Products We Use and Recommend

Why people put tape on machines I'll never know, especially those who put adhesive price tags on antiques! This stuff will usually gently soften that irritating adhesive residue, but it can soften the clear coat and decals too so be careful. We don't use it a lot, but there are occasions when it comes out in a workshop.

Used on all machine heads that do not have a severely compromised finish. Lots of waxes available, I just prefer this one to shine and protect a newly-cleaned machine. Like other waxes, it will appear white or hazy when applied over a cracking or dead finish. When that happens, we use a light rubbing of Howard Feed-N-Wax over it to "wet" those  hazy areas.

Not enough good can be said for this stuff! Removes rust quickly and safely. It is non-toxic and has a sort of sweet odor. There are other ways to remove rust and I guess I have tried most of them, some I have used extensively, but for working in the house with sewing machines, I have found nothing that outperforms or is easier to use.

Very seldom used, but on occasion I will soak some unpainted parts that are  coated with crud. Very flammable, "stinks" is an understatement, but it does get the job done. It will also remove paint quickly.  Flammable like kerosene, but it at least serves a useful purpose.

We don't use this on sewing machine heads, but in our advanced workshop it is used for any wood parts that need to slide against each other. The wax reduces friction to help drawers slide smooth and prevent wear to the wood and the finish.

On rare occasion I will use either acetic acid (vinegar) or a product containing phosphoric acid to remove rust. The reason I usually don't is that corrosive acids attack everything in the solution (removing the rust but etching every other area of the metal) while EvapoRust's "selective chelation" attacks the rust ONLY, leaving the good metal alone.

Used almost as much as metal polish, we use grits ranging from 240 to 2000 and nearly always with oil or water as a lubricant. Used to flatten the surface or metals as we near the polishing stage. we begin with the coarsest necessary and work progressively to the finer (higher number). Please see our "Videos" page to see a more detailed description

No!! Not to kill the bugs! We use it and show you how beneficial it is and why.  Saves you a lot of money and does what we want done to a machine without doing things we don't want done! Attend a workshop to find out more!                    

I have tried so many of the alternatives to Gojo that I have seen suggested, and this one absolutely flopped! I mean fell out in the floor and flailed around like it was ran over by a car! Seriously, it doesn't even perform well as a hand cleaner! Try it if you like, but I think you'll agree it is pretty much worthless in the arsenal of sewing machine cleaning.

We don't use Goop because we use Gojo. That pretty much sums up why it is in this list. I tried it and (just in my personal experience and opinion) it didn't stand up to Gojo. It cleans fairly well and I did not notice any damage it did, but I wasn't impressed enough to replace the Gojo with Goop in my arsenal. Not a bad product, just not the best I found.

We're cleaning antique and vintage sewing machines, not ducks. Detergents will destroy clear coats and decals quicker than you can turn around. A big no-no, keep them away from your sewing machines!