Emerald 118

I found this beauty at work. She was abandoned under a table and covered by dust. I've been putting my nose into many sewing machines in all kind of places and dusty corners but never before met any bug inhabiting a sewing machine. This time, when I lifted away the hard cover to see what was hiding under and turned a bit the machine, a very annoyed small spider landed down from the upper parts of the machine. It obviously was hiding in there. I hoped it was alone, without the whole family. And it was. 

I tested it and could only wonder why she had ended up under the table, to be forgotten and covered by the dust. I am going to do the service for all the machine at work by myself as far as I can. Only for non-basic repair I need a service man. So, I opened her and cleaned her. When I started the test drive I understood. She refused to sew anything but straight. She did it gentle and perfect but nothing else but straight stitch. She was stuck. Totally stuck. I was not able to turn the selection steering to any direction. I am not sure did she end up under the table because of that or did it happen because she was forgotten there. See, it can happen that when you do the service for the machine and then don't use it, the grease doesn't get work like it should and it gets stiff and the parts get stuck. That's why you should never forget your machine anywhere.

But if it happens you can still save the day, or your service can. First you need to dust the machine. Then try to the test drive. Be gentle but determine. Try to move the buttons and steering wheels but do not be too hard and break anything. When you just move it back and fort it slowly should ease. Patience is one key word. It took me 3 hours to clean the dust and get it all working. The grease and oil need time to start to move and get smooth again. If it doesn't, you need a specialist to save the day. Because, in that case you need to take the machine back to pieces and clean it all part by part. If you are not sure you can do it, don't even try. 

This was the 1st time me testing Husqvarna Viking Emerald series sewing machine. This model is Emerald 118. I must tell I am positively surprised and satisfied with it. I can truly and warmly recommend it to anyone who needs a basic -not electronic- sewing machine and is a beginner but wants to learn. It has the ability to drive slow so it is perfect for the ones who need to sew slow for any reason. This works perfect for experienced sewers.

From SergerCare and DustingMyHelga posts you can find more information for self-service.

Remember: opening the machine breaks the warranty, you do it in your own responsibility, always plug off the machine from the power before opening it (turning off is not enough) and take pictures by your smart phone from every step you take because it helps you to put it all back!