How often do you guys oil your machines..

I am thinking mine could use a good oiling but I dont have any sewing machine oil on hand. I will have to buy some.

Where all do YOU oil your machine/s?

The oil you buy at JoAnn's/Walmart called "sewing machine oil" is fine, but a very good oil is "Tri-Flow", sold in bicycle shops. Tri-Flow is used in many sewing machine repair shops.

Your manual should tell you where to oil - it varies from machine to machine, but when I get a new mechanical in with no manual, I just oil where metal moves on metal. Lube, not oil, for metal (not nylon/plastic) gears. Tri-Flow makes a wonderful lube, as well.

Machines can be over, as well as under, oiled. One drop in each spot is enough, done on a regular basis.

If you have a computer onboard your machine, it's all different . . . just look in your manual. The joints still need oil, but there's circuitry in there, so it all gets tricky.

I use either tri-flo or a kind that we have at work that is simply labelled "lily white"

I oil my bobbin shuttle once a month or if I am quilting, a bit more often since cotton seems to collect down there quickly.