Originally Posted by
manicmike
No, it was just not close enough. Might not have even been a 201, but I've seen a machine where the needlebar was slightly bent at the bottom (it had almost certainly been dropped. It was a while ago, but the problem was identical to a bent needle, because this also moves the needle eye away from the hook. I read in a Singer manual that the distance between the needle eye and hook can be adjusted, but when your needlebar's bent, there's only one solution (yes I bought one off eBay).
You're right, we did make a couple of assumptions, one of them being that the needlebar wasn't bent and that various parts were in good working order.
Needlebars can also bend from abuse. That's part of why I get so itchy when people try to sell vintage machines as Heavy Duty and Industrial.
Originally Posted by
manicmike
You're a genius. Needle the wrong way: Wouldn't have suspected.
No, a genius would have made sure we'd checked all the little things before launching into 5 pages of how to do a timing check.
Ah well. At least anyone who reads this thread now will know how to check their timing!
Originally Posted by
manicmike
For everyone who's reading this: Opposite the flat side is the side with the groove. Thread must enter groove side, exit flat side in every machine. So, all you need to remember is which side you thread it.
I always think "thread toward the flat", same thing.
Originally Posted by
Cecilia S.
My Anker Phoenix is currently out of commission with a thread jam to end all thread jams. I am beginning to wonder whether I goofed with that. It is a round shank needle. So is there a rule of thumb with a round shank needle? Is it always long groove towards the front, and thread therefore -in- the long groove side of the needle? Just wondering if there is a catchy way to encode this in my memory as I flail about from machine to machine. :-)
This may help you with the "why". I always find that if I understand the "why" of something that the "how" comes a lot easier.
http://www.ismacs.net/needle_and_sha...ne-needle.html
Generally speaking though, the side with the scarf - the small bend or dish in the needle above the eye - (and the short groove) should face the hook. It's there to let the hook get as close as possible to the needle without a collision. It gives the machine the best chance at grabbing that thread. If it's a particularly old machine and uses a needle without a scarf, just pretend that the side without the groove has a flat scarf or a placeholder for a scarf. Same rule applies.
Originally Posted by
ArizonaKAT
Hijack away . . . I learned a ton of new info from this.
KAT
Thanks.
Originally Posted by
SteveH
The purpose of the short groove is to allow the thread to get pinched between the fabric and the needle and upon uplift of the needle the loop is formed (below the fabric) that the hook passes through. The long groove makes sure that the thread has a place to hide and therefore does NOT make a loop upon uplift.
Which is exactly why we skip stitches when the needle is turned the wrong way