jennb

Hrmm. Ill post pics of it tomorrow when im not on my phone. Im just at a loss and i wanna play with her!

Pam S

Jenn, I posted this same problem a few weeks ago. My fw had been sewing just fine and suddenly the thread started winding around the bobbin assembly. Nothing I tried worked, including taking the whole assembly apart, cleaning it well and reassembling. Finally took it in to the repair shop. He told me that the inside of the bobbin area has microscopic scratches that catch the thread - caused by lots of reasons, including bad bobbins, and sometimes just age. He polished it and now it's working just fine. But he told me it's a temporary fix and will likely happen again so he didn't charge me. You can find instructions for fixing it yourself at www.tandtrepair.com
Good luck, it's worth a try.

jennb

I'll give it a try. Thanks for the link!

DonnaMiller

Yes, the belts can be too tight. That causes all kinds of trouble. FWs are finicky little things. The bobbin is the usual culprit, if the needle is correct. Thread can become wrapped around the hook and in the bobbin case. Eliminate all ravelings. Yes, you may have to take the bobbin hook out or at least take the plate off, so you can check for ravelings. You said you did, but sometimes they hide. It has happened to me and some other at gild. Haven't had that trouble with my 301 though.

DonnaMiller

I forgot to mention there is a polishing tape called "crocus cloth", probably a brand name, used in factories. It is on a cotton base, made of carburundum, or diamond chips. It is flexible and about 1" wide, which is good to polish steel parts. They use it to polish crankshafts on autos and tractors too. I have lost my source, but am looking on the internet for a new source. Don't care what it costs. It is worth it. Maybe try a machine shop.