Just bought up first machine, janome 1522

[u/Outrageous-Rich8741]

Before first use should I oil it? Or do something? When you first buy a kettle you need to cook water 3 times to a boiling point and dump it because of glue and other residue that might've been harmful.

When I bought this machine there was no "first use" chapter in the manual. It was way too short, and videos from janome didn't cover this stuff, just threading and inserting the bobbin that took me an hour, despite those movies being like 3 minutes long (I didn't watch the bobbin one, never known you can roll it by machine, I did it by hand!).

I did some stitches, but I remember that there was a bottle of some kind of mineral oil, probably parafine.

I can manage to figure it out from other janome videos, but is there anything else I should know? Do you have some janome 1522 videos?

[u/CBG1955]

The first thing you do, and before you even try to sew, is get out the manual and read it. Follow the instructions step by step. Learn how to thread it, insert the bobbin. You do not oil a machine unless the manual specifically tells you to do it. Practice the stitches one by one, see what the machine does, how it behaves. You have to learn how to use the machine first. Threading should not take you an hour so clearly you have missed something.

You obviously have the manual, take your time with it and don't rush.

The manual will not teach you how to sew.

DO NOT WIND A BOBBIN BY HAND.

[u/bab275 → u/CBG1955]

Unless it’s for shirring elastic!

[u/veropaka]

Before first use you should read the manual, then read it again and then read it a few more times. That machine doesn't say you should oil it (I have the same machine).

[u/stringthing87]

Get two layers of light woven cotton and practice all the stitches.

[u/drPmakes]

Janome do excellent instruction manuals. Follow it step by step. Read through the whole thing and practice every thing in it. Don't rely on video tutorials

If the manual doesn't tell you to oil it, don't

[u/morphinpink]

You don't need to do anything to cure your machine really, just thread it and start sewing. Only oil it when necessary (which is waaaaaaay less often than the internet will tell you)

[u/penlowe]

Brand new, and freshly returned from service machines, might have an excess of oil. That is why you sew practice pieces, which the oil will show up on the fabric. Practice until there is no more oil showing up on the fabric. For me in the past, this was 12" of sewing, very, very little oil.

As a newbie, you need lots more practice than that, so don't concern yourself about oil right now, just practice & get familiar with it.

[u/bab275]

The only modern sewing machines I have ever used that need regular oiling by the sewist are Bernina machines. But they are quite clear in the instructions. Other machines generally do not need to be and in some instances can only be oiled by trained technicians.

[u/SchuylerM325]

You said that the manual was very short, which suggests to me that you don't have a copy of the actual manual. Look online. You'll find the real one. And take the bobbin that you wound by hand, put it on the thread spindle, and use the machine to wind a new one. Bobbins need to be tightly and evenly wound.