CLIENT PROJECT SERIES #3: Using Heat, Oil, & Patience to Coax a Bernina Sewing Machine to Move Again

[@gwynt909]

When I received my Bernina 730 record I was told it had not been used for at least 20 years! So I did all the things you said but was wary of heat guns. So I oiled it and then left it in the hot South African sun for 5 days adding more oil until things moved. It worked and everything moved and now 5 years later it is still running. Magnificent machine.

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Great idea Gwyn. I actually tried something similar on my stuck Kenmore 1941 but could not get it to high enough temps here in the Canadian version of summer!

[@Mindyluvspilates]

Thank you for your videos! I have a 730 that my g'ma bought me for my birthdayseveral years ago. I've used it mainly for straight stitching, now I have a quilt that I want to machine & couldn't figure out why the feed dog wouldn't drop. I've watched several videos of yours & your tips helped me free it up. I'll be back for more cleaning/ lubricating tips before I begin.

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

So great to hear the video helped you Mindy!

[@VelvetCrone]

You are a true treasure! Thank you so much!

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@carolyngethings]

So glad you're doing this video series on the old Bernina 530. I'm finding it very helpful, as I acquired one about a year ago, and learning about it. She does sew, but that needle position knob is a little sticky on mine too, so I dont use it. Good to see a possible solution. Thanks

[@mampfiiim4475]

Thank you so much for this video series! I learned so much! As you said so nice in the video we do learn from each other and so I do want to share some information myself. I got the old Bernina 530-2 from my boyfriends grandmother in 2020. Two years bevore I started sewing with a Privileg sewing machine from the 80ies and it wasn´t half as good as the Bernina! Sewing with this Bernina is so great as it the motor is not so loud while sewing, the stitches are more exact, the strenght of the machine allowes to sew more stiff materials and/or more layers easy... And also the company stayed with their sewingfood production till the 90ies the same system which means you can buy also today foods for those machines! Isn´t that great?? You just have to accept that you need bether light ( I use a seperate LED flexible lamp standing next to the machine from IKEA), you do have no automatic threader and you do have no overlock sewing stitches. ... when you can live with that it is a great experience to sew with this beauty! I am lucky that I found a company in Austria doing allready services for such old machines ( Kastl& Reiter in Lerchenfelderstraße 9-11) so in the beginning I didn´t needed to know allready how to help my machine to get back to live. Sadly the machine stand too long still so I am allready facing the problem that I can´t set the needle position left or right, but luckily I can use the zick-zack. Now I do understand what my sewing machine do need and what my sewing mechanic meant when saying that if I sew a lot I may be lucky and the machine will be one day able to do that again. Maybe I will help her myself now that I have seen here how it can be done when you take your time and efford.

[@thematerialrevolution]

Love your videos. Really helped me buy my Bernina Record 730 at the beginning of the pandemic. That said, I have a question. I was sewing with the machine recently and it started making a squealing noise and the sewing slowed down and it just sounded like something was spinning and then no sewing. When I opened the top and continued to investigate I found when the lid was open ran perfectly. The trying to put the lid on it wasn’t matching up and when I was able to put back on after a little bit of adjusting. It started making that noise and not sewing again. What can I do? I am trying to find a service man but we are in lockdown in London. I have worked on many industrial machines and had the Bernina 950 so I am not a complete newby to doing my own Maintenance but it’s been a while since I owned a domestic machine and trying to understand what happened. I am the second owner and it’s in pristine condition.

[@wayneessar7489]

Would synthetic oil make a difference in lubricating these machines. I have just reclaimed my Moms 707 Minimatic and with your helpful video series it is running and stitching. I do need to take it in to a shop however as I found a c clip loose in the bottom of the machine and I cannot see where it came from. Thank you for these posts!

[@ronalddevine9587]

How much better it would have been if they made that stitch selector comb out of nylon and that gear in front of the cam stack of metal. Hindsight is 20/20 so they say!

[@brettster3331]

Nice video and instruction, thank you for showing this.

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Glad it was helpful!

[@cocasio7190]

Thanks!

[@amyd.5990]

The needle position selector is the exact problem I’m having with my Mother-in-law’s Bernina 730 Record. Other than that it’s working great. Do you know anyone in Denver who could help me with it?