STOP! Check These 5 Things Before Using a Used Sewing Machine

Setting up a used sewing machine and not really sure where to start? Maybe it was thrifted, gifted, or has just been in storage a long time and you don't even know if it works anymore? Well, this video is going to be all about the things you need to check on the sewing machine to make sure it's in good working order.

The Machine Basics

The first thing we need to check is whether we have our power cord and our pedal. Does everything look intact? Are there any frayed wires? If everything looks good, then we need to make sure we have the right pedal for the machine. They all have slightly different plugins, so make sure you have the pedal that actually goes to your machine and plug it in. Some machines will have the power and the pedal on the same cord; sometimes they'll be separate. Just inspect the cable and make sure it looks good.

Then, we'll plug the end into the wall and try to power it on. Find your power switch, turn it on, and you should see a light bulb come on over in the sewing area. If you were to get a sewing machine, plug it in, and hit the pedal immediately, it's possible you would actually break the machine if you didn't know what to check for before starting. Don't worry, though—I've actually created a free downloadable PDF checklist for you, so it'll be really easy to reference all of these things we're going to go over.

If your light did not come on, you can open the front of the machine and locate the light bulb. Sometimes it's as simple as pressing on it or twisting it so that it has a tighter connection. Sometimes it actually needs replacing. If you need to replace it, check your manual for exactly what bulb to get; you can usually find those at a hardware store. You can sew without the light bulb, but we need to know that you have power to the machine, and that's the easiest way to tell. But we're not going to hit the pedal yet, so let's go ahead and turn it back off.

Some machines have a separate light bulb with its own little switch, so look for that. Some very old machines don't even have a light bulb at all, so if you don't see one, it's not a reason to panic. Now, we can unplug the machine and keep it off for the rest of this process just to avoid injury.

Next, we need to see if the machine actually works. This is the flywheel on the side of your machine.



If your machine already has thread in it, you can only turn this flywheel towards you. If you turn it away from you, it's going to cause thread tangles. If it's not threaded, it's okay to turn it away from you. Try to turn this and see if it can move freely. If you can't move this freely, we have a problem. If you can, you're looking good!

When you turn this, you should see the needle going up and down. Again, you don't want to do that too many times when the needle is threaded. If you see that it's free, everything's good and you can stop there. If it's not free, there are a few things we need to figure out.

If it's not free, we're going to need to look inside the bobbin area. Slide off your compartment, if applicable, and open the door. Yours might load from the side, or it might have a little door on top where the bobbin drops in. Either way, we need to get to the bobbin. You'll have either a metal bobbin case or a plastic one, and then your actual bobbin. Go ahead and take everything out of there and try to turn the hand wheel again. Maybe now you'll get clearance, maybe not.

If there's any thread inside or any obstructions, pull everything out. Sometimes you have to cut things or use tweezers. If you have a side-loading bobbin, the whole bobbin race comes out so you can see what might be happening. Your number one goal right now is to get it moving freely, or we're not going to be able to sew with it. You have to figure out what's obstructing the movement and then fix it.



Sometimes the bobbin case is not inserted correctly, which causes the needle to hit it. This is why I said you could break the machine by powering it up before you knew what was going on. I've done this before myself! You should always hear a click when you put the bobbin case in. Sometimes people try to put it in using the lever and they don't hear that click. If it's not all the way in and you hit the pedal, the needle is going to come down and hit that case. If you do that with the power of the motor, it's going to at least break the needle, and I've even had it damage the bobbin case.

This can happen with drop-in style bobbins, too. If we take off our throat plate, we can see the bobbin and the bobbin case. We need to get in here and clean this, too. When you put your bobbin case back in, it has to be seated correctly. It can't be cockeyed. There's a little triangle on the bobbin case that needs to line up with the little spring piece. It should have just a little jiggle. We're always going to take rotations by hand—not using the pedal—until we know everything is free.

Check and Replace the Essentials

Once everything is moving, let's move on. Whether your needle looks good or not, you should go ahead and replace it. You're going to need to replace it every couple of projects anyway, and they're cheap. Sometimes a needle will be slightly bent from hitting something, or it could just be dull. It's an easy thing to change and it's often going to fix our problem. To do this, turn the set screw towards you and pull the needle out. When you look at the needle, it has a flat back. Spin it so the flat part is to the back, slide it up as far as it'll go, and tighten that screw again.

I use Schmetz universal needles on pretty much all of my machines. They fit almost every machine and work great.


Order Our Universal Sewing Machine Needles here

Another thing to check is the actual bobbin and the thread on top. Thread is not an heirloom like machines are. Thread gets dry and brittle, breaks easily, and can be fuzzy or linty. Lint is an enemy to your machine. If you're using an old machine, just empty that bobbin and refill it with new thread. This eliminates it as a possible problem.



Order Class 15 bobbins here

Next, make sure the machine has a presser foot. This part comes off, and a lot of times when you find a used machine, it's missing. No reason to worry, though, because they're pretty much universal for low-shank machines.



The Deep Clean & Oil

Now, let's do a little deep clean. Go in there with a brush and get all the dirt and lint out. Make sure there are no broken needles. This gives your machine the best chance to run nicely. We also need to clean under the silver throat plate. Take the screws out, pull the plate off, and you'll likely be appalled at how much lint you find! It's actually quite satisfying to clean it all out, especially between the feed dogs.

While we're in here, we can add a drop of oil. Every machine is different, so consult your manual, but normally it's one drop around the bobbin area. I use an oil with a nice long spout that you can find in our shop. After it's cleaned and oiled, put the throat plate and your presser foot back on.



  Order our Sewing Machine Oil with Zoom Spout Oiler here 

Preparing to Sew

It's very important that the presser foot is always down when you try to sew. You should have fabric in, and the foot should be down holding it before you start. Never try to sew with it up or without fabric, as it will cause immediate thread bird-nesting.

Now I'm going to thread the machine. If you need help with this, I have videos on how to thread various machines, including this Kenmore 385. Once threaded, plug everything back in and turn on the power. Slide some fabric under the presser foot, lower it, and give the flywheel one rotation by hand. Everything seems clear, so we're safe to hit the pedal!

Hold the fabric lightly and hit the pedal. This is what you should have! If your stitch doesn't look good, you can check out our videos on thread tension or just try threading it again.

Thank you so much for watching! I hope this helped you get your "new" old sewing machine running. Make sure to get that free PDF checklist. If you have any questions or want to share what kind of machine you're working on, please leave a comment on the video. Happy sewing!