Sewing Machine Oil Application

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Sewing machines come in many different shapes and styles and are built for different work loads and fabrics. But one of the problems that people over look is that this is a machine that needs to be taken care of. It doesn’t matter if you use it regularly or have stored it for a year, your parts need to be oiled and cleaned. Taking the time to learn how to use sewing machine oil will help keep your sewing machine working in top shape.

Many machines will come with a small dropper of oil but it is usually not enough to last you even for the first year. You will need to check with your manual for the specific oil to use. Not all oils are the same and some can actually do more harm than good. If you run out of oil, don’t operate your sewing machine and certainly don’t substitute it with cooking oil or another type that you have kicking around. Cooking oil in particular will burn and act as friction as soon as it is heated. Once your sewing machine parts are charred and grinded the only option is to replace them. You can sometimes get away with a 3 in 1 oil but you shouldn’t take the chance unless absolutely necessary.

Step 1:
You need to make sure that that area you are working in is clean and clear of debris. You should use an old fabric or newspaper to cover everything below because oil always manages its way on to other surfaces. You will need your manual the first few times because not every sewing machine is the same and some are more complex than others. But basically you will need some cotton balls, small screw drivers, some rags, and paper towels.

Step 2:
Turn off the electricity. This is where things get tricky because there are so many styles of sewing machines. You might find that you have to take apart the bobbin areas on some and on others you will only need to add a drop of oil in to a small hole. Most machines today have latches to open up the inners workings to expose the motor and other working parts. It is very important that you only put oil where you are supposed to. Do not put oil just anywhere that you think it should go. This can do a lot of damage and cause problems. Again, follow the manual.

Step 3:
To clean off metal surfaces you can use a touch of oil on a paper towel or cotton ball to rub dust and dirt off. Of course you want to do this very conservatively because an excess of oil is just going to get all over the place. So once you are finished lubricating all of the proper parts, make sure everything is back to its original state and give everything a final wipe with a paper towel to absorb any excess sewing machine oil.

Step 4:
Since you have just oiled your machine, you should use a scrap piece of fabric to sew with. Just sew for about 5 minutes to make sure that no excessive oil is going to leak out on to your future projects and to ensure that the oil is well distributed inside.

Your manual will go in to more details about your specific model, but now you have a better idea on how to apply sewing machine oil.