In our Serger groups, one of the most frequent questions we are asked:

"Are there basic maintenance tips/schedule somewhere? Things like, how often to change needles, how often to oil, how often to brush out, how often to bring in for service?"

The frequency and procedure for each Serger Maintenance step is different:

CLEANING

Brush the serger out every day as you use it, using the brush that came with your serger or a makeup brush or disposable paintbrushes will also work.  Using the micro-vacuum attachments with your regular vacuum to clean out lint especially when you serge with fleece, minky or coarse bulky knits.

DO NOT USE CANNED AIR 

This just blows linty sludge further into the machine where it will require disassembly to thoroughly clean. Here is a great article detailing WHY you do not use canned air

https://www.qualityvacandsew.com/canned-air-can-damage-your-machine.htm

NEEDLES CHANGE

The usual needle change recommendation is for every 8 hours of serging but a lot of folks do that less often without harming anything.

OILING

Oiling about once a month if you use it daily, less often if you only use the serger infrequently. How to Oil your serger

PRESSER FOOT PRESSURE ADJUSTMENT

SERVICE CALLS

Some folks bring their serger to a repair shop for a maintenance tuneup once a year, but this is not necessaryMany folks perform all their own maintenance because it is not difficult - the BROTHER SERVICE MANUAL is available from our downloads page with all the other help docs here

http://brother1034dserger.org/downloads/

SPARE PARTS LIST

Have you made a spare parts list in your Serger Journal yet - showing who you bought spare parts and Replacements for

• Accessory Feet
• Knife sets
• Lightbulbs
• Needleguard
• Needleplate and Chaining forks
• Serger Sound Mat
• Sewing machine oil
• Spool caps

TROUBLESHOOTING NOISES

Knocking means metal hitting metal, serging in this state just worsens the wear and damage to your machine. Stop and locate the noise. $$$ the machine is telling you "pay me attention now, or pay $$$ later."

Unplug your machine so you do not accidentally serge yourself.

Handwalk your flywheel on the right side of the machine towards you while watching the needle area and loopers. Remove the presser foot for a better view if needed.

Shine a bright flashlight if needed. If the loopers are hitting each other or breaking needles, something is bent and may need replacement.

Change your needles and doublecheck they are flat backed into the housing and offset properly.

Check that your Stitchfinger is seated properly inside the machine