New to longarm quilting.
 

Hi I have always had a quilt shop do my quilts, but since I have moved to Fl there is only 1 quilt shop where I live, and they do not do longarm quilting for people. So I found me a used Baileys Pro 15 with frame for a very reasonable price. Iam having issues with my needle getting stuck in the down position in the middle of my quilting and I have to remove the bobbin assembly to get it unstuck. Does anyone know what could be causing this? I keep the same speed and movement, so I am not sure maybe it could be operator error. Please any help is appreciated.

It doesn't sound like operator error to me, but I don't have that particular machine. I am wondering if the needle is inserted properly? In any machine, the needle needs to be inserted correctly, all the way up, or you can get odd problems. Also, you need to be using the correct needle for the machine. I would double check that the needle is the correct one, then remove and re-insert it (or a new needle) and see if that solves the problem.

I have made sure needle was inserted all the way. The manual I got with the machine does not specifically state what size needle it is suppose to be. Plus I got a small pack of needles with it. Now whether or not they are they correct ones not sure of. The lady I bought it from said she was selling because she never could get the hang of it. I am determined to learn it. Lol I have changed the needle and have broken a few. I have made sure everything was threaded correctly. I have to be missing something. Thanks for your reply.

I don't have this machine but I see a very old thread on the board that is about a Baileys, so will post a link here in case any of the info in it, might help you out. https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f...on-t62386.html

Thank you I will go check it out.

not familiar with the Bailey, but if she wasn't using much, you might want to thoroughly clean and oil--that could be the needle hesitation issue. Hope you love it as much as i do!

I have the same machine. I don't think this has ever happened to me.
Is the bobbin thread all bunched up underneath ?

quiltingshorttimer makes a good point. If the machine has been sitting unused for a long period of time, it's a good idea to oil and then run it for awhile without thread. I do this with my Voyager periodically, especially if I have not used it for a few months. I oil it, then let it run for 15 minutes at medium speed -- no thread, but with the bobbin in the bobbin case. This distributes the oil through the machine. If it's been a longer time than that, the next day I oil it again and run it again on high speed for about 10 minutes. Note: Since your problem has been jamming of the needle in the down position, I would run it *only* on a slow speed at first. Increase speed only if the jamming problem does not occur.

In any case, this would be a good test to see if the machine runs okay without thread and without a quilt. If it does not stop and jam the way you describe, then it's probably an issue with the needle, thread, or quilt. If the machine still jams with the needle down, then I would suspect that the machine needs to be re-timed.

Incidentally, how tight is your quilt in the frame? It should be relatively loose. The rule-of-thumb is you should be able to push a finger up from below the quilt and be able to grab that finger with your other hand. A quilt that is pulled too tight in the frame can cause problems too.

What type and size needle are you using? It should not be a ballpoint needle, and usually size 90/14 is the smallest you should use.

Don't have any suggestions for your jamming problem, but wanted to add that when I had my Bailey, it preferred a tight quilt sandwich. No way could I grab my finger. When I went to the HQ, it likes the quilt like Prism says, and I had to re-learn how to put a quilt on the frame. I never had problems with the Bailey, but when through months of problems with the HQ because it liked things so different than what I'd learned to do with the Bailey.

The Bailey is a stretched domestic machine, so it does not work like a true long arm, and a lot of things with it are quite different. I really liked mine, but got tired of dealing with adjusting the back bar every time I rolled the quilt. I love having a higher machine with a dead bar in at the back. Well, I love it now after I figured out to make everything work together.

I found the Bailey website. Might be worth your while to call them:
http://bhqlongarm.com/

Also found their forum: http://bhqbaileyhomequilter.proboards.com/

I could not find a group on groups.yahoo.com, but the Yahoo groups have gone downhill for years so it could be there someplace......

Thank you all for your response. I have oiled it and cleaned it up and ran it without thread with bobbin in place at slow speed then fast speed. I will have to try tighting up my quilt or loosen it. It is just a practice quilt to learn on anyways. But as for thread balling up in bobbin case it does do it when it locks up. It makes a loud horrible noise when it does it. It sews fine fir a bit then all of a sudden it just jams. I have been to baileys site but i guess i should call them if i do not get it figured out. I changed the thread and the stitches where loose so i got the tension good on the different thread. I do have another quilt machine i can try also that i got on a really good deal. It is a singer industrial from the 80's. Thanks again for all the input.

So it ran fine without thread? What type and brand of thread are you using? Are you using a thread net on the cone? The problem may be coming from how the thread is coming off the cone. Also, is the bobbin thread wound tightly and evenly?

Yea it ran fine without thread not sure what brand thread it is i got it with the machine. No i do not have a net on my cone will have to try that too. The bobbin seems to be tight and even thread is not loose on it.

Make sure you have the correct bobbin. I put my regular sewing machine bobbin in once. Took me forever to figure it out.
Also check that you are threading the bobbin in right.

Yea i am using the bobbins that i got with it and i learned along time ago to pay attention to which way my thread comes off the bobbin. Not sure what size bobbins came with it or if they are correct so i guess i better double check on that too.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]593459[/ATTACH]This what it looks like underneath when it jams. I have to take the whole bobbin casing out to unjam it. I have tightened my quilt to where it sounds like a drum and i have had it loose to where i can push up with my finger and grab my finger.

You should try calling bailey's , they are very helpful.
There website has some videos on the basics of the machine. Maybe they can help.

You have lint in the back of the bobbin area, have you taken the whole bobbin area apart and cleaned it?

Definitely call Bailey about it.

Also recently had the misfortune of my bobbin case (for HQ16) wearing out. (I probably dropped it once too many times.) Ugh. That threw my quilting off until I figured it out and ordered a new one. I cannot remember whether it caused thread nests in the bobbin area.

You will get through this. :thumbup:

Yes i have. I haveto take the whole thing out when it happens and i take a brush and clean it and even oil it.

The good thing with the bailey, it's a class 15 bobbin and bobbin case. I'd also suggest asking on the vintage section because many folks there have done a lot of work on class 15 machines, and may know what will cause it to get jammed up with thread underneath.

BTW-both my husband and I think the bobbin case does not look correct. It appears to be going too far back and not hooking into the slot like it should. My husband thinks that looks like a Bernina case.

Macybaby I was starting to think that it is not right either. I have tried everything else. May just have to order me a new bobbin assembly fom Baileys.

ok--question--what is that white thing in the back of the bobbin? It almost looks like a piece of fabric stuck back there. I'd take off the needle plate above and look to see what that is and make sure nothing is stuck and binding up the bobbin race.

[QUOTE=quiltingshorttimer;8046182]ok--question--what is that white thing in the back of the bobbin? It almost looks like a piece of fabric stuck back there. I'd take off the needle plate above and look to see what that is and make sure nothing is stuck and binding up the bobbin race.[/QUOT


No it is not fabric it is because i have the back cover of the gears in the back of the bobbin.wanted to check the gears on it too.

I am highly suspicious of the thread, since it came from the original owner who was never able to get the hang of using the machine (perhaps because she encountered the same jamming problem?). I would also highly recommend using a good quality thread net on the cone. A thread net helps the thread feed evenly to the machine. Superior Threads has the best quality thread nets, better than others I have purchased.

Can you have someone else quilt while you watch the thread? Or set up a video camera while you quilt so you can review how the thread feeds. You may be able to see something that happens right before the machine jams.

Assuming the bobbin assembly is correct, and that you are using at least a size 90/14 needle of the correct type, the prime suspect is the thread and how it feeds through the upper part of the machine -- from the cone to the needle.

I found the Yahoo group for Bailey:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/...gmachines/info

Yes i will try that. I did order new bobbin race and case from Baileys. I will get a thread net also. Thank you.

I have both a 15" Bailey, and a 13" Bailey, and love tbem. There is a very active Bailey fb group if you need help quickly. The first thing l suggest is to remove the tiny " o" ring on the takeup lever. ( that is there to keep thread from popping out...but often catches thread) lnstead, l thread the takeup lever left to right ( yes, backwards!) This means you may need to loosen top tension a very tiny bit.
Most new owners of these machines forget to put down the presser foot and run into problems that way. Others find that thicker cotton thread's the culprit. If you've already tried new needle, oiling gears behind bobbin race, and checking thread path, then l suspect the quilt's too high off the machine's bed. Try lowering the bars so the quilt just skims the bed...and not tight as a drum either.

Thanks i will try those too. I have emailed Baileys because sometimes they do not answer. I have had to replace one of the sensors. So i ordered new bobbin case and race also. Just to be sure.

My Bailey worked very well with Connecting Threads cotton thread. Which was good because it's very affordable. I bought a large selection of colors, mostly 2 spools of each.

Then I went to HQ and my Fusion does not like it at all!

I have the Bailey and he's rather temperamental. My machine is very particular about thread. He loves Connecting Threads 100% cotton and Aurafil, does OK on Superior Thread cotton, but hates any polyester thread, even the Perma-Core cones used by many longarmers. I am on the Facebook group and there are lots of experienced Bailey owners on that group. The Yahoo group is pretty much dead at present since so many switched to FB.

For the first two years I owned the machine I had Chuck Bailey on fast dial. 1-888-333-1938. I didn't think I'd ever get the hang of the machine, but I finally have. The only thing I really have problems with now are batiks. I had some problem with the needle getting stuck in the down position and finally figured out I was trying to move too fast. The Bailey is a rather slow machine and doesn't like to be hurried. For that reason I now pretty much only use pantographs as following the line keeps me from stitching too fast.

As Macybaby suggests -- use a tight quilt sandwich. I use the O rings on the take-up lever that came with the machine. I tried the trick of threading it from L-R and it didn't work for me as the thread kept breaking. My favourite needles are Superior titanium topstitch in both the 14 and 16. Second favourite is Organ titanium. BTW, if Chuck hasn't mailed your order yet get the needles from him. He includes a set of Organ titanium 16 with new machines.

One other thing. If you still have the back cover off, remove the needle, put some cloth under the machine (to catch oil) and oil the dickens out of the shaft in the back. Oil, let the machine run 5 - 10 minutes, oil some more, let machine run. Do this three or four times. According to Chuck, this shaft and gear assembly dries out quickly.

Do come over to the Facebook group as you'll get responses within minutes.

Here's a pic of my bobbin case for you to compare. One thing you might want to check is the bobbin hook. It can get a burr on it and hang the thread up which can cause jams. I'm on my third one in 3-1/2 years.

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