn, to change needle positions.