Today is Oiling Day!

If you are a reader of my blog you will of come to realise that my posts are like diary entries. A place where I can write a few words to remind myself of what I’ve been up to.

When it comes to oiling my vintage machines I like to oil / lubricate one section at a time so I don’t miss any sneaky holes or pivot points.

Firstly I remove the front face plate –  there are 11 oiling points here as indicated by the green lines.

I then oil the hook bearing by applying a drop of oil so it falls just behind the bobbin case plate.

Under the top cover plate are some more oil holes and gears. To lubricate the gears I smear a little Singer lubrication for motors onto a couple of the teeth, then turn the hand wheel to spread the lubricant across the rest of the gears.

Here’s a close up of some of the oil points you’ll find on top of the machine  – there are also a few along the side and one on the bobbin winder.

To reach the parts under the bed of the machine remove the large cover plate and tubular bed cover by unscrewing the nut / screw.

Then pop some oil into the oil holes (green lines), pivot points (pink lines) and singer electric motor lubricant onto the gears (yellow arrow).

Once the tubular and base plates are back on, its time for the motor (this only needs doing every 6 months).  There are two grease tubes (one on each side of the motor) which you have to force the lubricant into. It’s really important to use the correct Singer lubricant for this as the motor bearings have a wick feed system. If anyone knows where I can buy some “Singer Lubricant for Electric Motors” in the UK please let me know as I’m running out! – thank you.

All done! One happy machine ready to stitch and share!

If you are reading this post please remember I am not a mechanic – this information is written as a personal reminder of what I have done – I’m not advising you on how best to oil and lubricate your machine! If my car could talk she would tell you that her oil only gets checked when the poor engine is clunking and chunking away to such an extent that it reminds me of my childhood trips in our orange VW camper van!