Looking After A Sewing Machine

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30687, 1 March 1965, Page 2

Looking After A Sewing Machine

As the days become cooler, women begin to think of winter sewing for the family and themselves. But before buying fabrics and patterns, or setting a deadline to finish a daughter’s dress for a party, it is a good idea to check tools, beginning with the sewing machine.

In the following article, the Department of University Extension, Otago, gives some useful suggestions for cleaning and oiling a machine before it is required for autumn sewing.

A sewing machine, like' any other precision mechanism, requires proper routine

maintenance. The amount of care it needs will depend on the amount of use you have for it.

Thorough cleaning and oiling of a sewing machine is usually twice a year, once before winter sewing and once before spring sewing. When a lot of sewing is being done at one time, or when linty farics are being stitched, a general cleaning of the principal parts with a brush will help keep the machine in good order. Also, make a practice of regularly cleaning away the loose thread and lint around the bobbin case every time you fill the bobbin. Equipment

Most manufacturers provide cleaning equipment with their machine but if they have not, or if your machine is old and the cleaning equipment has disappeared, you can make your own cleaning box. A shoe box is best, because it is the right size and you can use its lid while you are cleaning the machine to put the tiny screws and small parts in as they come off the machine. The cleaning box for your machine should contain a dean piece of cheesecloth, a large and a small screwdriver, a brush (a toothbrush or a small paint brush win do), toothpicks or an old crochet hook for reaching into small crevices for old lint and gummy oil. Use the machine oil recommended in your instruction book. Store machine oil in a plastic bag so that the box and other equipment will stay dry. Cleaning. Oiling

First take off the thread, take out the bobbin and put them where they will not get dirty. Remove the needle, cheeking that it is not bent or dull, and the presser foot. Your instruction book will tell you what else to remove. If you do not have an instruction book try to get another from the dealer or

manufacturer, giving him the name, serial number and approximate age of your machine.

Using the appropriate size of screwdriver remove the throat and face plates. Brush out all the lint, dust and thread with the brush and wipe the inride of the machine well with the cheesecloth duster. When a sewing machine is in use, the lint and thread mix with the caus-

ing it to become clogged and gummed. Remove this from the small crevices and holes with a toothpick or an old crochet hook. Be careful not to disturb the upper and lower tension. An instruction book will tell you where to oil the machine. Apply only a drop or two in each place. Otherwise when you start to sew, the excess oil will come off to mark the material. Oil your machine often so that none of the parts is ever allowed to go dry. Now that the sewing machine is clean be careful never to leave it uncovered so dust can settle on it When the machine is left out of its cabinet, throw a plastic cover over it when it is not in use.

Sewing machine ailments can usually be traced back to lack of cleaning and oiling. So avoid wasted time and trouble during this winter’s sewing by cleaning your sewing machine now.