My machine was not moving so I opened it to check the problem. After putting it back in place, the needle goes very deep into the machine and it cannot move. What went wrong? I do not know which part is supposed to go where.
By Kate A
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Put your machine into a sturdy box or bag-put any loose parts in a zip baggie or snap-lid margarine tub.
Go through the phone book and find the phone number of the nearest (or best rated in reviews) sewing centre.
Telephone the sewing centre and ask for the service tech. Tell him/her what you've done. Make arrangements to bring your machine for restoration.
Bring your purse-this is going to cost you around $50-100USD depending on how much work it takes the tech to open the machine, put the parts back on in the right places, and possibly replace parts that to you looked ok but to a trained tech are clearly worn or broken.
Depending on the make and age of your machine, parts may be either expensive or hard to find. Computerised sewing machine parts can be expensive, vintage parts are hard to find and not always reliable-some vintage parts are no longer milled and the 'new' part the tech puts on your machine may actually be 'salvage'. There is no way of knowing how many sewing hours are on a salvage part so you may have the same problem happening again (ask me how I learnt this little gem of vintage sewing machine knowledge).
If you have a computerised machine, you shouldn't try to do self-repair or refurbishment, ever. These machines really are best left to a factory trained tech.
Vintage machines are wonderful, and much easier to work on but the first two rules of vintage sewing machine repair are to have a good quality digital camera and a deep dish muffin tin in the work area BEFORE you start taking apart your vintage (non-computerised) sewing machine.
Camera? Photograph every step of the parts removal process-how the inside of the machine looked before you pulled the part, how it looked halfway through the removal, how it looked after the removal.
Muffin tin? Drop the parts into the tin including screws with the part they go to, and be sure to photograph the screws and parts as you remove them-photograph the screws and part as you remove them and where you removed them from.
Why? So when you go to put the machine back together you have a crisp, clear set of pictures to use as reference. Yes, it is time consuming but well worth the trouble.
There are tonnes of Internet sources of free info on cleaning, servicing, and refurbishing vintage sewing machines, this is the one to use to get yourself started:
Good luck, please update your post re what happened next:)
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