My 500 is giving me problems
02-24-2014, 12:40 PM
#21
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Join Date: Mar 2011
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Originally Posted by bdschafer
Thanks everyone, I've checked everything and all is OK.... It's not happening as often, only once in awhile.....I guess I can live with that, as it is an old machine and has been used alot!!! Bette
02-28-2014, 06:10 PM
#22
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Well I think your problem might be spread through the computer. I have fought with a beautiful Singer 503 this evening. The thing will mostly sew nice now that I took the tension apart and rebuilt it, took out all kinds of lint and junk out of the bobbin area. BUT it will sew for a while just fine. Then all of a sudden it wants to not advance then pretty soon the thread is caught in a knot. I'm looking for burrs. Maybe Mizkaki will come along and help us solve this one.
02-28-2014, 06:50 PM
#23
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Northern CA near Sacramento
Posts: 1,107
Miriam,
What do you mean by "it wants to not advance"? Are the feed dogs not moving or is the fabric not moving? If the fabric is not moving because it is snagging or is the thread holding the fabric back? Which thread is forming the knot?
Cathy
What do you mean by "it wants to not advance"? Are the feed dogs not moving or is the fabric not moving? If the fabric is not moving because it is snagging or is the thread holding the fabric back? Which thread is forming the knot?
Cathy
Originally Posted by miriam
Well I think your problem might be spread through the computer. I have fought with a beautiful Singer 503 this evening. The thing will mostly sew nice now that I took the tension apart and rebuilt it, took out all kinds of lint and junk out of the bobbin area. BUT it will sew for a while just fine. Then all of a sudden it wants to not advance then pretty soon the thread is caught in a knot. I'm looking for burrs. Maybe Mizkaki will come along and help us solve this one.
02-28-2014, 07:40 PM
#24
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Location: Somewhere
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I'm going to have to address this in the morning bu shooting a pic of the mess and looking at it some more. I just stopped in to let everybody know I just got a new grandbaby - Emma Peace little baby sister to Walter,Wilbur, Miss L, Miss M and Miss G. Everybody is doing well.
02-28-2014, 07:59 PM
#25
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Northern CA near Sacramento
Posts: 1,107
Congratulations on the wee one. Pictures soon?
Cathy
Cathy
Originally Posted by miriam
I'm going to have to address this in the morning bu shooting a pic of the mess and looking at it some more. I just stopped in to let everybody know I just got a new grandbaby - Emma Peace little baby sister to Walter,Wilbur, Miss L, Miss M and Miss G. Everybody is doing well.
03-01-2014, 03:12 AM
#26
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
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We haven't seen Emma yet - some time today we get to go see her. I can't wait. I have no clue how big she is or who she looks like or if she has hair and all her parts... (I'm pretty sure she has all her parts though.) DD might as well still be pregnant as far as letting us know what the baby is like. I have to get some breakfast then I'm off - well have to wait until 8:00 LOL...
04-19-2020, 10:26 AM
#27
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Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 60
Originally Posted by tate_elliott
Here's the photo of the problem I had with my 500. It took me a while to find it. You can see the pin sticking out to the right. It was supposed to keep the inside of the hook wheel clear of lint.
As I wrote before, I took out the hook and bobbin mechanism and removed the pin, but the thread still wrapped itself around that spot.
Tate
Attachment 463628
As I wrote before, I took out the hook and bobbin mechanism and removed the pin, but the thread still wrapped itself around that spot.
Tate
Attachment 463628
Also -- I'm using Gutermann cross-wound thread, and I notice it's just fine when I thread the machine, but after a row of stitching the top thread is severely twisted, as seen by taking the spool off the holder and allowing some slack -- it twists up like crazy. I have to believe that's contributing.
Help!!
Matt
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 04-19-2020 at 06:17 PM. Reason: shouting/all caps
09-19-2020, 08:31 AM
#28
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Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 60
At long last I believe I have solved the mystery of why my 500A was so frequently "hanging up" while stitching. It was truly disastrous -- sometimes the spool of thread would actually rocket (hehe) off the spool pin and strike me. I thought by replacing the hook, retiming, and frequently oiling the bobbin case/hook race I had solved the problem, but lately it became so bad I would get about 10-20 stitches off before having to set things back in order and pull the work from the throat plate, breaking threads that had gotten hung up. I also thought it was due to Gutermann cross-wound thread (which still gets way too twisty for me to think is ok, but I digress).
I think I've finally diagnosed the problem, and I believe there's really only one way to fix it, which I did.
The thread was catching on the corner of the "hook positioning finger," out of which usually sticks a lint-clearing pin. I removed that pin, and smoothed the area it came out of, and even plugged the hole that contained the pin. This still did not fix the issue.
Here is a photo of me catching the problem having just occurred, followed by a photo of me releasing the thread. A loop of the needle thread was repeatedly catching on this corner of the hook positioning finger:
When I realized that that corner had to go, I made it so. I spent the morning with a Dremel grinding it down -- luckily I had extras to play with. Here are photos of the hook positioning finger that was initially in the machine (you can see the former lint clearing pin hole that I stopped up with the end of a plastic toothpick), and the new and improved hook positioning finger that will no longer catch the needle thread. They are exactly the same part number and size -- some trick of the camera makes one look larger in one photo.
I reinstalled the hook and finger, retimed the hook (thankfully because I "dotted" the gear teeth re-meshing them was simple and the hook didn't actually need retiming), and now it sews perfectly, and the thread no longer hangs up -- Gutermann cross-winding nothwithstanding.
I hope this is helpful for those of you with a 400 or 500 series that is exhibiting this behavior. I would also gladly offer this service to anyone who wants to send me their hook positioning fingers, for the cost of postage.
Matt
I think I've finally diagnosed the problem, and I believe there's really only one way to fix it, which I did.
The thread was catching on the corner of the "hook positioning finger," out of which usually sticks a lint-clearing pin. I removed that pin, and smoothed the area it came out of, and even plugged the hole that contained the pin. This still did not fix the issue.
Here is a photo of me catching the problem having just occurred, followed by a photo of me releasing the thread. A loop of the needle thread was repeatedly catching on this corner of the hook positioning finger:
When I realized that that corner had to go, I made it so. I spent the morning with a Dremel grinding it down -- luckily I had extras to play with. Here are photos of the hook positioning finger that was initially in the machine (you can see the former lint clearing pin hole that I stopped up with the end of a plastic toothpick), and the new and improved hook positioning finger that will no longer catch the needle thread. They are exactly the same part number and size -- some trick of the camera makes one look larger in one photo.
I reinstalled the hook and finger, retimed the hook (thankfully because I "dotted" the gear teeth re-meshing them was simple and the hook didn't actually need retiming), and now it sews perfectly, and the thread no longer hangs up -- Gutermann cross-winding nothwithstanding.
I hope this is helpful for those of you with a 400 or 500 series that is exhibiting this behavior. I would also gladly offer this service to anyone who wants to send me their hook positioning fingers, for the cost of postage.
Matt
09-19-2020, 12:00 PM
#29
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Cary, NC
Posts: 383
Congratulations! I had considered trying that, but didn't want to take mine apart that much. For now, I'll just keep oiling the hook race when it happens.
I'm sure you must know, but cross-wound thread needs to come off the end of the spool (like on newer machines). If you can't adapt your machine, you can get (or make) a spool stand.
Tate
I'm sure you must know, but cross-wound thread needs to come off the end of the spool (like on newer machines). If you can't adapt your machine, you can get (or make) a spool stand.
Tate
09-19-2020, 06:59 PM
#30
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Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 60
Originally Posted by tate_elliott
Congratulations! I had considered trying that, but didn't want to take mine apart that much. For now, I'll just keep oiling the hook race when it happens.
I'm sure you must know, but cross-wound thread needs to come off the end of the spool (like on newer machines). If you can't adapt your machine, you can get (or make) a spool stand.
Tate
I'm sure you must know, but cross-wound thread needs to come off the end of the spool (like on newer machines). If you can't adapt your machine, you can get (or make) a spool stand.
Tate
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