#1piecemaker

If you didn't see my post last week, I hit a pin while quilting with my long arm. After that it would not sew. Well, I did everything my sales rep told me. And, I did everything the book said. Plus, the Nolting man walked me through the process of setting the timing again. I have been so frustrated that I just want to cry over that one minute of not watching what I was doing. My hands are sore from working on the machine. Those things are tightly fitted, let me tell you. Well, I can't seem to be able to get it going again. It sews beautifully when you sew toward you. But, when you go backwards, it hangs up and won't sew a stitch. So, we will be packing it up and sending it to the longarm hospital for repairs. If anyone has any suggestions on how to set the timing or what can be causing my problem, please let me know. It will be at least 3 weeks before the girl can come disassemble it to ship it off. So, I still have a little time to work on it some more. Help!!!

Prism99

You might want to join the groups specific to Nolting machines. Here's one on Yahoo!, but I'm sure there are others too:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/..._quilters/info

Have you watched the Jamie Wallen Youtube video on how to set tension on a longarm? If not, I would definitely try his method of loosening the bottom tension as far as possible, then experimenting with the top tension until you get a balanced stitch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1mRhcquZTM

If you haven't yet done so, run your finger all around the edge of the needle hole, all around the bobbin race, and all around the bobbin case to make sure there isn't a little nick or burr someplace (maybe caused by the broken needle hitting it). If there is, smooth it out with some ultra-fine sandpaper (jeweler's paper). It may be that the thread rubs on a nick over and over only when you move the machine backwards. Also rub your finger on the machine all along the thread path above, making sure that the machine's outer case is not nicked and that the thread guides are smooth.

Take a good look at the needle and make sure it is straight, not bent in any way. Also make sure it is seated correctly for your machine. (Different machines have different quirks about that needle seating.)

quiltstringz

Been there done that! No t-shirt. The Innovalongarm site (www.innovalongarm.com) has a very good video on setting timing. I know that I had my husband watch it after he was fiddling with the timing on my Prodigy and he said it helped a lot. It used to take him several tries and after that he got it right away. Worth a try - most of the longarms at least in that part of the machine are very similar.

selm

Have you manually operated the machine backwards to see if you can tell when it hangs up? Take off the cover plate so you can see the action of the bobbin and bobbin case and the needle as you turn the wheel. Could the bobbin case have gotten bent? Do you have all parts of the broken needle? Could there be a stuck piece that only hangs it up in reverse?

I'm not sure but if you can sew forward but not backwards wouldn't this mean it isn't a timing problem. If the timing was off wouldn't it not work in either direction?

Also could a local sewing machine repairman possibly do something? I've heard that longarms aren't that different from regular sewing machines and local repair people can work with them.

Good luck. I hope you figure it out before it has to go somewhere.