Tools for sewing-machine repair

This page is a stab at a tool list to get you started repairing sewing machines—maybe just yours, and maybe also other people’s. This list is not exhaustive, but I’ll continue to add tools as I think of them, or as readers suggest them.

Storage

Before you remove a single screw from a machine, make sure you have something to put it in. Finding a tiny screw in the carpet isn’t fun; neither is dropping something greasy on the carpet, or into the dirt on the garage floor.

I like CountyComm’s silicone armorer trays. I find the regular and jumbo sizes the most useful. Easy to clean, non-slip, and the pebbled surface makes it a lot easier to pick up flat things like washers.

If you’ve got a bunch of little parts that need to stay in a particular order, grab some egg cartons. Label each compartment with a Sharpie.

Screwdrivers

Let’s assume you’re not working on anything overly modern here. Even so, you’ll need several different flat-head screwdrivers, a few Philips, and who knows what else.

Long-shaft screwdrivers

You’ll appreciate a few long-shaft screwdrivers. I’ve got three so far:

  • 4.0mm slotted (0.8 x 4.0 x 300mm Wera 008027)
  • 5.5mm slotted (1.0 x 5.5 x 300mm Wera 008060)
  • 1/4" slotted (1/16" x 1/4" x 10", aka 255mm, Milwaukee MT214)

You might assume these are for reaching deep into the guts of the machine, but mostly they’re useful for applying gentle torque to a screw that’s stuck—the shaft twists, maintaining a baseline pressure level as you continue to work the screw. The 1/4" Milwaukee is a bit stiff, but still does the job.

I’ve seen recommendations for electrician’s screwdrivers with insulated shafts to protect a machine’s finish, but if I ever need one, I’ll put some non-adhesive heat shrink tubing on the shaft.

Screwdriver bits

A 1/4" hex bit driver handle is a lot tidier than having a bunch of screwdrivers on the bench. I’ve got the following bits in a glow-in-the-dark silicone holder:

  • Metric slotted, Wera: 0.6x4.5, 1x5.0, 1x5.5, 1x6.0, 1.2x6.6
  • Imperial slotted, Craftsman: 1/4, 9/32, 5/16
  • Phillips, Wera: #00, #0, #1-#4
  • Robertson, Wera: #0-#4

If you’re starting from nothing, consider Chapman’s starter set #9600.

Whatever bits you choose, make sure the slotted bits are hollow-ground so they’ll actually fit the screw heads well. Nicholas Rain Noe does a great job explaining why hollow-ground screwdriver tips are so great in Getting Comfortable Wrenching on Your Machines: Screwdrivers, Part 1. (Check the rest of his screwdriver articles, too!)

Hex keys

High-quality metric and imperial hex keys are very handy. We’re talking about the L-shaped ones here.

Your first set should be long-armed L-shaped keys. Skip the ball-ended ones for now, along with the T-handled ones. Spend a bit more for good quality, like Bondhus (or Wera on sale), so they last a long time and don’t wreck your fasteners.

Get a large range, from really tiny to pretty dang big (1.5mm to 10mm seems to be a common range for many sets).

Wrenches and sockets

Sewing machines can be a super fun irritating mix of metric and imperial (SAE/inch) fasteners. If you know you’ll only be working on a particular brand and vintage of machines, you could stock only metric tools, or only imperial, but really, just get both, because your luck is bound to run out sooner or later.

  • Ratchet handles in 1/4" and 3/8" drive.

  • Metric sockets in 1/4" and 3/8" drive sizes. The range should be something like 3-14mm.

  • SAE (inch) sockets in 1/4" and 3/8" drive sizes. The range should be something like ???"-???".

  • Metric open-end wrenches. The range should be something like 3-17mm.

  • SAE (inch) open-end wrenches. The range should be something like ???"-???".

  • A low-profile bar ratchet like the Vessel TD-70 (no clue how good the bits are, though!) will come in handy for needle plate screws and other fasteners with low clearance above.

    You might be able to use your 1/4" drive ratchet, too, but by the time you put on a square-to-hex adapter, the whole thing is going to be fairly tall.

    I’ve also got a Craftsman 41380 finger bit driver; handy, but definitely non-essential.

Pliers

Needle-nose are the main ones you’re likely to need.

Poky things

  • Tweezers are super-handy. Keep a few different pairs on hand.

    The angled serger tweezers you probably have already are a good start. This precision tweezer set from iFixit is proving useful, too, particularly the angled ones with the sharp points.

  • Spudging tools are handy and cheap, and non-marring.

    CountyComm and iFixit (also available at DigiKey Canada) both have good options. iFixit’s are a nicer material, and CountyComm’s cost a lot less.

  • Prybars are tougher and not as cheap, and definitely will leave a mark if you slip.

    I have a few styles from CountyComm, and the handiest are both of the titanium versions of the Norton’s universal cleaning stick a lot. (The plastic ones are handy, too, though a bit fragile.)

  • Small alignment punches are handy for removing roll pins, and, y’know, getting stuff aligned.

Lubricants and solvents

  • Sewing machine oil is also known as turbine-grade oil. This is also the gentlest cleaner for the lacquer finishes on very old machines.

    A zoom-spout bottle of turbine-grade oil is a lot cheaper at your local tool store than it is as the sewing store. Here’s a bottle at KMS Tools, for example.

  • Super Lube is good universal grease (but NOT for Singer motors!)

    (For Singer motors with grease wicks, Featherweight Shop has nice syringes full of good grease that they swear isn’t petroleum jelly.)

  • Kerosene, such as Coleman stove fuel. This stuff is really volatile, so store it in an HDPE or metal container; it evaporates right through my soft plastic oil bottles.

  • Rubbing alcohol. I found a pump dispenser at the pharmacy that’s pretty handy for dampening a cloth. May dissolve lacquer finishes; test first!

Power tools

These are all for electrical work. Don’t use power tools on fasteners.

  • Soldering iron
  • Multimeter
  • Heat gun (pen-style is nice to use for heat-shrink tubing)

Taps and dies (optional)

(If you aren’t comfortable with a tap and die, you can happily ignore this section.)

Singer used a whole bunch of non-standard threads in their early machines, because there weren’t any standards, and because they could. If you get deep into very old machines, you’ll learn all about them.

European and Japanese machines seem to be generally metric-threaded, but always figure out what you’re dealing with before you further damage the threads!

9/64"-40 is one of those “Singer threads” that’s still widely used. I’ve found it on presser bars and threaded accessory holes in beds, among other places. Find a tap and die set on Amazon or Aliexpress. You won’t be using this to create new threads, just gently clean up existing threads.

Note: #6-40 is the closest modern equivalent to 9/64-40, but it’s not close enough. #6 is 0.138" diameter, while 9/64" is 0.141". Test with known fasteners to figure out which thread you’re dealing with!)