miriam

Surely you jest.

mlmack

Absolutely, though it is only a slightly more ridiculous method than that of the OP.

miriam

I think I've cleaned up a few that were done either way... Not pretty.

crocee

It was once explained to me that WD-40 and other similar sprays were not lubricants as such. These sprays were considered as emulsifiers to break up and move old oil and grease away from the part to free it up. Why would you want to put something on a machine that will move the oil away from a critical joint. I suppose if you had a part that was glued in place by old grease or varnished oil you could put a drop in the frozen part to free it up. This drop would come in the form of being placed with an eyedropper from a can and not a spray. Just my opinion.

miriam

I have seen dried up old not moving machines come to life with just one drop of Tri-flow in each moving joint. I did that with the help of my 6 and 3 year old grand children. They think Tri-Flow is magic oil. The good side of that is there is no time spend cleaning up the spray residue.

Vridar

My first reaction to The Sewing Guy's process was, "You're joking." Then realized 30 yrs experience would surely include cleaning up some of these "hosed" machines. He's kidding. Some of mine look like I've "hosed" them prior to getting un-froze, but it's been applied a drop at a time over time.

Glenn

I agree with Joe. You said it right Joe.
Skip

ThayerRags

Did you guys notice how many posts that "The Sewing Guy" has?

Suppose it's somebody pulling our chain?

CD in Oklahoma

Macybaby

When you've been doing it as a business, often time = $$$, and if the customer won't pay the $$$, the repair person isn't going to spend the time.

DH often spends 20 hours or more just cleaning up an old machine before he gets to the oiling and adjusting phase. No way could he do that if he was doing this to put food on the table.

There is always the rule - Cheap, Fast, Quality - you can get two of the three - your choice. The OP is going for the cheap, fast method. Most on here go for the cheap, quality method - and are willing to put in the time required.

The Sewing Guy

Surely, I don't jest. Although I did say what type of spray lube you care to use doesn't matter, it has been corrupted to mean WD-40, which I specifically did not single out.

OK, I shall say this again. This is a quick and easy way to do it. Am I saying it is the correct way? Nope, and I even stated that, IF you are in a hurry, IF you just want to do a quickie or IF you don't want to follow the manuals instructions, by oiling the machine in this way, at least you get some oil where it is needed. Regardless of what anyone believes, just by doing this, as messy as it may be, you will extend the life of the machine.

Now then, I did not say this was proper, that this was legitimate nor did I say it was recommended by a manufacturer. However, oiling it this way is the least, read that again, the LEAST someone can do to keep their machine up and running. Had my own mother, and countless other people who brought me their own ruined machines because they never oiled them, just done this very simple way to get some oil on moving parts, those older retro machines may still have been sewing to this day instead of ending up in the salvage/recycling yard.

Now then, would I ever use this method? Absolutely not. I clean them and use military spec bearing lube. But there are many, many people who have these machines and they refuse to oil them at all. (Some older Necchi's have 30-something oiling points, and even though I repair machines for a living, these are even a pain in the tail for ME! Imagine someone who has zero mechanical ability and is faced with the prospect of getting oil on all of those joints. It doesn't happen, and I have revived many a dead Necchi because it was never oiled.) In that case, using a spray lube on the machine, as I have described, will at least save it and keep it usable.

So please everyone, let's not in any way say that this is the end all for lubricating sewing machines. It is a quick way to get oil into the moving parts with not a lot of hassle. In reality, the machine should be properly lubed by someone who knows sewing machines and can take the time to do it right. BUT, if that isn't an option, you can spray lube the entire mechanism, and the machine will keep functioning. No more, no less.