Originally Posted by J Miller

GEMRM,

OK, I'm not a sewing machine tech nor do I play one on the net so this is just going to be a question and lets see what happens thing. I do work on our own machines and haven't ruined one yet. Actually have gotten a couple up and running that wouldn't otherwise run.


Problem = Both machines are jammed needle down.

Question = What were you doing at the time they jammed?
Question = Do you have an owners manual?

Thoughts and comments= The control dials work one at a time. To move the inner dial you grasp it and pull it out away from the machine, then turn it to where you want it, then push it back to it's rest position if it doesn't snap in on it's own.
To move the outer dial you push it in, then turn it to where you want it, then return it to it's rest position if it doesn't go on it's own. Normally they will snap into their rest positions when the latches click into the shafts. Sometimes they need a bit of help.

The nobs work one at a time. If you turn both of them at the same time they can bind up.

Carefully work with the dials until you can set the outer one at "A" and the inner one at "K". This will set the machine at straight stitch. You might need to put some oil on the mechanism to help it. As you do this open the trap door that covers the cam stack and if there is a cam there, remove it. You can watch all the gizmos inside move around too.

If there is a cam present and you set the dials anywhere except Outer = "A-B-C", inner = "SPECIAL" the machine will try to run off of the cam stack and the removable cam at the same time. Ours doesn't work well when it does that.

You can't, or shouldn't move the needle position lever while the needle is down. I can bind up and maybe bend or break the needle. Make sure the hand wheel clutch is tight, then try to rock the main shaft back and forth by hand. If it moves enough then set the needle position lever in the center position.

Next question is; are the machines jammed at the top, or from underneath? Open the bobbin cover, is there a lot of thread jammed in there? Lint, anything that doesn't look right?
Release the needle lock screw and then see if the needle bar moves or not.

Basically it's a mechanical device and you have two that malfunctioned in the exact same way. That flies in the face of reason. You need to back track what you were doing at the time they jammed. Back track your way out of this.

There is no plastic gears inside to break. Only the big drive gear on the back of the hand wheel is non metal, and it's a fiber type material.

I don't know if this helps or not, but it's just a machine, you're smarter than it is.

Joe