When you first start to hear a popping sound it means your needle is overdue for a change over as it is blunt. This could be causing your bobbin pick up to be out of time because it is taking too long to push through the material. Put a sharp one in and see how you go.

I have two Singer 66's and as I was readying one to get the treadle all ready for use, I spotted the same thing and tried to pull that piece of red fuzz out of there only to think that some goblin was down there hanging on to the other end. When I let go of it, it boinged back, somewhat, and that is when I realized that it was a spring. I had not been able to find my replacement manuals I had downloaded from the web since I moved, but now made a concerted effort to find them. Sure enough, in my clothes closet, found the binder with them and found out that I had been trying to remove what wasn't supposed to come out. We shall see what happens when I get the new belt on, the treadle area cleaned up and try to sew. So, Vintage ladies, if you see a bit of red fuzz just to the right of your bobbin case, DO NOT TRY TO REMOVE.

When I had my Janome 6500 guide class, they said to oil the wick when it became dry, as the following ...

Touch a finger tip to the wick. If you see a little oil on that 
finger, then the machine does not need oiling. If you do not see any oil, then place a drop of oil on the wick and let it set there for a while. If you see bubbles in an oil drop, that means that the oil is being absorbed by the wick. If you run the machine (unthread the machine first, if it allows that), then the wick will absorb the oil drop more quickly. If all of the first drop of oil is absorbed, add another one; repeat until the oil is no longer absorbed. If necessary, wipe away any excess from the last drop.

Never heard of an oil wick....learned something new today.
Good luck with fixing your machine :-)

and if you can get the wick back in...OIL the machine....

Susan, don't know what to tell you. Some machines you DON'T oil. The new ones are self-oiling and are only meant to be oiled once a year at the most when they are cleaned by a professional. Too much oil can attract all manner of lint and dust etc. I would suggest you take it to the dealer or a cleaner in your area that cleans machines. Have them clean, check the bobbin , timing etc. I would put it in the hand of the pros...especially if it is a newer machine. Good luck.

Thank you Kathy for the information... and thanks Susan for the question...I never knew there was such a thing in the machine...it will help many of us in the future. Hope you can get it back in Susan.

I have a Featherwegiht 221 and a Stradibvaro; a Singer under a different name. The latter is 50 yrs. old--bought it the first year we were married. The Featherweight I have had almost 10 yrs.
My Service Tech. guy said to use the canned air around the bobbin to keep any lint out and prevent a lint build-up. It sure works for me. He also said to oil the little groove-looking things in the bobbin are after everytime you have been sewing for about 2 hrs. or so. That also works for me and keeps my machines running great!
Mariah.

The noise could be that the machine is slightly out of timing and needs to be adjusted. This getting out of time can be caused by a clogging of thread or even by a dull needle trying to penetrate the fabric. So if all the other hints don't fix it, you may need to have it checked by a reputable repairman. I am please to learn about the oil wick. My Brother machine seems to have a little felt pad in the center of the bobbin case and I am glad I left it alone.

I was brushing out lint in the bobbin case of my Janome, and saw the same thing, and tried and tried to brush it out - then I realized it must be something that is supposed to be there. Thanks for the confirmation! C9P