How & Where to Oil a Janome Sewing Machine

Learn how to oil a Janome sewing machine. It is necessary to oil your sewing machine as part of the routine maintenance. So, come learn how and where to oil a Janome Horizon Memory Craft 8200 QCP Special Edition Sewing Machine.

I always say, “READ YOUR SEWING MACHINE MANUAL” first. Don’t take my word or anyone else’s. For the best results, you will always want to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Which is exactly what you’ll find in your sewing machine manual.

How & Where to Oil a Janome Sewing Machine

Like I said, I am using the Janome Horizon Memory Craft 8200 QCP Special Edition sewing machine. So, I am providing instructions specific to this machine.

According to my manual and the information provided via YouTube from Janome, there are only two places where I should be routinely oiling my sewing machine.

One, is inside the front cover and it is the presser bar . The second place is the wick under the bobbin in the hook race area.

Video Tutorial

I created this video showing exactly how I oil my Janome Horizon Memory Craft 8200 QCP SE sewing machine.

How to Oil

Let’s talk a minute about how to oil a Janome sewing machine. First, you will need four things:

1. sewing machine oil – make sure you use good quality sewing machine oil and not some other type of oil.
2. sewing machine oil pen – you need some way to deliver drops of oil. I prefer to use a sewing machine oil pen like this one.
3. paper towels – in case you drip or add too much oil, you’ll need to have some paper towels handy to absorb the oil.
4. sewing machine screwdriver – you will need to remove the needle plate on your sewing machine. Although I don’t need a screwdriver to remove my needle plate, you may need one if you are using a machine other than the 8200.

Keep in mind that when you oil your sewing machine, we are talking about one or maybe two drops of oil. Nothing more.

Where to Oil

So, we talked about the supplies you’ll need and the fact that you are ONLY GOING TO APPLY ONE OR TWO DROPS OF OIL. Now, let’s talk about where you’re actually going to oil

Oil the Presser Bar

Open the front cover (front left) of your sewing machine. Make sure you have turned the power off and unplugged your machine. Locate the presser bar. You can find it when you turn the handwheel toward you. As you do, you’ll see the bar move down and up. That is the bar you want to oil.

Simply apply one drop of oil to the middle of the bar. Then turn the handwheel towards you a few times to lubricate the bar.

Oil the Wick

You will need to remove the needle plate cover, bobbin, and bobbin holder from the sewing machine. Once you do, directly under where the bobbin holder goes is the hook race area. In the very center is a wick. You will apply one or two (no more) drops of oil directly to the wick.

If the oil pools or you accidentally drop the oil, use a paper towel to absorb the extra oil.

And that is it!

More Sewing Machine Tutorials

If you use a Janome 8200 or simply enjoyed learning more about how to care for and properly oil your sewing machine, you may also enjoy these other tutorials from Hooked on Sewing:

1. The Straight Stitch Needle Plate
2. How to Use the Built-In Needle Threader
3. How to Clean Your Sewing Machine
4. 12 Tips for Using Your Sewing Machine for Beginners
5. Startover Function Key on the Janome 8200

And there are plenty more tutorials on using your Janome 8200 QCP SE sewing machine, as well as tutorials, and sewing patterns right here on the Hooked on Sewing blog!