Serger help needed
 

I just got a used simplicity serger. I know nothing about sergers. Is there a way to not use the knife? Any general info or tips would be greatly appreciated. I wanted one mainly for making T-shirts. One of these days I might learn how to do things in the right order like learn to use something BEFORE I buy it.....Then again probably not. LOL

Yes. Depending on the model, pull it out and pivot up or down.

Why would you not use the knife? Also there are many books out there on learning to use a serger, maybe the library has them. Used book stores on line, etc. Try Amazon. If you are just learning, I can't imagine not using the knife.

Yes, you should be able to disable the knife. But, I would also wonder why you would want to. If you are frightened of cutting off too much, just sew slowly and carefully. If you disable the knife and you have too much fabric in your edge that the serger is trying to sew over, you may end up with it not sewing properly and having missed stitches. The knife cuts off just the right amount so you have a nice flat edge. Sometimes, depending on what I'm sewing, I serge so that the edge of the fabric is just on the knife and it barely takes just some fluff off. You could try that if you are worried about cutting too much off. Once you get used to your serger you will love it :)

1 BIG piece of advice from a long time serger user - DO NOT repeat DO NOT sew over pins unless you want to replace your upper knife often & risk a repair bill. I know a lot of people will say "I sew over pins all the time & nothing has happened" YET !! As the saying goes "you can pay me now or you can pay me later" On certain things yes, you would want to disengage the knife & there should a pin that you pull out & your knife should turn so that it is not in use.

i have a simplicity frontier sergers...this is what it says "sewing with the upper blade disengaged"
unblug the machine
open the front cover
turn the hand wheel towards you until the upper blade is at its lowest point
push the upper blade to the right as far as it will go and turn knob in opposite direction until it clicks into position
to re-engage, push blade holder to right and turn blade towards you until it clicks into position.

hope this helps!

If you are thinking you can just "sew" without the knife on a more interior spot on the the fabric, you can't. The knife being disengaged will only leave the edges as is. You would have to have a machine capable of a cover stitch (usually high end machines) to stitch in the open field of a piece of fabric and not cut the edges. I have disabled the knife on some delicate items that I wanted more control, but rolled edges, flate seams, etc. are all benefited by the clean cut the blade makes. Even jeans! Linda

Go to you tube under sergers and you will find videos to help you with serging.

There are a lot of things you can do with your serger that you don't need the KNIFE for. You can use it for decorative stitches in the middle of fabric....maybe you really don't want to cut off the fabric, but you want the stitches.....I have used mine both ways. If you have one, look at your instructional manual or check out serger methods on line.....It is an amazing machine with many uses!

Good Luck and show us what you're doing.

Please check out your manual. You should be able to disable the knife function on your serger. I have a HV Huskylock 936 so I can't tell you what the Singer will or won't do. If you don't have a manual with your machine...Check out your local Singer shop or go on line you the instructional manual. Good Luck. Drue