Michellesews

ladies: the most important tool in your tool box should be the computer vacuum attachement...it hooks to your regular vacuum and gets into itty bitty places, like your sewing machine! I don't know about Berninas, they pretty much force you to take them in, but on the others, you can vacuum out all that lint, brush under the throat plate first....give it a GOOD CLEANING, then use a pin-point oiler and move the hand wheel, pay attention to where metal is moving again metal and give it a MICRO DROP of oil, this will get you by until you can get a service. I do this about once a month and only have my machines serviced every two years. My service man usually tells me it was clean but needed some internal grease. I will leave that to them. Maintenance, just like on your car, can prevent a lot of problems. My grandmother use to say, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". I buy the pin point oilers from QuiltTEch on line, they are cheap...I buy three at a time and refill them. I use them on my longarm as well and they are wonderful, they don't leak and will put a minute drop or half drop, right where you need it to go. You could get 10 extra years out of your machine just by doing this once a month.

jamsbuying

Thanks for the reminder!!

kapatt

It depends on what type of machine that you have. All of my machines are mechanical which to me means that they don't have any computer parts in them. Since they are mechanical, I service my own machines. I take them apart, clean them out, grease and oil them. (Grease is only used in certain places and oil is only used in certain places.) If I had a machine that had computer parts, I would definitely take it in to be serviced.

linhawk

I took my Elna 7300 in once to be cleaned. I watched the man and then went and bought a small (cheap)air compressor and now I clean and oil it myself, several times a year or whenever I feel it needs it. Much cheaper. Oh happy days..... ;-)

ywoodruff5

Your post made me smile. I remember taking a machine in for cleaning for the first time in about 10 years. The repairman saved the lint for me saying I had enough to knit a sweater....lol.

jitkaau

I have a dilemma - my Pfaff has cost me $800 in repairs so far and it is still not fixed. Not sure that I shouldn't have bought a new machine instead? My machines are well-maintained and no one can explain what exactly is wrong with this one...meanwhile, what is the word for "sewing machine withdrawal symptoms"?

hobbykat1955

Yup...ain't broke...and now I'm paying..Had my Viking for 5 yrs...never serviced. Then it started sewing bkwards. Long story short Husq repair person couldn't fix had to be sent to Viking for repair and it's going to cost somewhere around 600.00. It's been away for 6 wks now and still waiting. But I look at it this way it would have cost abt 105+ per yr for maintainance and misc...so it averages out.

Riversong

I service my own.If someone else can use a screwdriver and take it apart,so can I. I take my cover off every now and then and clean and oil the "guts"...you just have to remember where all the screws go and get it back together right!

jaciqltznok

I was thinking I need to take my Elna in soon...thanks for reminding me...I do clean it all the time myself, but it has never been to the "shop" since I got it in 2003!

laynak

My favorite time to set up servicing my Babylock is right after Christmas -- my projects are done and I take a break for a week or so.