I was just trying to sew and my stitches were long, then short, then long and it would stop sewing. So, I rethreaded, which seemed to help somewhat, I thought. It was making a low thumping sound and would still stop sewing. I thought maybe the bobbin needed rethreading. I tried that and I could not pick up the bobbin thread. Made sure the bobbin was facing the right way and still could not pick it up. OK, maybe the case needs dusting. Took off the face plate pulled out the case, it doesn't look too bad but still a little dusty. Got out my little brush and start brushing away. Then I notice what looks like a glob of dust right there in the middle where the little hole is. It won't brush out so I get my tweezers thinking I have a pretty good glob of lint. I pull it out and yikes it is a whole little piece of fabric, but wait is that what it is?? On closer inspection it looks like a wick?? Oh no!!, did I pull out something that should be there?? Should I put it back, is it something to do with oiling the machine?
Can someone help? Has anyone ever come across this piece in the bobbin case, I never noticed it myself?
Sorry if this seems like a stupid question but, I am completely at a loss here. I clean and oil my machine but I just don't know what this is.
Thanks for any help you guys can give me. You were the first thought to come to mind for help!
Susan

take any lint, fabric or stuff out from around the bobbin case. If you have your manual use it. I alway keep the manual to my machines and occasionally have to reread them. If you don't have your manual, order one on line.

Rethread your machine and replace the needle. that is a good place to start once you've cleaned it.
good luck.

YEP! it's an oil wick, may have to have service tech replace it, not have any clues about the thread problem

That sounds odd. I don't know why that would be there or atleast i have never heard of anything like that. Have you tried runnung your machine to see if it is running better now? I have found things inside my machine that has had me boggled at times. I think there is goblin that does it just to confuse me.

OH NOOO!!! Oh crap! Just my luck! Thanks ao much for your help, at least now I know not to throw it away!

I don't know what kind of machine you have, but I have never seen anything like that in bobbin case. I don't think something like that should be there. I think it is time for a service on machine.

I think you're right about that cj, mine defineatley has a goblin to confuse me too! It seems it is a wick and should be there, I'm gonna try to put it back myself. Wish me luck!

My machine has that and it is indeed an oil wick. I have a Janome, and when it was new I did the same thing. I was able to put it back into the hole. I was told that was the only place I needed to put oil. Carefully try to put it back. I was able to do that and the machine worked fine after that. I wasn't having any problem before though. Maybe the funny sounds your machine was making was some other problem. Hope you get it fixed without a costly repair.
Sue

The thumping noise is usually a bad needle, either dull or it has dropped down a hair out of it's slot. Please post your solution. I'm trying to keep a record of all machine problems and the fixes.

This wick is not in the bobbin case, it is below it :wink:
I tried to pull mine out too, the first time I cleaned my new machine :oops: It is a common mistake :wink:

I hope that you get this figured out so you can get back to sewing soon :D:D:D

I have no help or wanted to tell you I understand this is stressful. So I am thinking good thoughts for you.

Once many many years ago my mother almost killed me for pulling out this little piece of red stuff from down inside her black singer. Turns out it belonged there, it had taken me hours on Christmas Eve night to finally get it out of her machine. Now I know better, on old machines I check the owners manual before removing anything I am not familiar with.

Kat

Mine has a wick like that too. I've almost pulled it out but gave up, and then read that it's supposed to be there.

My machine is a janome and the oil wick goes into the center of the bobbin case. I regularily take the wick out ,oil the machine and put the wick back with a tweezer

Thanks for the tip. I will try something with the needle.

Thanks so much deb!

Janomes have that oil wick and the manual does not even mention it. Stuff it back in there if you can and add a drop of oil. Your bobbin case gets noisy and will even jump out of place if this oil wick dries out. My machine was terribly noisy and the bobbin case rattled and banged and my dealer kept telling me it was operator error. I kept trying to force my machine to stitch and finally put the needle right through the bobbin case. I finally found out about this troublesome wick hole from another Janome 6500 owner. I now just add a drop of oil when I thoroughly clean my machine or if it sounds noisy. Why isn't this information in the operator's manual????

Thanks for all your help everyone. It was indeed a wick. I did manage to get it back in and everything seems OK, except for that thumping sound. I'm going to try changing the needle or see if it slipped down as debcavan suggested. I read my manual front to back when I first got the machine and several sections more than once. I don't remember ever seeing anything about a wick under the bobbin case. I am completely amazed. I'm gonna read it again to make sure there isn't any other surprises. Thanks again for all your help everyone. I knew I could get answers here, you all are great!

Thanks Shelbie, I did get the wick back in and I'll drop some oil on it before I try sewing again. It seems to be working OK but I do still have that thumping sound. I read my manual front to back when I first got the machine and I don't remember seeing anything about that wick. Thanks for the suggestion.

I didn't know about the needle dropping a bit as a cause of problems! Now I'll know I need to check that. Thanks,BellaBoo!

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

If I were you I would be careful about using canned air. I have heard that it is not something one should use in a sewing machine - only a soft brush. Anybody else have any info???

I had the same problem with the long/short stitches. I looked on the Brother blog and they advised that I take out the needle and reinsert it. Voila.... problem solved.

I did the same thing!! I have a Janome and the manual isn't especially helpful, but I love the machine. I got the oil wick back in the hole without much of a problem. This was several weeks ago and the machine is running fine, so guess I didn't do any damage!

I HAD AN OLD MACHINE ONE TIME IT DID HAVE AN OIL WICK I CANNOT REMEMBER THE BRAND OR MODEL BUT IT DID HAVE ONE IT WAS RED IF REMEMBER RIGHT

I pulled the wick out of a machine before and threw it away thinking it was lint. I just make sure it has a lot of oil.

I just got a Janome 6600 Sat. (early birthday present and am doing the happy dance). Anyway, I looked in my manual, and it doesn't say anything about oiling either. I looked for something that looks like a wick, but didn't see anything.

[quote=sandy l]You will love the Janome, but the manual is very lacking in useful info. I've had mine about 5 years and most of my learning has been trial and error!

This sure does ound like a lint build up! Both of my Viking machines hate lint and well act mean and nasty if they are not well 'dusted'. You can probably de-lint your machine yourself.

Also, if you have an older machine, do you have to oil it (ONLY after delinting tho)? Check your user's manual for this info.

Only other things I can think to check and re-check is the needle - is it dull or bent? Changing needles often is a must for my machines also.

The next would be professional sevicing needed. I hope that is not it.

Let us know what happens on this.
Julie

I had never heard of an oil wick in a machine before - and why isn't it mentioned in the manuals?

Oh no Susan, I had the same problem on my Singer Future. I did all of the same things that you did. I got so upset that I called Singer and was told that my machine had jumped time. I took it into a shop and was told yes in fact it had jumped time and needed to be adjusted. Cost me $75.00 to have it cleaned and adjusted. Now it runs like it is brand new. Check with a shop in your area FAST before it cost you lots of $$$$$