How to lubricate the sewing machine?

Cleaning and lubricating the sewing machine parts prolongs the life of the entire device. And although it is impossible to completely get rid of the natural wear of the mechanisms, it is possible to increase the service life of the machine by an order of magnitude. Together with the service life, lower noise, smoothness of movement, evenness of the seams and clarity of the choice of the operating mode become satisfactory.

A sewing machine, unlike a stapler, needs periodic cleaning and lubrication. The frictional force of the parts contributes to their wear. If you forget to lubricate the machine and continue to work on it, soon they will wear out completely and fail, first of all, those parts on which the greatest load falls. The friction force - and with it the abrasion of parts - can be reduced several times by using a lubricant.

When the machine is working in an increased mode (constant load) every day, it is necessary to monthly clean and lubricate all the mechanisms involved in the work. In case of infrequent work (for example, once a week for half an hour or an hour), parts are cleaned and lubricated at least once a quarter.

Oil suitable for lubricating sewing machines, door locks and similar mechanics is only industrial oil. It has a special composition that is light and fluid enough so that dust and metal (scraping off parts during work) particles do not create a sticky and viscous substance with it.That, in turn, noticeably slows down the rotation and reciprocating movement of the moving elements.

The use of other oils is not permitted.

• Vegetable oil Evaporates quickly when parts become warm from friction during long periods of operation. It oxidizes and decomposes easily in the open air and at temperatures slightly higher than room temperature.

• Animal fats - butter, marmot fat and similar products are also subject to accelerated evaporation. The more refractory fat is used, the faster the oily-sticky coating forms, half of which is formed by solid particles. And the fat itself, frozen, will add "slow speed" to the machine.

• Engine oil. If your choice fell on motor oil, choose a composition with a lower viscosity for summer driving. The fact is that the sewing machine will most likely be used at home and in warmth even in winter, and not in the frost in a gazebo, so it makes no sense to use "winter" and overly viscous oils. But this is an extreme option. It will come in handy when it is not possible to urgently go for a bottle of "door" oil, but the work is worth it, and it is urgent to continue it.

• Oil mining... Its structure is broken. Fatty hydrocarbons used as lubricating oils lose their properties, including water-repellent properties. They evaporate much faster than fresh engine oil.

To test how "third-party" lubrication will behave, lubricate the bike chain and try to ride a hundred kilometers on such a bike. After a few tens of kilometers, the oily-sticky mud formed by dust with such a lubricant will become viscous, like tar. As a result, the pedals will turn with a noticeably greater effort than with the chain and sprockets lubricated with industrial oil, as if you were going uphill. The machine will behave in the same way - the sewing speed may decrease by a factor of two or more.

But as soon as you notice that the speed of the machine began to drop (for example, by the frequency of the rattling of the needle bar mechanism and the clicks of the shuttle, the "howling" of the engine) - wait a little with work:

• disassemble the machine;
• clean and lubricate its mechanisms;
• then reassemble it.

The whole procedure for bringing sewing mechanisms to a sanitary state is divided into several stages.

• Scroll the drive shaft to the uppermost position of the needle bar and unplug the sewing machine.
• Remove the upper and lower threads from the machine (all, no matter how many there are at the time of interruption) and free the stapler from the fabric to be sewn.
• Remove the case, guided by the service manual (included in the kit).
• Remove any deposits from moving threads and dust from moving parts. Check (and clean if necessary) the needle plate, feed teeth, needle bar mechanism with foot, and hook assembly. It is also necessary to check the condition of the gears. If there is a suspicion of "tight" operation of the motor, the engine itself is disassembled. The bearings are cleaned, lubricated and re-aligned with the shaft. An old machine that does not have an electric motor and is driven by a hand or foot rotator is disassembled, cleaned and lubricated in the same way.
• Lubricate all rubbing surfaces. In this case, it is advisable to turn the drive shaft - this will make sure that the mechanism is completely lubricated. Thus, the shuttle requires only a few drops of oil.It may take a little more oil on the gears and the motor - make sure that all rubbing surfaces are evenly covered with a thin layer of machine oil. For spot dosing, a syringe with a needle will do.
• Put the car back together and run it in idle mode.

It does not matter whether the product is hand (or foot) or electric, The approximate step-by-step instructions are correct and consistent. But in some models, the case is quite sealed - the moving parts are protected by oil seals and anthers, and in the right places there are technological holes closed with plugs.

Cleaning and lubricating the clipper is an effective measure to protect it from damage, but it's still half the battle. To prevent the cleaning from becoming unscheduled or turning into something that you "overlooked" and did not pay attention to in time, the machine itself must be kept clean. In addition to external cleaning of the housing and the mechanics protruding outward, a number of other recommendations should be followed.

• Use fabrics and threads without excessive "hairiness".
• The threads should be sufficiently stretchable - this will prevent them from breaking directly during sewing.
• Measure the size of the needles and the thickness of the threads with the rigidity and thickness of the stitched layers of matter.
• Provide required for specific threads and fabrics tightening of the upper and bobbin thread tensioner. Check this parameter when changing threads, needles and fabrics - a discrepancy will lead to over-tightening, pulling the fabric into the hole of the needle plate or to fragility, skewing, "sagging" stitches.
• Do not disturb the threading order, described in the user manual of this device.
• Parts and mechanisms can be cleaned with a soft, lint-free cloth. In the absence of such a rag, waste cotton, bandage or other material will do. But the remaining villi need to be removed anyway, which can be done with tweezers.
• When cleaning, it is permissible to use alcohol, gasoline, kerosene or diesel fuel. However, the lubricating oil should be applied immediately - without lubrication, freshly cleaned parts will dry out quickly and start working "dry", which will lead to their complete wear in just an hour or three of intensive work.
• If any of the parts is still worn out, then it is impossible to work with a faulty mechanism... Not always every owner understands in detail the maintenance and repair of a sewing machine (and other similar devices). By ignoring the replacement of a failed component, it is easy to provoke a failure and several others that directly (or not so much) interact with it. The best way out is to contact a service center for the repair of sewing, knitting and embroidery equipment.

By observing all of the above recommendations, you can always keep the machine in a fully serviceable and efficient condition.

For how to lubricate the horizontal hook sewing machine, see the following video.