Keep me from serger murder!
 

Culprit: mid 90's Hobbylock 774, made for Pfaff.
Crime: Rebellion, delinquency, loopers not catching
Background: Thought I'd be nice. Oiled it. Replaced needles (Schmetz universal 90/14). Changed thread. Serged off the bottoms on some onesies for a church project. First 2 fine. (Tensions all set around 3, but right looper thread at 6...its a quirky thing.) Difficulty over a seam. 3rd one, acting up. 4th one, not good at all. Stitch thread not catching. Bumped needles down a tad. Threads catch, looper threads get loose & messy, start missing. test, test test. Set R looper thread to 3, just because. Loopers stitches not forming. Needles are back up where they ought to be. Stitch thread fine. Loopers stitches not forming.

I have quadruple checked the threading diagram (just because, although the fact that it worked initially indicates correct threading.) Did find that the foot has slipped down a bit out of its screw, put it back, but that shouldn't have affected looping. test, test, test. Right looper thread pulling out of looper needle. Rethread, test, repeat. Left looper thread pulls out. Rethread. Test. Stitch threads catch for first 1" or so, only a tiny loop comes through to the top in the middle of that. some tiny loops showing on bottom, but not caught. Reset R looper tension to 6. Loose loops form for first inch, then R looper thread pulls itself out of eye again.

Nothing in the owners manual "trouble shooting" addresses loopers not looping. Timing issue because of the seam bump? I have no experience in timing, but legal redress / pointers appreciated.

(Oh for the days of the old John Deere B manual...if engine sludge is detected, take a sledge hammer...)

Are you using the right style of needle?

Some sergers require a BLX1 or DCX1 style. Some machines do have the kind of needle to use printed somewhere on the machine.

"Universal" does not mean it can be used on any or all machines.

It sounds like you bent your new needles on that seam.

Remove your hands from its scrawny little neck, and put in two new needles.

Test, test, test....but if it doesn’t test good, don’t choke it yet. It may be something else....

CD in Oklahoma

ETA: I forgot to mention, remove all of the thread from the machine back to the spools, and re-thread from scratch.....

Hi Bearis - yes, I checked the manual and this model does take the universal 130/705H, from 90/14 is the recommended.

Thayer, I replaced the needles and now the straight stitches are working, as well as the left looper. The right looper still is not catching. When the R looper passes in front of the needles, the L looper is already starting its retreat. And the right looper thread still pulls out of the eye.

? - does the R looper pass between the thread and the needles, or just in front of the thread and needles? My R looper is passing in front of both thread and needles.

Checking the manual, I last had it serviced in....2006! ($95) OSMG was in his 80s then. Closest OSMGs are an hour east, an hour west, or 2.5 hours south. It would be nice if I could get a "same day" appointment, though not likely.

When this unit runs, it runs good. I can switch fabric thickness, keep nearly the same tensions, and it produces a stellar stitch. It really is idiot proof. I am sure that seam on the onesie (and you know how thin those are) threw it, and me, off. I keep thinking, I ought to be able to figure this out...

Thanks for your help! Advice still appreciated. :)

It's probably something very simple that you've overlooked. For me, it's usually the threading order that I have to repeat from scratch when a thread has broken, and as long as I've had my workhorse, I still have to look at the book. Have you re-seated the needles, have them up as high as needed and turned the right way? I wasted a whole get-together and even more frustration at home until I realized that the knife I'd replaced had not seated properly, even when I did it over and over.

Clarify which “thread” you’re referring to....

On most models, the right looper passes in front of the needles, allowing the needles to drop down through the loop of thread behind and made by that (the right) looper.

CD in Oklahoma

Currently, The R looper passes in front of the needles and the needle's threads. Wondered if perhaps it should pass between the needles and their threads. From the tilt/flare of the R looper, I would not think so, but thought I should ask.

Thank you, elnan. I do use the manual to thread, to double check the built in color coded eyes, and the color coded threading diagram on the front of the machine. I hope you're right, it should be obvious...I hate being so obtuse!

If your right looper got bent, or it slipped time on the shaft that it’s mounted on during the seam fracas, you still shouldn’t have to take it out and shoot it.

Loopers do get bent, and they (who’s they? Oh, you know!) sell new ones for a nice profit. If it slipped a bit on the shaft (some of them just have a pinch clamp attachment that’s also an adjustment), you’ll have to figure out how much it slipped and put it back. Nothing to it.

CD in Oklahoma

I was ready to murder my Babylock serger until a friend came over and helped me get it working again.

Oh good! What a relief! Praise the intervention!

Murder is such a final thing. That’s the only reason that I’ve been trying to give some advice on this thread. I usually don’t try to diagnose problems via “long distance” on a forum, telephone, or anything where I can’t get my hands on the offending culprit, but this one sounded desperate.

Murder can get you a stiff penalty, including life in prison or even a death sentence (except here in Oklahoma, where we seem to have a little problem with chemical identification sometimes...), so a person needs to ask themselves if murder is really the answer to dealing with a sorry, no good serger! I haven’t heard any bad things on the news about “Shaken Serger Syndrome” yet, so maybe we can still get by with shaking the devil out of them? Whenever I’ve shaken mine, all I get is a face-full of fluff, lint, and clippings..........but I felt better after I’d done it.......

CD in Oklahoma

I'm still fussing with my Babylock Serger -- I don't use it much -- but if I have a problem, my son is usually around and can give me guidance so that I don't commit murder or pull my hair out! I can understand your frustration with a serger -- I don't deal with them very well myself. Good luck on getting yours working properly!

Jeanette

Where or where is the LIKE button?

I don't know how close it is to your serger, but there is a video on the Pfaff Hobbylock 788 on youtube (Part III, Threading the Serger) that might give you a clue as to the problem.

I have a "free" serger lurking in my sewing room right now I'm afraid to even open up. I've never used a serger at all, and this one has been given away twice because it "cannot" get good tension. It's a modern Singer and about 50% of the online reviewers have sent theirs back as lemons. I'm saving it for a day where I have a nice big well of patience, and so far haven't had one of those! I've gotten so far as to download the manual, but then I read it through and realized there are no less than 20 pages devoted just to threading the thing, and I lost my bravery.

Thanks, 19Cats, I'm watching it now. It is different enough, but I am hoping she'll have some hints at the end.

The R looper on mine has a screw on top where it joins the ...well, you know. There is an adjustment screw, so I'll be taking a look at that.

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?...&hsimp=yhs-002

I found this link, which is helpful.

Which one is it?

Oh, I LOVE the "Shaken Serger Syndrome!" Will have to try that at work some time. LOL!

I don't think this machine has it, but if it did... tightening the presser foot tension will help get over the bulky seams.

It seems like everything is working except the upper looper. That upper looper should come right up into the lower looper's "shoulder," and have "just enough" wiggle space, so that when you push the front looper, there's a little movement before it hits the lower looper.

I'll be watching this thread. I have a 788 and I can't get the right looper to work either. I have tried everything I can think of! Grrrrrrr

I can remember many a day that I wanted my serger to die a violent death. I put it on the shelf and forgot about it for 2 years and I started fixing up machines. One day I got it out to make some napkins (the only thing I do with it anymore) and figured out in 2 seconds that I had the wrong needles in it. It took plain jane universals and I had plain sergers in it (which someone sold me and was SURE it was the right needles).
Yup, needles get me every time.

I'm at work, so I'm not positive - I remember it has "SH" in the model number so Google is making me think it's the 14SH654? The picture it comes up with looks right, I think. It's still in its original box...a garment sewing friend of mine got it free on Craigslist, certain she could make it work, and had no luck. So now it's mine. Lucky me? LOL

Thank you for responding. I am not familiar with that one.

I did buy a Singer 14T968DC at a yard sale last winter - I was doing fine with the threading until two steps before threading the needles. After I unscrewed the piece(s) where I was having a problem, I figured out what to do! The threads were supposed to slide between two pieces of metal - and I did not "get" that from the threading description.

This model does do a lot - and after I finally figured out/understood the threading instructions - one does need to read and follow the detailed instructions carefully - it seems to work well and do a lot of different things.

I bought it for the mock cover-stitch.

I have 2 sergers and I hate them both with a passion. I didn't murder them, but I gave them, "life without the possibility of parole." They're packed away in the shed. I should really sell them, but honestly, I can't even stand to look at them.

~C

put them on craigslist.com

I have had three problems with getting a serger to sew. One was the wrong needle. Mine needed a special slightly shorter needle. Next problem. Always take all thread out of the lower part. Then thread starting from the bottom. Something about the way they get wound around when you turn the wheel to thread the upper looper it seems. Next, We sewed a sample and checked which thread was not sewing properly. Took that tension assembly apart and the spring was not set correctly. Also lint in the bottom can cause problems. Have you tried sewing on the onesy with a piece of tissue paper or stabilizer. Or vary the width of the stitch. Or try a three-thread stitch.
Hope you can get it conquered. They work wonderfully when they work.

My suggestion would also be a bent looper. Had it happen to me once.

Where do we bail you out at?

Put me in the next cell. I have a Singer serger here that belongs to my church and we want to use it for a bazaar project. Threaded correctly, but no stitch. I haven't checked the needles. And, yes, I do know how to thread one. Mine has a bent looper so it's out of service. I'm about ready to replace the looper on mine with one from this machine. I know mine will sew.

Do we need a mobil Serger Syndome Support Squad for interventions?