How to Oil and Grease Vintage Sewing Machine Gears (and Everything Else!)

When vintage sewing machine enthusiasts talk about a machine being “all metal,” the part they’re probably most concerned about NOT being metal is the gears.
0:00 - Intro
Not every sewing machine uses gears extensively. Some use belts.
01:02 - Extra grease is bad!
Among Singer sewing machine enthusiasts, there is some debate about which models were always made with metal gears and which ones weren’t. I’ve even heard that machines with the same model number can be found in both all metal or with some plastic gears. Not all plastic gears are bad and many of them are still working fine even 60 years later. Whether or not plastic gears are still reliable might depend on the exact manufacturing process for the plastic, how the machine was stored and, most importantly, how they were maintained.
03:22 - Cleaning with an old toothbrush.
06:05 - There are very strong opinions about gear maintenance. Specifically, the kind of grease to apply and how to apply it.
(Note about nomenclature: I said “grease” throughout this video because I think there’s a chance to create confusion if I use the term “lubricant,” but that’s actually the term used a lot in this context, as in your sewing machine manual, for example.)
When oiling a sewing machine, please only use sewing machine oil, which is designed to work best for the parts of the machine that use oil. Oil sold for other purposes just doesn’t work with sewing machines. With that said, do NOT apply oil to the gears of any sewing machine, but especially plastic gears. Oil can make those gears break down.
Vintage sewing machines definitely need oil, but also need grease on the gears and, sometimes, for the motor.
09:33 - Personally, even though I don’t have a featherweight, I use Prescription Grease from The Featherweight Doctor. https://featherweightdoctor.com/produ...
I’ve heard good things about Sew-Retro Grease, too, I just haven’t used it. I have also heard some people use Tri-Flow, but it wasn’t designed for sewing machines, so I don’t use it.
13:42 - Oiling parts of the machine that aren’t entirely obvious.
15:21 - Removing the bottom of the cover.
21:23 - Seriously gross lint in the bottom of this machine.
24:12 - Oiling underneath the machine.
29:35 - Greasing gears underneath the machine.
31:03 - Putting it all back together.