301 Take-up lever
02-17-2015, 03:55 PM
#62
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Does it do the same stitches with a different bobbin case?
Have you tried changing out the needle?
Some times there can be dinged up burrs or dried up oil anywhere in the thread path that can cause skipping.
Have you tried changing out the needle?
Some times there can be dinged up burrs or dried up oil anywhere in the thread path that can cause skipping.
02-17-2015, 04:55 PM
#63
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Idaho
Posts: 344
I put in a new needle, tried the bobbin case and bobbin from a machine that does work, and there was no difference.
I have watched the first three videos on the tension, and am thinking it could be involved because the dial doesn't turn from 0-9. I will watch the fourth video, then be brave and take apart and put back together the tension and see if that works. Probably not tonight, though... And it will be fun to try and also to clean the assembly better.
It doesn't look as scary as I had feared, I love the videos, Tammi! Fun to hear your voice, too. Thank you.
I have watched the first three videos on the tension, and am thinking it could be involved because the dial doesn't turn from 0-9. I will watch the fourth video, then be brave and take apart and put back together the tension and see if that works. Probably not tonight, though... And it will be fun to try and also to clean the assembly better.
It doesn't look as scary as I had feared, I love the videos, Tammi! Fun to hear your voice, too. Thank you.
02-17-2015, 06:02 PM
#64
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Be brave Sheri - the worst you can do is have it keep skipping stitches. Putting in the new needle, changing out the bobbin and bobbin case was easy and at least you eliminate that as a possible problem. Take your time. I have one sitting on a table in need of some attention but I have to be in the right frame of mind since I don't know what I'm doing with that one... Tension Tamer tea might help. hhhmmmmm..............
02-17-2015, 06:24 PM
#65
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Posts: 1,775
This has been a very informative thread!
I just want to assure you, Sheri, taking the tensioner apart, cleaning it and then putting it back in again will be a confidence booster.
I'm from a generation of Home Ec students that grew up thinking it was against the law to so much as 'think' of touching that tension dial!!!!! Lol God bless our Home Ec teachers. It must have been a nightmare to have to adjust the tension on all those machines after every class.
Anyway, once you have done a couple of them you will see that they aren't so scary after all. I take pictures as I take each piece off and lay the pieces out, in order, in an egg carton so they don't get lost or mixed up. Good luck!
I just want to assure you, Sheri, taking the tensioner apart, cleaning it and then putting it back in again will be a confidence booster.
I'm from a generation of Home Ec students that grew up thinking it was against the law to so much as 'think' of touching that tension dial!!!!! Lol God bless our Home Ec teachers. It must have been a nightmare to have to adjust the tension on all those machines after every class.
Anyway, once you have done a couple of them you will see that they aren't so scary after all. I take pictures as I take each piece off and lay the pieces out, in order, in an egg carton so they don't get lost or mixed up. Good luck!
02-17-2015, 11:00 PM
#66
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Not Here
Posts: 3,817
Originally Posted by sdhaevrsi
Yep, I have a Mac. I thought about cropping the photos, but decided they might be too small to see if I cut them down. I'll try that here... Then I am going to spend some time with your videos, been looking forward to them all day. May not get far, though, in practice because I work with special ed kids and am pretty "done" by the time I am home from work.
I won though. That I am proud of.
Originally Posted by miriam
Does it do the same stitches with a different bobbin case?
Have you tried changing out the needle?
Some times there can be dinged up burrs or dried up oil anywhere in the thread path that can cause skipping.
Have you tried changing out the needle?
Some times there can be dinged up burrs or dried up oil anywhere in the thread path that can cause skipping.
Originally Posted by sdhaevrsi
I put in a new needle, tried the bobbin case and bobbin from a machine that does work, and there was no difference.
I have watched the first three videos on the tension, and am thinking it could be involved because the dial doesn't turn from 0-9. I will watch the fourth video, then be brave and take apart and put back together the tension and see if that works. Probably not tonight, though... And it will be fun to try and also to clean the assembly better.
It doesn't look as scary as I had feared, I love the videos, Tammi! Fun to hear your voice, too. Thank you.
I have watched the first three videos on the tension, and am thinking it could be involved because the dial doesn't turn from 0-9. I will watch the fourth video, then be brave and take apart and put back together the tension and see if that works. Probably not tonight, though... And it will be fun to try and also to clean the assembly better.
It doesn't look as scary as I had feared, I love the videos, Tammi! Fun to hear your voice, too. Thank you.
We definitely need to get you to reassemble that tensioner right then. If it doesn't turn all the way, I'm guessing it's too tight based on what we saw in the test sew and needs to be brought down. What does the fast tension test say? Have you had a chance to try it?
I'm glad you understand my Canadian accent.
I wonder sometimes if people do have trouble but I think we sound a lot like PNW US people. They don't sound different to us when we visit that part of the states.
Originally Posted by miriam
Tension Tamer tea might help. hhhmmmmm..............
Originally Posted by cabbagepatchkid
This has been a very informative thread!
I just want to assure you, Sheri, taking the tensioner apart, cleaning it and then putting it back in again will be a confidence booster.
I'm from a generation of Home Ec students that grew up thinking it was against the law to so much as 'think' of touching that tension dial!!!!! Lol God bless our Home Ec teachers. It must have been a nightmare to have to adjust the tension on all those machines after every class.
Anyway, once you have done a couple of them you will see that they aren't so scary after all. I take pictures as I take each piece off and lay the pieces out, in order, in an egg carton so they don't get lost or mixed up. Good luck!
I just want to assure you, Sheri, taking the tensioner apart, cleaning it and then putting it back in again will be a confidence booster.
I'm from a generation of Home Ec students that grew up thinking it was against the law to so much as 'think' of touching that tension dial!!!!! Lol God bless our Home Ec teachers. It must have been a nightmare to have to adjust the tension on all those machines after every class.
Anyway, once you have done a couple of them you will see that they aren't so scary after all. I take pictures as I take each piece off and lay the pieces out, in order, in an egg carton so they don't get lost or mixed up. Good luck!
I've heard from a lot of people that that's how they learned not to touch their tension. If only the teachers had said WHY you weren't to touch it. That's all it would have taken. The looks of horror that I got when I said I was going to show people how to rebuild their tensioners in my class were priceless.
02-18-2015, 01:06 AM
#67
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 8,091
Sheri,
I don't know if this will help but I'll relate the story just in case. I might have missed a page or two of this thread so forgive me if this has been covered.
I have a Singer 99K I named Rusty. The machine had been in a flood, and was badly rusted. Besides the rust damaged bobbin hook, case, and related parts the thread take up lever had been broken. I replaced all the needed parts to bring the machine up to par but could not get the tension to work at all.
I had replaced the bobbin hook and case and the case latch assembly due to severe rust pitting, that helped but no cure. Then I replaced the pitted top tension disks, a little more help but no cure.
The tension just would not be consistent. Sometimes it would look good for a few inches, then make a huge birds nest underneath.
Finally I got the bright idea to put Rusty side by side with my other 99K, Godiva to see if maybe I could see a difference.
Boy did I. The thread take up lever was not in correctly. When it was all the way up it wasn't up all the way.
When I reset it to match the one in Godiva, the tension problem vanished.
If the take up lever does not go all the way to the top, the thread wont make the lock stitch and the tension will be out.
Since you have had trouble with the position of the TU lever, it might be interesting to compare it to one of your other machines that does sew properly. If the TU lever isn't in the right place, it should be easy to see.
Joe
I don't know if this will help but I'll relate the story just in case. I might have missed a page or two of this thread so forgive me if this has been covered.
I have a Singer 99K I named Rusty. The machine had been in a flood, and was badly rusted. Besides the rust damaged bobbin hook, case, and related parts the thread take up lever had been broken. I replaced all the needed parts to bring the machine up to par but could not get the tension to work at all.
I had replaced the bobbin hook and case and the case latch assembly due to severe rust pitting, that helped but no cure. Then I replaced the pitted top tension disks, a little more help but no cure.
The tension just would not be consistent. Sometimes it would look good for a few inches, then make a huge birds nest underneath.
Finally I got the bright idea to put Rusty side by side with my other 99K, Godiva to see if maybe I could see a difference.
Boy did I. The thread take up lever was not in correctly. When it was all the way up it wasn't up all the way.
When I reset it to match the one in Godiva, the tension problem vanished.
If the take up lever does not go all the way to the top, the thread wont make the lock stitch and the tension will be out.
Since you have had trouble with the position of the TU lever, it might be interesting to compare it to one of your other machines that does sew properly. If the TU lever isn't in the right place, it should be easy to see.
Joe
02-18-2015, 03:45 AM
#68
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,507
Experience is a good teacher - Joe you might have something - needle out of time with take up.... Who knows Egor may have worked on that machine. When Egor couldn't fix the tension Egor went after it with a screwdriver and 'fixed' that take up lever... GGGRRRRRR I've seen some pretty good looking tension springs only to find that they weren't meant for what ever machine. When you clean off the tension pull out the center pin and give it a bath in something to take off the dried oil. Some times the shaft it rides in needs a bit of clean up,too. I have a bottle of Naptha Some times Naptha doesn't do it some times it takes alcohol. I put the whole thing in and then clean off when I'm ready to re-assemble. I look for dried oil, rust and burrs. But from here out I'm checking that lever, too. Thanks Joe.
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