help with bobbins messing up
 

Help am down two machines doing the same thing. They both have big loops on the backof the material. then they either wont pick up the bobbin thread or get tangled. I know the singer quantum has to go to shop I am hoping some one can help with the featherweight along with loops and rats nest it seems to stop moving forward. thanks in advance for any help

Oh that's frustrating!
Okay, some of my helps- clean the bobbin area, new needle, tension adjustment (both)
Hope this helps!

Don't know what the situation is with the featherweight but it helps to hold onto thread tails at the beginning of sewing, if this is the issue. Good luck. Let us know what it turns out to be.

Another thing you might do is re-thread the top. That sounds to me like the top tension is too loose. If you are not sure which thread is the problem, re-thread the machine with the same kind of thread, but different colors. Like both Dual Duty, but one white and one black.

Just had same problem with my babylock Crescendo. First problem in 4 years. cleaned bobbin area, cleaned tension disks, adjusted tension , retreaded a dozen times, changed needle several times. Nothing worked. Then tried changing bobbin case. It had been replaced at my last service check up, so I tried old one. Fixed problem, Case must have had scratches or nicks that I couldn't see!

When was the last time you cleaned the featherweight? Is the needle turned in the correct position? How about your tension on the bobbin?

Sounds like a threading problem or a thread hidden in the bobbin area.

I suddenly had the same problem with my 301. I unthreaded, took the bobbin out and cleaned it, put the bobbin back in the casing rethreaded, still had a problem. Did it all again and got the flashlight so I made sure I got everything out of the bobbin area. Rethreaded again, put the bobbin in the casing again. Oh, and I put a new needle in the first time I did this whole thing. Everything was fine. I guess I just had a bit of lint or thread stuck in the bobbin area. You have to clean really well in that area. Just a tiny bit in the wrong place messes things up.

Also make sure the needle is in the right position. Featherweight 's needle is side ways. I have heard Singer needles are a tad shorter than others.

That's interesting. I'd never heard that. I used Schmetz needles in my Singers and they seem to work fine.

Featherweights thread from right to left. The flat side of the needle will face to the left. Make sure your top tension is set at 3, then adjust from there.

I've learned that Singer needles have a slightly smaller shaft at the top. I didn't know they were a bit shorter. I'll have to check that out.

We use Schmetz needles when we service Featherweights.

Loops on the back are a problem with the top thread. Make sure thread is between the tension discs.

A clean bobbin area is so important. I had this problem, adjusted all my tensions and nothing worked. I thought, what the heck and decided to dig into the bobbin area, disassembling the entire thing down to bare bones (scared I wouldn't be able to get it back) Lo and behold - ton of lint. I have since changed to lint free thread in my bobbins and clean 1st of every month. I'm a happy camper.

Very true- lint can cause all kinds of problems.
Have you ever visited the Featherweight shop? It's a great place for all things Featherweight. The owners are wonderful as well.

https://singer-featherweight.com/

check out the link called Schoolhouse- it's a treasure trove of tips to maintain and fix things.

Try retreading, birds nest can be created from improper threading even when you thinks it's done correctly. I had this problem in my embroidery machine and it took me forever to figure it out because I know how to thread my machine I always assume it's never a threading problem but it still can be. And don't assume it's retreading just the bobbin either

Having this same issue with two very different machines makes me think operator error not something wrong with the machines. The first thing I thought of is something that hasn't been brought up. You said "they both have big loops on the back of the material, then they won't pick up the bobbin thread or the thread tangles." Not putting the presser foot down will cause these symptoms in any sewing machine.

Cari

I have been known to put the bobbin in upside down. My machines don't like that!

I’ve gotten the same results a time or two because I forgot to lower the presser foot when FMQ...

Rob

Everytime I have this problem it is because the top thread is not in the tension discs. Be sure and thread your machine with your presser foot up, and don't lower the presser foot until you are ready to thread the needle. This makes sure the tension discs are open when you are threading, and when you lower the presser foot it tightens the tension discs.

This must be a contagious problem - machine flu maybe?? I did some fsl ornament covers a week or so ago with no problem. When I went to do something else on my embroidery machine, the top thread kept getting caught on the wrong side of the hook on the bobbin case, causing nesting and then freezing up, giving me a safety warning. So I took out the bobbin case and cleaned it - could see no dust, but the brush picked up quite a bit. I brushed and brushed, then put it back together, changed the needle, and the problem was fixed. Amazing what a little dust in the bobbin case can cause !

I was going nuts with a bobbin problem. I thought I cleaned it completely, but, I took a flashlight and found a tiny piece of thread caught in the mechanism. This tiny piece of thread was causing all the problems!! I could not believe it. Hopefully your problem can be solved that easily.

Sometimes, even though you've threaded the machine correctly, a sudden acceleration in machine speed can (but doesn't always) pull the thread from the correct thread path and it will mess up whatever you're trying to stitch --it really ticks me off when it happens, -- but what gets me is me not noticing what's happened -- I guess age is catching up with me!. lol! My FW just came to an abrupt stop and wouldn't move at all -- now that one was a real kick in the teeth -- but my son (who worked as a SM mechanic for 14 years) quickly found the problem -- a screw had worked loose on the underside of the machine and fell out of it's proper location -- replaced screw and tightened it -- it sewed fine.