“Where EXACTLY does that drop of oil need to go?” Machine Technician Advice

Since I have a Brother PR1055 10-needle (a.k.a. Spanky), you can’t exactly run that beast into the shop every time it has a hiccup. I mean, it weighs in at 93 pounds and we had to bring the F-350 truck to Allbrands to pick it up because if I had brought my 2016 Ford Explorer, it meant we’d have to unbox it to bring it home.

I purchased this machine from Allbrands San Antonio. Fabulous family-owned company. They have five stores: three in Louisiana and two in Texas with their main office in Baton Rouge. The machine worked well for a couple of test projects and then I continued to get “Wiper Error” messages on the screen. This apparently, is very irregular. So I called Allbrands and they were great. They sent a traveling technician, Jason, out to my house and he was awesome. I’ve featured him on a video before (can’t find it now, sorry). Jason discovered that a tiny spacer had been left out of the thread cutting assembly and he had extra spacers in his truck. He fixed it right away and gave me some basic tips while he was there.

One big question I had was where EXACTLY does that little drop of oil go in the bobbin assembly? I’ve always heard, “You need to put a drop of oil in the bobbin race.” OK…? Where exactly? At the bottom? At the top so it drips down? From the front? From the back? I had no clue. Jason to the rescue! He said, “That’s a VERY good question!”

These images are from my longarm, but the mechanics and images from the embroidery machine could be identical (with the exception of the size of the bobbin).

Here’s what the bobbin race assembly looks like. This thing looks like a sideways paw print with two large pads on the top and bottom and a smaller “toe” cut out at about 3 o’clock. The PR1055 doesn’t have the paw pads above and below the toe, but the toe is there.

He said you put the drop of oil BEHIND the 3 o’clock toe. 🙂 There’s a gap behind that toe, and he said that if you put the drop of oil there, it will run just fine.

Here is me showing where to oil the 10-needle with the BEST oil dispenser on the market for sewing machines (link below). (I didn’t oil it really since I left the bobbin in – this is just for a picture).

He was impressed I had this oiler (since I don’t own a Handi Quilter). Even he said it’s the best kind to have. The Handi Quilter Pen Oiler. I’ve been using it about a year and it never leaks from either the bottle or the screw top. It’s my go-to oiler.

So mystery solved! This is how I oil my 10-needle, my longarm, and my PQ1500 piecing machine. If you have this type of bobbin race in any of your machines, I hope with was helpful. If you knew of this, please let me know! As I said, “I’m always late to the party.” LOL Thanks for your time!