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Consider me frustrated.

Consider me frustrated.

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Old 08-09-2010, 12:49 PM
  #51  
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Years ago, my husband told me to go and get the Pfaff 7530. I come to the store, I'm asked to come at one because they were having a sale on a bottom price machine, at one the lady told me that she didn't have time to take a bite. I asked for the price, she doesn't know. I came home crying, finally I phoned the head office in Toronto, they made an appointment with me for the next day to a different store, I got the machine wholesale, they threw in some freebies, had lessons with the chief instructor of the company and phoned me a couple of months later to know if I was still happy with it.

Don't let things go, talk to the highest representative you can, at the headoffice. if you still are not satisfied or give you the attention you need, bring your problem to Consumer Protection Agency. Don't quit or get discouraged . Explain yourself well without raising your voice or making threats
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Old 08-09-2010, 01:06 PM
  #52  
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It's a learning process. Give yourself plenty of time to learn and be gentle with yourself! Best of luck to you!

The midarm and longarm quilting is different in so many ways from sewing on a domestic machine. The tension can be off by a hair, and I mean that literally. I clean the bobbin area of my longarm with a brush. I spent one morning in agony, fiddling and fussing with tension until I found that a hair--ONE HAIR-- from my cleaning brush, was lodged in the bobbin case. AAARRRRRGGGHHHHH!

I find Dick Fuller's tips to be priceless when it comes to tension. I keep a copy on the wall of my workroom.

Dick Fuller's 44 Longarm Tips

Top Thread Breaking

1. Try different thread or put thread in the refrigerator for several hours.
2. Replace needle and ensure the scarf faces the throat of machine.
3. Check thread path. Re-thread the machine if necessary.
4. Sew 8 to 12 itches per inch.
5. Use larger needle to reduce needle deflection.
6. Loosen fabric roller.
7. Adjust Needle Bar so all of the Needle Eye can be seen while looking into the Hook Basket with the Bobbin Case removed.
8. Time: Turn machine forward with Hand Wheel and place the POINT of the Sewing Hook in the middle of the scarf of the Needle as it rises 3/32", less than 1/8" or the thickness of 8 business cards, from the lowest position. The Hook should almost touch the Needle. To check: turn the Needle with the scarf facing you and it should juuust miss. Don't forget to turn the Needle back to sew.
9. Polish Hook Point with fine (800) Emery Cloth.
10. Hopping Foot at the lowest point of it's stroke should be the thickness of one dime or three business cards.
11. Loosen top tension.
12. Tension Check Spring broken. It should be at 11 o'clock.
13. Turn thread cone/spool upside down.
14. Turn the Needle Slightly to the right.

Loops on Under Side Of Lining Fabric

1. Moving machine too fast for selected needle speed.
2. Tighten (to the right) top thread tension adjustment 1/2 turn at a time until corrected.
3. Clean under the Tension Spring on the Bobbin Case.
4. Bobbin thread not in tension spring delivery eye.
5. Put a sock on the thread cone.
6. Check thread path on machine
7. The stationry finger that holds the Hook Assembly and prevnts it from turning should be 1/2 to 2/3 into the depth of the notch.

Loose Thread Tension On Top Fabric

1. Tighten Tension Adjustment (turn clockwise).
2. Loosen Bobbin tension.
3. Center the thread cone directly under the guide.

Machine Hard To Move

1. Raise Take Up Roller to clear the machine lower arm by 1/2" to 3/4" or the width of your finger.
2. Thread clogging wheels
3. Center wheels on the track groove by adding or removing washers.
4. Increase Hopping Foot height

Skipped Stitches

1. Replace Needle, insert all the way up with the scarf toward the throat of the machine.
2. Re-time (See #8 Top Thread Breaking).
3. Take-Up Roller too high.
4. Loosen Fabric Roller
5. Poish Hook Point with fine (800) Emery Cloth.
6. Thread not on Take-Up Spring
7. Check thread path on machine.
8. Hopping Foot too high.
9. Tension Check-Spring at 11 o'clock with moderate resistance.

Needle Breaking

1. Replace Needle and tighten Needle Set Screw.
2. Use larger needle.
3. Moving machine too fast for speed setting.
4. Re-time (See #8 Top Thread Breaking).
Timing: Adjust the needle Bar height first. While in the lowest point of the stroke, look at the sewing hook, and the entire needle eye
should be visible. None of the needle above the eye should be seen. Ensure the Needle Bar does not rotate from its original position.

A proper stitch has both the bottom and top threads meeting at the center of the layers. The top thread and take-up lever have much greater affect on tension adjustment than the bobbin tension. The take-up lever takes the slack out of the top thread as the needle comes up out of the fabric. Thread can become wrapped around the encoder wheel, causing the stitch regulation mode to
malfunction. Grasp the thread-end with tweezers and move the machine to unravel the thread.

Regards, Dick [email protected]
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Old 08-09-2010, 01:20 PM
  #53  
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This is weird. I have a Janome and the bobbin has to feed off the back, go around a little slot in the front and go through the hole in the plate. My bobbins kept flipping the thread. I finally put a "washer" type thing in the bobbin case to keep it from jiggling around. I wish these companies could come up with some standard way of designing their machines. But, that would be too easy, right?
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Old 08-09-2010, 01:30 PM
  #54  
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I'm happy to see that you have gotten your TL to working for you! Happy quilting :)
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Old 08-09-2010, 02:05 PM
  #55  
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What is a "Tin Lizzie"?
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Old 08-09-2010, 04:26 PM
  #56  
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I have a tin lizzie 18 also and love it. I did have a few problems at first but once I started using King Tut Thread all my problems went away. No problems since.
Sue
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Old 08-09-2010, 05:32 PM
  #57  
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I sent an email to Tin Lizzie about this problem and the owner called me! I was very impressed with his concern about the problem gzbird was having. He said he would take care of her concerns personally. Now that is doing what is right. I'm glad I did send the email. I know the company will stand behind their product. I think I have a Tin Lizzy in my future after all.
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Old 08-09-2010, 05:35 PM
  #58  
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Are you sure you do not have the needle in backwards. I did that with my daughters Voyager and the stitching was terrible no matter what I didl. Put it in correctly and the stitching was great! Good luck.
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Old 08-09-2010, 06:33 PM
  #59  
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ask the manufacture what type needle to use.May have to order from them .My mom can use only one type of needle in her machine nothing else will work.It has an off set in the back of the needle
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Old 08-09-2010, 07:30 PM
  #60  
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I have had problems with some of my machines over the years. And, I find that if you take everything off of the machine and start right from scratch - read the book/instructions on how to thread it and how to put the bobbin in VERY carefully and do each step as you read it. This has helped me find the step that I somehow missed, or just thought I know what I'm doing - don't need to look in the book!
In fact, I have 1 machine that the bobbin thread has to come from the back and off to the left of the bobbin, while I have another machine where it has to come from the exact opposite side and off of the front of the bobbin. IF I do it backwards - nothing but problems!!!
So, just pretend that you have just gotten the machine and follow each step AS YOU READ IT.
Hope this helps you.
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