Well—Who Knew! Sewing Machine Maintenance

By Carolyn Harris

Robert Hines of Sun Sew Vac (7770 Richmond Hwy Suite E;  www.sunsewvac.com) presented the Alexandria Seamsters January program at Hancock Fabrics. He gave us “Tips for Sewing Machine Maintenance,” and I was really surprised by a couple of them. I’ve always felt like I do a good job of maintaining my machines, but I fail on these two items, but I won’t any longer!

• Oil your machine after every 2 hours of sewing (1/4 drop at appropriate places).
• Change your needle after every 2 hours of sewing (he finds regular needles work fine). 

The other tips were pretty familiar:

• Use a mini-vacuum attachment set to clean outside of machine and in bobbin area. (DO NOT use compressed air or blow into the machine.)
• Use a surge protector for each machine (don’t confuse with a power strip).
• Use best quality thread you can afford.
• Have professional maintenance every year, at least & maybe more often depending on the amount of sewing done.

Robert is busier now after he was mentioned in a July 2014 Washington Post article on “How to Repair a Vintage Sewing Machine.”