Sewing machine tune up

[catnip]

Hey all,

I highly recommend getting your sewing machine professionally serviced. Mine was having a couple little problems, bunching the thread up underneath occasionally, balky starting seam lines, and some other annoyances. Nothing that kept me from sewing, but they sure made it more aggravating. I also have a good quality overlock machine (serger) that sat in the garage unused for around 5 years and it was seized up. They're both about 15 years old.

They were repaired and tuned up last weekend and now they're purring like kittens , and running faster than my cats when they hear a can being opened.

[Narwhalin]

I agree! I just had a mid-50's model from the Sewmore company cleaned and serviced. It had been in my family being used as a table, but never opened. When I started thinking about making my own gear, (spurred by a desire to avoid spending hundreds of dollars to attain what I think is my ultimate setup) I asked my Mom about sewing machines, and she mentioned this old one that was in the basement.

After I spent about $50 for the service, the machine looked amazing! I couldn't believe how well it cleaned up, and I am very glad I didn't have to deal with that myself. The man who fixed my machine was incredibly helpful to me when I screwed up initialy, and that kind of service alone makes restoring or buying a machine with a shop instead of a big box store a wise choice for everyone, especially inexperienced seamsters like myself!

[catnip]

That's great! I spent $350, but I couldn't replace even one of the two machines for that amount today. They were both good solid machines when I bought them (and with metal gears) so it was worth it.

When I started thinking about making my own gear, (spurred by a desire to avoid spending hundreds of dollars to attain what I think is my ultimate setup)

That's my motivation, too. I could make more working overtime on the weekend than I actually save, but making gear is way more fun. Plus it's pretty cool to be able to customize things, and say you've made your own stuff.

[Narwhalin]

That's my motivation, too. I could make more working overtime on the weekend than I actually save, but making gear is way more fun. Plus it's pretty cool to be able to customize things, and say you've made your own stuff.

True! And when I was in the middle of the tarp I was having so many problems that I threw my hands up and almost quit on it! So, I left and came back later with some more positive vibes and figured out my mistakes. Very glad I gave it a chance because the tarp ended up being right on par with the one I was trying to mimic. Very gratifying!

[eyewall]

Yeah, I just finished my Potomac UQ and our Bernina was starting to clatter a bit. Just a bit of thin machine oil here and there sure makes a difference. My wife just calls me Mr. Seamster