Save your bobbin light - clean GENTLY.....
In the last three weeks I have run into two Amara’s and a Forte with dead Bobbin/Hook lights. Two of them were due to failed LED circuit boards - easy to replace - but - Handi Quilter Tech Solutions advised that vigorous brushing hitting the LED area can scratch the LED and cause it to fail.
Then there is the REALLY vigorous longarm cleaner that snagged the power cable to the LED circuit board and pulled it out of the connector - you will note the housing has been opened to provide access to remove the damaged cable and install a new one - an hour or so of longarm tech activity to get the machine fully operational.
The second picture after the cable was removed shows the exposed conductors and stripped insulating jacket from the cable getting pulled from the connecting plug.
So…if a brush could damage the LED light/circuit board, or could snag and break the power cable, how should the bobbin area be cleaned?
This particular machine was a Handi Quilter Amara, and is constructed with a barrier between the bobbin area and the bottom cavity where the hook shaft is located. Machines like the Handi Quilter Forte, Infinity, Baby Lock Regalia, and the newly released Janome QMP 20 are constructed with similar design. In this case the best cleaning approach is air dusting to remove bobbin area lint. Note - this is not recommended for machines with open access to the hook shaft area such as the Handi Quilter Simply Sixteen and Avante, the Baby Lock Coronet, and the Janome QMP 16 and QMP 18 as the air stream could blow lint and dust into the interior of the machine.
Two easy ways to air-dust - the first is a battery-powered USB-charged handheld duster such as the one below - found on Amazon for about $80 USD.
Another method is a spray-can duster used for cleaning computer keyboards and other components - one example pictured below costs about $20 USD for three cans on Amazon - but a downside is it is impossible to use upside down where the battery duster is agnostic to orientation.
Bottom line - your bobbin/hook area needs to be cleaned frequently, and your hook oiled every bobbin change. If you have a machine with an internal cavity barrier an air duster is the best approach. If you have a machine with an open cavity, very gentle brushing or vacuuming with a handheld battery vacuum are the preferred methods.
As always…
Quilt On!
Do you have questions on this topic or a suggestion for another one you are interested in?