While in my class at Empty Spools Seminars in March one of my students showed me this wonderful product, tiny swabs with a microfiber tip. Microfiber dish cloths and dusting cloths are fabulous, and these are a tiny version of that fiber.
They can be used to clean any number of tiny spaces and spots, but are really wonderful to use on your sewing machine to get out stray threads, lint, gunk, etc. Great for all electronics too.
I use them very gently to remove the waxy substance left from silk thread. It can clog the hook race in the bobbin area and this little device works great for gentle removal. Never poke and jab at any sewing machine parts, especially delicate springs.
Here you can see the difference in size between the microbrush and an ordinary cotton swab, which I still like to use after adding that drop of oil to the hook area by the bobbin to remove any traces of oil and gently smooth the oil over any metal parts.
I also used the microbrush to clean the thread pathway in the top of the machine. If a thread gets caught in any of these areas, the tension discs, thread cutter bar, etc., it's nice to have a gentle and effective tool like this that will help but not damage the machine.
You can order the product from Cotton Club.
Hope you are having a terrific jump into Spring, and are doing just a little quilting in addition to everything else.
Keep quilting; your work gets better every day!
Diane
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8 comments:
Thats a really interesting peice of advice Diane. I had no idea that the top could be opened up like that without damaging something. I recently got my Bernina 440 QE serviced...and it was discovered that the whole front plate had been damaged - apparently before it was delivered new. There was a screw missing and it looked like some of it had been glued back...all news to me, and I hated to use it, as it ran so badly. I really love the machine now and very much enjoying my 'playing 'with quilting....but I would always be nervous about opening it up like that. The micro swabs look terrific, and I will see if can get them. We are just going into Autumn here, and its geting cool in the evening.
Thank you for the tips...they are always helpful.
Joan, I am so glad your machine is fixed. If at any time a machine just doesn't sound right, even if it is new, get it checked. They can open the entire machine to get a good look.
On my Bernina 730 the left top of the machine can be easily removed to clean, dust, or remove threads caught in the pathway. It snaps on and off easily but be sure to replace it securely using the screw to hold it on. If you are unsure about this, ask your dealer to show you.
Sometimes in classes a thread will become lodged inside and we have to open it to get the machine to run properly or risk damaging it.
The top of the machine is not to be opened by the owner; all the electronics live in there. Always check first with your friendly tech to see what is ok for you to do, what they need to do in the shop.
What a wonderful item to have on hand....thanks for the info.
I have been using these little tools for years. They are perfect for getting lint out of the bobbin area without shoving it back further. I also like it for reaching tight spots on my serger. Great tool!
Dena, that's great you've known about them. I always learn from people in my classes and this was one of those things. It is indeed absolutely perfect for the bobbin area - it grabs the lint, etc., rather than just moving it around or worse, shoving it back further as you said.
I didn't mention it but these are have bendable tips, so you can reach odd spots too. So nice.
Thanks for the great tip!
Besides the Cotton club are there any other places which sell them, or do you have a manufacturer's name? I would love to get my LQS to sell them.
They are called Microbrush, bendable applicators, by Tooltron, 103 Parkway, Boerne, TX 78006
The package I have came from Quilt and Sew House, Inc. HTH!
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