I just learned something last week - had been given a Singer which I gave to my grandaughter for Christmas - she was having all kinds of tension problems with it, even though I had had it serviced before giving it to her. We went back to the shop where it had been serviced, and he asked if we always had the presser foot in the "up" position when re-threading. I looked blank - never thought of it. He said on all machines, it should be "up". Puts the tension discs in the correct position to receive the thread. That was the problem for her, and her mother said it probably explained some of the problems she had had in the past with various machines. Just food for thought on the re-threading advice!! J*