The Maintenance of a Serger Sewing Machine

Routine care of your serger, or overlock, machine will result in better stitches and years of trouble-free use. The maintenance of a serger is similar to that of a regular sewing machine.

Lint

Sergers tend to become full of bits of threads and lint because they cut the fabric as well as sew. After each project (or during particularly fuzzy projects), remove any lint you see. Open the bottom of the serger where the loopers are housed and use the lint brush that came with your machine or a small paintbrush to remove fuzz. A vacuum is excellent for removing lint. You can also use canned air, as long as you are sure to blow lint out of the machine and not further in to it. Be sure to remove lint from the feed dogs and the tension discs as well.

Oil

Refer to your serger's user manual to be sure that your serger requires oil and where it should be placed. After each cleaning, oil the serger in the recommended spots (usually joints where things move, especially near the loopers) and turn the hand wheel to work the oil into each joint. Use oil recommended for sewing machines.

Needles

Change your serger needles regularly to ensure good stitches. Dull needles can't penetrate the fabric and grab the looper threads properly, resulting in skipped stitches. Sergers sew quickly and the needle gets worked hard, so change it after every 10 to 12 hours of sewing time.

References

• HomeFamily.net: Care of Sewing Equipment
• "Huskylock 936 User's Guide"; Husqvarna Viking; 2003

Resources

• Threads: Preventive Sewing Machine Maintenance