Got my new Juki 1541-S set up early last week. The oil reservoir is currently below the "L" mark. The owner's manual specifies a "Defrix ###" brand oil. My question, is there a machine oil that I might be able to find locally that would be of comparable specs? If not, I have absolutely no problem giving Gregg a ring tomorrow and waiting a couple of days to get the right stuff.
Also, the manual is kind of vague on oiling the rest of the machine, simply saying "add an adequate amount of oil to......." I'm sure I'll learn the definition of "adequate" as I go along, but I don't want to get caught with "inadequate" ;D
If you do need to manually oil the machine a couple of drops is enough. depending on once a week or a day if you use it all day. You don't want it to be dripping on the fabric.
I use any clear sewing machine oil. don't use other types as they may have additives that will harm the machine.
Thanks Paul,
This Juki has a number of felt oil "wicks" placed on/around various components in the upper head, plus another resevoir on the very top of the machine. The lower reservoir, as far as I can tell, keeps the bobbin/hook and other "below deck" components properly lubed.
Jeff
Walmart carries the Singer type machine oil in their sewing section and a bottle is dirt cheap. I believe Joann Fabrics also carries it. I was going to buy a bottle from Bob Kovar and he suggested it would be cheaper to get it locally then pay for shipping through him.
Sewing machine oil is not nearly as complicated as car oil where you have syn blends, different weights, etc.
As already stated, use a clear sewing machine oil and your good to go.
I once experimented and used Mobil 1 on my old machine. It loved it and sewed much quieter. :)
I use nothing but machine oil in my new Chandler.
Chris
Every eight hours of use or if it has been a while to oil. Stainless sewing oil is fine. Juki does have a defrix oil #2 they recommend to use for the DNU-1541, but again, standard sewing oil should be just fine.
QuoteI once experimented and used Mobil 1 on my old machine. It loved it and sewed much quieter.
Interesting, I just tried Mobil 1 last week. While it might lubricate sufficiently, it is quite dark and I imagine it would stain any fabrics that came in contact with it. Sewing machine oil is clear as glass and will not stain as bad as automotive oils.
For many years, I changed the oil in my cars and collected the 10W30 drippings from the oil bottles and used that to oil my machines. I have experimented with just about every lubricant available, including baby oil, mineral oil, Tri-Flow, CRC, and others. I have found nothing that performs better than plain old sewing machine oil from JoAnn Fabrics.
Ed
For over 20 years, I used compressor oil from Lowe's, or home Depot (never had any problems). It was after I joined this forum that I heeded the advice to use a clear sewing machine oil.
I still remember the little can of "3in1" oil next to my grandmother's old Singer.
Chris, Gregg, Ed, and 'Doc.....
Thanks for your advise! I've got a Super-Wally within 3 blocks of my house, and I think there is actually a JoAnn Fabrics in this little town. I want to make sure I got this machine started out on the right (walking)foot.... :D
Jeff
I have found nothing as slick as Tri-Flow. It has been used in racing for years. I tried it on my old machine and it was so slick it changed the clearances and I ended up with hook problems after things started moving around. I went back to machine oil, reset the timing and clearances and never had another problem.
I use Tri-Flow on all of my handguns and long guns along with anything else that needs lubing or protection. I prefer it to WD-40. Great stuff but super expensive and hard to find. I had to order my last can off E-Slay ( E-Bay ).
Jeff, I believe the sewing machine oil comes in a small bottle and is found on the rack with other sewing supplies at Wally's.
Chris
Has anyone tried mayonnaise?
My real question is: How, or why, would you even consider using anything but sewing machine oil? I'm asking because I had never even thought to use something else.
On a somewhat related thread: I was told by folks that work at Valvoline that Federal law dictates what can be put in 2 stroke motor oil. The only difference is the color additive. When husquavarna or Sears or whoever tells you to use only their oil in their products, well, they are being a bit less than honest.
Gene
Quote from: gene on October 25, 2010, 04:10:20 pm
How, or why, would you even consider using anything but sewing machine oil? I'm asking because I had never even thought to use something else.
Gene
Great point. I don't have the answer for that.
The idea behind a stainless sewing oil is that it will both lubricate you equipment, and won't ruin your sewn goods. I can pull a few dozen machine heads out of a place and have sewing machine oil and residue all every my clothes. I'll look a mess, but after throwing everything into the wash, it comes out brand new. Try that with 10W30 or 3 and 1, or Triflow, all great lubricants, BTW.
Quote from: gene on October 25, 2010, 04:10:20 pm
Has anyone tried mayonnaise?
Gene, I prefer Miracle Whip! :P
Kyle
Quote from: gene on October 25, 2010, 04:10:20 pm
My real question is: How, or why, would you even consider using anything but sewing machine oil? I'm asking because I had never even thought to use something else.
MY only excuse is: When you grow up in a family business, you get used to doing things the way the family has always done it. Over the years, I have come to realize that a lot of things they did were DUMB.
QuoteMy real question is: How, or why, would you even consider using anything but sewing machine oil?
Several reasons:
- Ignorance. Until forums like this popped up, we had no way of knowing why we should use sewing machine oil over some other lubricant. Sewing machine oil seemed like a marketing ploy by Singer and other manufacturers to sell $5 per gallon oil at $5 per pint.
- Convenience. When your machine needs to be oiled and you can't find that bottle of sewing machine oil, any lubricant will do. After all, oil is oil - right?
- Efficiency. Why buy and stock a different oil for every purpose and have a half dozen bottles and cans lying around? 3-in-1 oil is good for everything, isn't it?
- Misinformation. That's what Mom used on her machine so that's what I'm going to use on mine.
QuoteHas anyone tried mayonnaise?
No, but I have heard of folks using olive oil. Add some eggs and vinegar and you have mayonnaise.
Ed
Quote from: SHHR on October 26, 2010, 04:38:35 am
Quote from: gene on October 25, 2010, 04:10:20 pm
Has anyone tried mayonnaise?
Gene, I prefer Miracle Whip! :P
Kyle
Man, are you crazy??!!
Around here, there's no mayo but DUKES! Miracle Whip ain't even mayo, it salad dressing! ;D
I read on another forum (Singer) that some people used mineral oil. It is also clear and stain-less. However, it is a different weight than sewing machine oil. It is thicker. I don't have any sewing store in my town now. The last store that had any supplies at all (Singer store, and very EXPENSIVE!) closed about a year ago. :'(
I'll be needing oil soon and plan on just buying a gallon. That should last me a while!
Quote from: hdflame on October 26, 2010, 12:24:12 pm
Man, are you crazy??!!
Around here, there's no mayo but DUKES! Miracle Whip ain't even mayo, it salad dressing! ;D
Boy Bobby, I can tell you're from the south, you sound like my wife who's from Florida. Only with her it's Helman's and in the thirteen years we've been married if I want Miracle Whip I HAVE TO BUY IT!
Kyle
Quote from: lamx on October 26, 2010, 05:16:37 am
- Ignorance. Until forums like this popped up, we had no way of knowing why we should use sewing machine oil over some other lubricant. Sewing machine oil seemed like a marketing ploy by Singer and other manufacturers to sell $5 per gallon oil at $5 per pint.
- - Misinformation. That's what Mom used on her machine so that's what I'm going to use on mine.
Man, you nailed it! This forum has been a wealth of information for me. My parents (and grandparents before them) would have never dreamed of changing a needle, unless it was broken. I don't think my mother went through a dozen needles in her entire career! She only oiled the machine when it started clanking. And then, it was a drop of 3in1. My grandmother argued til her dying day that her old Singer was a walking foot machine. After all, it had a foot that went up and down. That's walking, right?
This was the type of sage wisdom that I had to depend on as a young buck trying to learn the biz.
The only place that I knew to go to for advice, was my upholstery supplier. He said "A 31-15 and a 1/4" welt foot is all you need".
I'm just glad that my grandmother didn't know about mayonnaise. She would have put it right next to her big bowl of buttermilk & corn flakes (no, I'm NOT kidding).
QuoteMan, you nailed it! This forum has been a wealth of information for me
Amen. I look back at some of the things that the guy who taught me upholstery swore were gospel even though they sounded like hog wash that you folks have helped me with it's amazing.
QuoteThe last store that had any supplies at all (Singer store, and very EXPENSIVE!) closed about a year ag
Ya'll gotta have a Wally-world :o . When I came out to Brandon I had to pick up some oil and I grabbed a bottle from Wall-mart ($5 for 5-6 ? oz that will last these three machines until spring at least) and I cannot see a difference from the stuff I used to buy from Jackson ( a supplier up here). It's even Gregg approved 8)
I live in "Cain's Corner" (New England) and Cain's is a local brand of mayonnaise... the very thought of Miracle Whip makes me want to hurl. Ewww! (but I digress). :)
Sofa., you crack me right up on a regular basis; the stories about your grandmother are just priceless. Failure to oil the machine sounds just like my present boss. And when I started working for my first boss in marine canvas/awning work he used to file off burrs on the needle (no kidding!) and was appalled when I simply cut the thread and tied the new color onto the remaining tail and pulled it through to the eye of the needle. He started to lecture me on "wasting supplies" and I flatly told him that it cost more to pay me (an employee with all associated taxes) than the 24" of thread did since that was likely already figured into his overhead cost. His jaw about hit the floor. But then, he'd never worked "piece rate" and he'd never been faced with the time required to rethread a multi-needle machine. When he came to my shop and watched me rethread a 5 thrread overlock "from scratch" he commented that he then understood about cutting thread and "tieing off". An "aha!" moment.
All of which gets us right back to how terrific the internet can be on forums like this one! When we work largely alone and have a question we no longer are at the mercy of some wannabe "mechanic" who has the market cornered in an isolated area. We can now post the question, bring different experiences and viewpoints to a thread and come away with great suggestions and a different perspective. I love that!
I have a 31-15 and a ton of feet for it that make it very useful for a variety of things. I still use it. But for upholstery? ummm... no thanks! lol
Quote from: bobbin on October 27, 2010, 11:39:17 am
and was appalled when I simply cut the thread and tied the new color onto the remaining tail and pulled it through to the eye of the needle. He started to lecture me on "wasting supplies"
At lunchtime, I pull off a couple yards of thread just to floss with!
Your boss and my grandmother must have been seperated at birth.
Next time he gripes about wasting a couple feet of thread, toss him a quarter, and say "That should cover me for a month!".
Never use vegetable oil and leave the machine standing for six months. Trust me. ;D