Report on Textile and Clothing: Machine Maintenance and Simple Troubleshooting

1. Machine Maintenance

2. Cleaning
• The machine should be carefully cleaned of
dust, lint, and thread before it is used and
again before it is put away.
• Thread, carelessly left, often results in
damage to the shuttle and in the blunting of
needles.

3. Oiling
• Oiling keep the parts working smoothly
and without unnecessary wear.
• Only a drop of oil once a week may be
required.

4. • Places on the sewing machine which
require oiling include:
– two or more points on the treadle
– two points on the band-wheel crank
– one point on the band wheel

5. • The head of the machine has many more
point which needs to be oiled.
• If a more thorough oiling is necessary,
the upper thread, presser foot, face
plate, slide plate, bobbin, bobbin case,
and throat plate should be removed. The
shuttle case should then be cleaned and
oiled.

7. The arrows show where the machine is to be oiled

8. The arrows show where the machine is to be oiled

9. Caring for the
Sewing Machine

10. 1. Wipe off dust from the exposed parts.
2. Lower or raise the head by holding the arm
carefully.
3. With soft cloth, clean the:
– tension regulator
– take-up lever and thread guides
– bobbin case and shuttle
– machine surface holes

11. 4. Do not use detergents for cleaning
5. Using the lint brush, clean the:
– feed dog
– shuttle (area under the throat plate)

12. 6. Sew a line of stitching on a scrap material to
remove excess oil
7. If there is a need to disassemble some parts,
remember how they were placed
8. Replace each part carefully using the correct
screwdriver

13. 9. Lubricate the bottom part of the machine by
tilting the machine back and oil parts
indicated below
10.Put 2-3 layers of swatches between presser
foot and feed dog. Keep the sewing machine
in its bed and cover.

15. 1. Clucking noise. This happens when the top tension is
not properly or correctly threaded. Re-thread the
upper tension from the thread guide.
2. Stuck balance wheel. This happens when threads
tangle around the bobbin. Gently rock the balance
wheel back and forth to untangle the thread. Slowly
pull out the thread with tweezers.

16. 3. Puckered stitches. This happens when the
point is blunt or bent. Replace needle with a
new one.

17. 4. Machine skip stitches. This is caused by using the
wrong size of the needle specified for the kind of
fabric being sewn. Make sure you have the right size
of the needle.
5. Fabric does not move. This happens when the feed
dog is not adjusted to the correct sewing position.
Raise the feed dog by turning the feed dog regulator
or darning knob.
6. Uneven stitches. This is caused by holding tight or
pulling back the fabric while sewing. Hold the fabric
lightly as you stitch.

18. 7. Needle breaks. This happens when the needle
strikes the presser foot or around the needle
hole. Tighten the presser foot to avoid
misaligning the needle, the presser foot and
the needle hole.

19. 8. Thread breaks at the needle eye. This
happens when the needle eye is not
threaded correctly. Thread the needle
properly following the direction of the arrow
indicated in the throat plate. The needle
must be placed with the needle groove
turned toward the side from which the
needle is threaded.

20. By: CJ Fajilan
- from reference books and internet -