CLEANING AND SERVICING SERGERS & SEWING MACHINES How to Clean and Oil FROZEN Machines
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| Sewing Machine and Serger Cleaning & Oiling Servicing Tools, Oil & lubricants & old oil remover Tri-Flow Oil Sewing Machine Oil Rubbing Alcohol or Unscented Kerosene (I prefer alcohol, less fumes) Super Lube (Grease- less odor, safe on all gears) Super Lube Lightweight Oil (less odor) |
HOW AN AMATEUR SEWING MACHINE COLLECTOR UNFREEZES AND SERVICES MACHINES TO PUT THEM BACK TO WORK
I am a hobbyist sewing machine collector and fixer upper, these are what I use in rehabbing most of my old sewing machines. This information is provided as a service to help other hobbyists to clean and service their own sewing machines and sergers, if they choose to. I do NOT recommend servicing and oiling newer machines which are still under warranty, and say not to oil, or you may void your warranty. Only oil those according to the instructions in your manual.
Vintage sewing machines, and antique sewing machines, however, are not covered under any warranties, so any work you do on them yourself, you are simply assuming any risks yourself. I have discovered thats many frozen machines are the type which were originally advertised as "never needs oiling", but what that means, unfortunately, is your machine is pretty much "toast", whenever the built in oiling system dries up and fails.
(If you read my blogpost about fixing Pfaff Hobbymatic which wouldn't feed fabric anymore, it was caused by dried up oil & lubricants preventing the presser foot pressure spring from expanding enough to push the presser foot down (they hid the metal spring and lubricant inside a metal tube, which is never serviced, it dries to a wax, the spring won't press the foot down against the feed dogs enough, to allow fabric to feed. The problem is compounded, by the "permanently lubricated" stitch length and reverse lever bushing releases the lubricant in it, it dries to a lacquer and glues the bushing to the pivot bar that the stitch length lever and reverse were connected to, so you can't make the stitch length long, or get it to reverse. Service techs tell owners that their machine is not repairable, that an electronic board went bad. WRONG! Those areas just needed disassembled and cleaned like I describe above, using the rubbing alcohol, and if you WANT to lubricate those points again, in the Pfaff Hobbymatics, you can, but they are not actually areas where a lubricant is necessary, unless you WANT it to glue itself together again! That blogpost is here-
https://tumorfarmer.blogspot.com/2017/04/pfaff-hobbymatic-sewing-machine-stuck.html
Vintage sewing machines, and antique sewing machines, however, are not covered under any warranties, so any work you do on them yourself, you are simply assuming any risks yourself. I have discovered thats many frozen machines are the type which were originally advertised as "never needs oiling", but what that means, unfortunately, is your machine is pretty much "toast", whenever the built in oiling system dries up and fails.
(If you read my blogpost about fixing Pfaff Hobbymatic which wouldn't feed fabric anymore, it was caused by dried up oil & lubricants preventing the presser foot pressure spring from expanding enough to push the presser foot down (they hid the metal spring and lubricant inside a metal tube, which is never serviced, it dries to a wax, the spring won't press the foot down against the feed dogs enough, to allow fabric to feed. The problem is compounded, by the "permanently lubricated" stitch length and reverse lever bushing releases the lubricant in it, it dries to a lacquer and glues the bushing to the pivot bar that the stitch length lever and reverse were connected to, so you can't make the stitch length long, or get it to reverse. Service techs tell owners that their machine is not repairable, that an electronic board went bad. WRONG! Those areas just needed disassembled and cleaned like I describe above, using the rubbing alcohol, and if you WANT to lubricate those points again, in the Pfaff Hobbymatics, you can, but they are not actually areas where a lubricant is necessary, unless you WANT it to glue itself together again! That blogpost is here-
https://tumorfarmer.blogspot.com/2017/04/pfaff-hobbymatic-sewing-machine-stuck.html
This is NOT a professional training course. Many hobbyists believe gunsmith screwdriver sets are the best for avoiding stripping out screw tops, if you can acquire one, otherwise, try to find screwdriver bits which FIT the size and thickness of the slot in the screw heads, to avoid stripping them out. Poor quality screwdrivers will often strip out the screws, or strip the end of your screwdriver, lol!
TIP- Sometimes, a rubber band can be placed over a partly stripped out screw slot, and the screwdriver pressed into that, to give better grip, to loosen a partly stripped screw.
TOOLS-
TOOLS-
- Long flathead screwdriver
- Stubby flathead screwdriver
- Small Socket set with various sizes of screwdriver bits saves a LOT of time - socket set and ratchet, like wrench, help provide leverage, to more easily loosen stuck nuts bolts and screws.
- Hex wrench set (some needles, and various parts of machines take these)
- Flashlight or headlight to help you see better deep inside the machine
- Rubber mallet or 3 oz. small hammer (for gently tapping a locked screw to release it)
- Qtips
- DENTAL MICROFIBER APPLICATORS-
- Cotton balls
- Long, skinny paintbrush
- Toothpicks, wood, pointy ends (great for cleaning tiny spots)
- container for dirty Qtips
- Shop towels, or quality paper towels (Cleaning outside, and larger areas, also for cleaning and flossing tension units, to remove lint)
- Rubbing alcohol or unscented Kerosene (Cleaning old dried oil of metal parts)
- Simple Green (not shown, good for cleaning outside of NEWER painted machines not antiques)
- Goo Gone (not shown, remove tape residue often found on old sewing machines)
- GOJO (non pumice for cleaning exteriors of old machines without damage to finish)
- ZYMOL great for polishing machines to make them slick & shiny
- Zoom oiling containers or syringes, to get kerosene, or oil exactly where you need it, as you clean out old dry sticky oil, and oil sewing machines.
- WD40 or similar "break free" products must be blown out with compressed air, or flushed out, if used, or they will allow the parts to freeze up again, especially if it sets very long, unused. I usually DO NOT recommend them to beginners, for this reason. If you choose to use them, keep this in mind. There ARE times, they are helpful, just follow safety precautions.
- HAIR DRYER- Do NOT use on plastic parts, it can cause cracking & breakage. For bare metal frozen with dry oil, dried to a lacquer- it releases more quickly with a few minutes of gentle warm air. I do NOT recommend just using heat, cleaning is more important, getting sticky oil out, then oil. Use heat as a last resort, never too long, or too hot, because too much heat can damage your machine, cracking plastic, nylon, or other materials, even taking metal out of temper, weakening it. Some machines have a cheap metal called pot metal, which breaks very easily, when mistreated, and some machines, like the New Home model J , or the Montgomery Ward copy of the first freearm Elna, are made of lead, which is a very soft metal, so be careful of misusing heat.
Lubricants & Oils-
- Tri-Flow Oil (my favorite to use on cleaning and freeing up sewing machines & sergers)
- Sewing Machine Oil as lubricant, Lily White stainless sewing machine oil won't stain fabrics I buy a gallon from Wawak online. (Also good for cleaning exterior of old black sewing machines)
- Rubbing Alcohol or Unscented Kerosene, also called paraffin, in some countries (I prefer alcohol, less fumes)
- Super Lube (Grease)
- Super Lube Lightweight Oil
- I still have vintage Singer lubricant I use in my vintage (old black Singers, and those calling for Singer lubricant)
SEWING TABLE REHAB SUPPLIES-
- Howard's Feed & Wax
- Howard's Restore A Finish
- Tables with more modern finishes, will require more modern stripper and treatments
It depends on what parts you are cleaning, what material they are, and what you are trying to clean off. Sewing machine oil is NOT a cleaner for these more modern Kenmore sewing machines, or other modern painted sewing machines, that novice advice was specific to the antique black sewing machines, which had more natural, less tough asphalt finishes, and clear coat made from shellac (a bug resin), which dissolves and flakes easily, becoming damaged when most modern, stronger cleaners are used.
Even alcohol is too strong to use straight on old black shellac and asphalt finishes, as a cleaner, and water and soap would damage those early finishes, especially as they have aged by now. Kerosene was the official cleaner/solvent that Singer service techs used on old black pre electric Singers, and early electric models (they stripped all electrical parts before dunking the machine in the kerosene tank).
Your Kenmore will have more modern paint and in some places, plastic, you need to choose cleaners and polishes specific to the type of material.
Armorall original protectant works best on plastic, rubber and vinyl finishes, Simple green, applied to a cloth, can be used to remove dirt, dried oil, some sticky stuff, from MODERN synthetic painted machines, which are more resistant, and not damaged by modern simple household cleaners.
To clean the interior of a sewing machine of this age, and modern materials, to remove sticky dried oils, which cause moving parts to freeze up, you need to use a solvent, but you must choose your products with safety in mind. Many solvents are stinky, and give off dangerous fumes, so there are a few I use, depending on the machine.
Rubbing alcohol, OR unscented kerosene (Kerosene is what originally was used by ALL Singer sewing machine shops and techs, when most machines were black straight stitch machines. Many sewing technicians today, use penetrating solvents like WD40, or Kroil, or even Blue Creeper, but these 3 products must be removed, often by pressurized air, or flushing them out with sewing machine oil. We don't always recommend these penetrating solvents to amateurs, because they don't know to remove these, or to use them only in well ventilated areas, or that leaving them in, attracts dust, causes early lubricant failure, and can quickly break down, causing parts seizure, often creating a waxy glue. (Many of these chemicals cause migraines, breathing issues, possibly even cancer, so use care in using them, as you are responsible for your own safety. I have trouble breathing if anyone uses Liquid Wrench or similar chemicals around me.)
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| Singer recommended using kerosene or gasoline to remove sticky oil, in their manuals for their treadles and black sewing machines. |
Anyway, I usually use Qtips or a paintbrush, or toothbrush, or a syringe, to apply the solvent (usually rubbing alcohol), to dissolve old sticky oil, then apply sewing machine oil, or Tri Flow oil, to lubricate all oiling ports, and anywhere metal needs to slide against metal.
If your motor has oiling ports, they are normally marked with orange or red paint, only a couple of tiny drops of oil, some models have a sticker specifying how many drops of oil, others say how many drops in the manual. These Kenmore motors have a flat round wick just inside the oil ports, which helps hold the oil in place. The motor does not need oiled as often as the moving mechanical parts inside, partly due to having the wicks to hold the oil, but it is important not to over oil the motor.
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| Super Lube grease is for the GEARS of most vintage sewing machines & sergers, unless your manual specifies to use oil (you do NOT want to oil gears unless the instructions say to do so) Super Lube oil, Tri-Flow oil, and Sewing Machine oil each work well in most sewing machines & sergers. Lily White sewing machine oil is often used in industrial sewing machines Rubbing alcohol I use a small jar, so I am less likely to spill, this is what I dip the paintbrush, toothbrush, syringe, or Qtips in, before applying it to the brown, or dark yellow dried oil on the metal moving parts, which are often frozen by the sticky dried oil. |
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| Basic tools, lubricants & oils, cleaning supplies |
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| Sergers & sewing machines often collect old dried oil in various locations, which require removal, it is usually dark brown or yellow, and dries to a VARNISH, which acts like a GLUE, holding metal parts prisoner, so your machine becomes FROZEN! A Qtip or cotton ball, or a paintbrush dipped in rubbing alcohol, or unscented kerosene is a great way to remove this, to allow your machine to be freed up, then use sewing machine oil (Tri-Flow oil, or Super Lube lightweight oil, also work well) |
I really love this lady's blog about fixing sewing machines and sergers, I'm sure she probably knows more than I do, I do research for information, and have a lot of manuals and books, but I am not professionally trained. If you wan to see more in depth repairs on a Bernina serger, check out her blog-
shesasewingmachinemechanic
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| Singer Quantumlock after cleaning & oiling, ready to SERGE! |
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| Singer 14U64A one of 2 frozen with dried oil, lint, notice the thread paths are filthy, too, and required cleaning, otherwise your stitches would be covered in old lint & grease NOTE- OIL PORT ON TOP, center OF SERGER! Instructions say add 20 to 30 drops of SEWING MACHINE oil here, periodically, it has a wick down inside it, which helps transfer the oil down into the moving metal parts inside the serger. |
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| Broken plastic can sometimes be glued back together, like this thread tower, and reinstalled on the serger |
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| 2 Singer 14U64A sergers, which I received frozen solid, with filthy, dried up grease & lint, some rust |
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| Singer 14U64A serger still has some nasty old grease and lint, but is at least functional, now! |
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| Singer 14U64A serger with correct upper looper timing, for a standard 4 thread overlock stitch. This is the furthest left position the upper looper reaches to make this 4 thread overlock stitch. Note the upper looper eye is to the LEFT of the needle, far enough for the left needle to go down THROUGH the upper looper thread, to stitch it down. Since these sergers were both frozen completely, we did not know if they worked, when we purchased them second hand. They did not have any accessories, not even the rolled hem plates. |
If you take the time to learn how to clean and service your own serger, and sewing machines, it can save you a lot of money, and help you better understand how your machines works, and what it takes to maintain it well, so it will last a lifetime.
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| Singer Sewing Reference Library book "Sewing With an Overlock" shows the 3 thread overlock, 4 thread overlock, and the mock safety stitch, and the 5 thread safety stitch. I highly recommend this book to anyone learning to serger. |
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| Singer 14U64A serger timed for a mock safety stitch, also known as the 3/4 thread overlock stitch, where the upper looper does NOT reach quite far enough to the left, for the left needle to catch the upper looper thread, and lock it in the left needle stitches. It looks like a 4 thread safety stitch on top, but like a regular 4 thread overlock stitch on the bottom. |
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| Singer Sewing Reference Library book "Sewing With an Overlock" |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnmNeriJDAo
It is less likely to damage the machine, if you clean out old dried oil, before adding more sewing machine oil, and many people are not aware that using too much heat, for too long, or in the wrong location, can not only cause knobs to break off, but can also take the temper out of metal parts inside the machine, weakening the metal.
If there is yellow dry sticky oil, or if parts are just stuck together, you can dip qtips, or a paintbrush, in rubbing alcohol, or odorless kerosene, to use as a solvent, to melt the old dry oil, then apply it to the places where 2 or more bare metal parts, are supposed to move against each other. These are the normal oiling points, which are needing the dried sticky oil removed, then need fresh sewing machine oil, or Tri Flow oil, a favorite lubricant of many vintage sewing machine enthusiasts, because it also has Teflon in it, which can help areas still move easily, even as the oil oxidizes.
Some machines only need fresh sewing machine oil added, in order to allow the metal parts to slip against each other, but the majority of vintage sewing machines need the old dry oil removed, first, or the oil will dry out and stick again, sooner, because as the machine runs, the fresh oil mixes with the old dry oil, making for less lubrication, which will slow the machine down, and put a little more stress on the motor, than a machine with just fresh oil.
We typically don't recommend using WD40, because over time, it dries to a sticky wax like substance, gluing parts together. It also causes any sewing machine oil to break down sooner, due to the solvents in WD40, which help loosen old dry oil, and stuck parts. If used as a solvent, for removing old oil, it should be removed, before oiling. Most techs blow it out, using compressed air, then add the fresh sewing machine oil.
We don't recommend 3 in 1 oil, because it also dries out faster, causing the machine to stick together again, freezing it up.
