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In this Discussion
- astarinastar December 2012
- Brenda December 2012
- campbellkid October 2012
- joefiler December 2012
Tagged
- oiling 1
- lubing 1
- maintenance 1
Lubricating the machine
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I have an hq 16 and have had it for MANY years now. I haven't had it lubricated by a professional. I am just VERY leary of taking it out of the house to someone else.
I am wondering if i can get the specific lubes it calls for in the lube kit download. My husband is a former Industrial Arts teacher who maintained all the machines in his shop. I am more than confident he can maintain the lubing for me.
Any help would be appreciated.
Missy -
I hope you receive an answer. I am wondering the same thing.
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Dear Missy,
We recommend that any Handi Quilter machine be lubricated at least once a year (assuming regular use). There are multiple lubes in the lube kit, each one for a specific area in the machine. The reason we ask owners to have their trained HQ technician do the lubrication is because this procedure requires that the machine be completely opened in order to access all of the lubrication points. This means that the electronic control pods have to be opened and removed, and there is always the danger of static electricity zapping the control boards. Our techs have anti-static mats that they use when doing this operations. If you choose to do this yourself, you will need to purchase the HQ Lube Kit, which we sell at our cost ($50) plus shipping (I'm sorry, but I don't know how much that is.) Just call Handi Quilter to inquire about ordering one (877-697-8458). The kit includes lubricating instructions.
Best regards,
Brenda Groelz
Director of Marketing & Education
Handi Quilter, Inc.
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I am also interested in the possibility of doing my own lubrication maintenance. Due to difficulty in moving my Fusion from my basement studio and over 100 miles to dealer's shop (that's 400+ miles for drop-off and pick-up). l was able to arrange for my HQ service tech to make a house call ($150). He mainly worked on a problem that I was having with timing and bobbin hook spacing (causing tangled thread and shredding. I asked about lubricating the machine and he replied flatly that it didn't need it. My machine is over 3 years old and approaching 1,000 quilts. The adjustment that he made caused worse problems than before, so I watched a few You-Tube videos and learned how to adjust the timing and hook spacing myself. It now works very well. After this experience, I am more confident in my own work than that performed by HQ repair tech.
I don't find the HQ Lube kit listed in the web site "products". Also, a preview of the instructions before purchase (Is PDF available?), would be helpful to determine if the project would be feasible for me to tackle. -
I consulted with my HQ dealer and she assured me that I could perform lubrication myself, rather than hauling my Fusion 400 miles for service in her shop. I purchased the $50 lube kit, but the instructions are lacking preliminary information. They cover the lubrication, but not the initial opening of the machine case or static protection for the c-pod. I e-mailed HQ for help over a week ago, but haven't received a response. I certainly don't want to loosen bolts that aren't necessary to open the case and possibly throw off settings.
Response to my e-mail would be appreciated: filer@mchsi.com -
Joe,
The Handi Quilter forum is set up to send emails to me and the education department whenever a new discussion is started in the Ask An HQ Expert forum. I've just discovered a flaw in our system. It does NOT alert us when someone responds to a discussion, so we had no idea you asked a question there. I'm sorry we did not respond earlier.
The reason the Lube Kit does not have instructions for opening a machine case is because the Lube Kit is intended for use by HQ Reps, who have been trained in maintaining and repairing our machines. This is why we do not normally sell the Lube Kit to consumers. If your Rep recommended that you get a Lube Kit, she should show you how to open the machine. We do not send service manuals to consumers (because they are intended to be used only in conjunction with hands-on training), but I will see if I can isolate some pages that talk about opening the case and send them to you in an email. Please send your email address to me at Brenda@HandiQuilter.com and we'll get you the help you need. (Sorry, just found your email address in the message above.)
Please note that opening the case involves removing the PODs, which have parts that are vulnerable to static electricity. Our Reps have equipment that offsets this danger, so there are some risks to the circuit boards when opening the case yourself. Our warranty does not cover such cases, so please be very careful. I don't wish to offend you, but I don't know your background in dealing with electronics, so perhaps you are already aware of this. I will include pages from the service manual that deal with this subject.
Best regards,
Brenda Groelz
Director of Marketing & Education
Handi Quilter, Inc. -
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