Originally Posted by Rose_P

I recently bought one of these, an 18023, on Craigslist, and after replacing the tension and the bobbin case I'm getting pretty stitches, but as you expressed in your original message, I have a little uncertainty about it. I get stumped on some very basic things that nobody else has mentioned. The manual has a picture of a needle and says to use needles exactly this size. [This might really be a problem for people with photocopied manuals, but I have the original.] I have quite a stash of needles and found only one package with two needles left in it that exact length, and they are #9 quilting needles. There is no information on the brand, type or source of these needles other than "Made in Japan". I don't have any idea where I got them, probably years ago! How exact is that picture in the manual? Does this machine really not work right with more common needles that are just a hair longer?