Originally Posted by
Janis
I had done it already to my newest machine on Monday. I bought a Singer 221K knowing that I'd have to work with the bobbin area. The finger was to the left of where it was supposed to be and just swinging back and forth. I took the little screw out and couldn't figure out how to get the parts apart or how to get it fixed until I went on line and found a picture of just what to do to fix it. In the mean time, I used a pair of tweezers to get out all of the thread that was under the parts there in the area. Got it all fixed and even had to adjust the tension on the presser foot to get it to hold the fabric. That was the first time I ever had to adjust the pf tension. Not like fixing and rehabing a 'boat anchor' but a start!
Great tutorial, Miriam. You need to do one on some of the other types of machines too.
Usually that info is in the owner's manual. There are a lot of machines just like that. BTW it was a really junky Japanese 15 - some rust and very beat up. It is rust you see in there. BUT there are lots of bobbins just like that in various makes. I should do something on drop in bobbins. They are done a bit different. The Singer 66, 99 and 201s and their ilk are drop in bobbin, a bit different are the slant-o-matics with a drop in, the European machines are all different. My Consew is just like that Japanese 15 but it is over sized. Janis gave a very good description of how to do the FW or the 301. I had a Janome for a while (the nose stuck out so far - hurt my neck to sew...) it was a drop in bobbin and can dis-assemble to clean out. Some of those newer machine probably should be done even more often than the older more forgiving machines. Some machines don't have any room for the lint to fall off... if it does fall off it goes into the works real bad. Might be a good idea to pull out lint every time you change the bobbin. It is a good idea to take a picture or consult your manual if you have doubts. Just be sure to clean out the lint. It seems to be the biggest reason I find machines for sale - they just need to be cleaned and they will run so much better.
One time I was at a friend's house and she showed me her beautiful Bernina. It had to cost a fortune. Anyway I looked at it and I could see lint - tons of it. So I took out the screws or what ever it was holding it in. Pulled out the thingy and the thing and pulled out a boat load of lint. I thought that lady was going to have heart failure. Then she wanted to know how to get it back together. I said I figured it would go about like it came out and I messed with it a bit and got it back together. Meanwhile she was frantically looking in her manual... the info was there. It will only go back one way and work. Those FWs and 301s are another story. They will go back but unless that notch thing is in line it won't work. Like Janis says it will twiddle around and not sew. Once you have done it you will wonder why you don't do it like some say, every day or every bobbin change.