Machine Oil ? ? ?

[SHHR]

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

[sofadoc]

- 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).

[Darren Henry]

Man, 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.

The 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)

[bobbin]

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

[sofadoc]

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!".

[PDQ]

Never use vegetable oil and leave the machine standing for six months. Trust me.  ;D