The article "DIY: Cleaning up Your Vintage and/or Antique Sewing Machines" by Heatherstiletto has a wonderfully extensive list of cleaners for various parts of old sewing machines. The article is undated, but certainly many of the products are still available as of March 2022.
Her most highly-recommended products seem to be
- sewing-machine oil (regular or synthetic)
- for non-rusted metal parts, Nevr-Dull Magic Wadding Polish and Mother's Mag Polish
- for rusted metal parts, Evapo-Rust ER012 Super Safe Rust Remover, OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover [yes, the laundry one! but be sure to follow her instructions], and other products, as well as a DIY electrolysis set-up
Note that she clearly has some reservations about WD-40 as both cleaner and lubricant.
She also includes these tips for applicators:
Many people recommend using microfiber cloths with most of the cleaning products listed below. Some stand by good ol’ cotton t-shirts that have the seams removed, so it’s only soft material remaining. I use both on my machines because I like the slightly scrubbier factor of microfiber cloths sometimes, and the gentle t-shirt material for my shellac-coated machines. Just wash them and don’t put fabric softener in the wash, as that can cause hassles with buff-out – like streaks no matter how much you buff. Grrr!
Applicator supplies: toothbrushes, chip brushes, small paintbrushes, Q-tips/cotton swabs, etc.
A chip brush is a certain kind of paintbrush designed to be resistant to solvents, glues, stains, and other harsh chemicals (i.e. harsher than paint!).
WD40 is NOT an lubricant. Just use sewing machine oil (not 3 in 1 either).
ReplyDelete