Problems are making me sad
 

Hi, friends!

I have picked up two older machines just because they are pretty! I cleaned them, oiled them everywhere anything moved, hugged them and brushed away their tears...put on new thread, got new bobbins for them, got the threading diagrams, rethreaded several times, used new needles of different sizes...in short, I've been fussing with them for several days now. They both have the identical problem - which to me means it's really common or I am really missing something!

Both have dots of bobbin thread coming up, no matter how I change the tension (including the bobbin tension, but don't worry, I made note of where it started). I'm using light thread on top and dark thread on the bottom (Gutermann polyester).

I need help! I really want to get these right on my own if at all possible. Any suggestions?

Thank you,

Margaret F (ps, I added the pic with the stitching later. Also fixed the bobbin winder so it wasn't on (Morse))
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Did you clean the tension?

Is the bobbin seated correctly?

Needle facing the right way?

Needle threaded the correct direction?

Deep breath, walk away for the night. I'm sure someone else will chime in with other suggestions to check too!

Anastasia is giving you a good start.

at least it doesn't appear that they are skipping stitches. I think you are close, try sewing 3 layers of cotton, or a couple layers of denim. Just my 2c worth, but that material appears skimpy and the bobbin thread may not have much choice if the material is kind of shear. i may be wrong, probably am. The other points might be to look at using the same thread top and bottom, with a new standard needle. If you can stitch well under those circumstances, other materials and threads are just minor balancing of tension, needle dia, etc. IMO

My vintage machines don't like polyester thread. When I try to use it, I get close to the same result. When I use 100% cotton thread, size 50 (standard size) in both the top and bottom, they respond with pretty stitches.

Just a thought..... some machines like only certain threads.

Like Oldsewandsew said, you're pretty close. If your top tension is already loose, then you need to loosen up your bottom tension.
Rodney

Margaret,

When I acquire a machine I usually, after an initial test run, start with the bobbin tension by turning the tension to max tight and then turn the screw CCW about 1/2 turn. At this point I will pull, once the bobbin is installed, on the thread and by feeling the amount of tension required to extract the thread from the bobbin I would stop any additional adjustment. Begin threading as if ready to sew. When the thread is through the needle eye, begin pulling on the thread. At "0" setting there should be little or no tension. Now continue increasing upper thread tension a little at a time and if all goes well, you should get the right amount of tension around the mid-range on the dial, say around 5-7. Run a test after each adjustment and see if the stitch locks between the 2 layers of material. With 21 machines in my collection, and not scientific, this works for me. This is a trial & error process. Any adjustments must very small, especially the bobbin, maybe a 1/12 turn at a time. Hope this helps out.

Rodney
Ponchatoula, La.

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I will probably not get a chance to try them until tomorrow as today is pretty booked up with grandchildren (mine and a friend's). I'm sure it's something simple, just having some 1/2 brain days due to allergies! All the trees are blooming, and I'm allergic to pretty much all the small-pollen trees. My face looks like the Pillsbury Dough Boy at present!

I'll bet it is the polyester thread. It will stretch when you try to sew with it.[sometimes]. LOL

They do look pretty close, especially the Electra. Try sewing some heavier fabric, and see if that helps. It also looks like you're using a pretty unforgiving fabric there; try some quilting cotton or denim, and it will likely look better.

Can you see dots of the top thread on the bottom as well? If so, the fabric is just too thin to hide the stitch.


Those are beautiful machines, btw! I especially like the Electra (Necchi?). It looks like it does a small handful of utility stitches, then embroidered swans and tulips? What a great combination of stitches!

Ok, got some free time and tried most of these ideas. No difference with cotton thread top and bottom. No difference using quilting cotton, flannel, or denim. Cleaned tension with cotton cloth and a drop of SMO, no difference. The tension seems to work - I can see the disks moving together and apart as I turn the knob (with presser foot up). I haven't taken the tension apart yet. Have tried changing bobbin tension - no difference until it was really loose, then stitches were really bad. There are no dots of top thread on the bottom at any setting. I cleaned the bobbin area until it shone and added some extra oil to the underneath of the machine. The needle is facing correctly and the bobbin is seated correctly. Whew!

That being said, I found two other problems. One, the needle plate looks as if it has had multiple needles hitting it on the front side. I used some steel brushes to smooth it out, and my needle is not hitting it. What I think is a very big problem is that the sewing path curves outward if you don't hold the fabric in place. In all the older machines I've used, the seam was usually straighter if I let go of the fabric and just let the machine do it's job. This is just like when you need to get your car aligned because if you let go of the wheel you drift off left or right. In about 6 inches length, the path veered over an inch sideways - a nice, big curve. Does anyone know what causes that? Seems as though that could very well cause tension problems as well.

You guys are so great! Thank you so much for helping me!!

Margaret

Hi, Margaret!
Are the presser feet in the "up" position when you're threading your cute machines?
Sometimes I have a "duh!" moment when changing thread colors and then getting funky stitches because I forgot this step.
Good luck - and feel proud that other folks ... have had/have now/will have ... the same problems that they'll be able to solve by reading this thread!
You are not alone!

Have you cleaned under the bobbin case spring? Lint or a sliver of thread under the spring will cause that problem. It will prevent the spring from putting any tension on the bobbin thread....which will cause it to be too loose & pull to the top.

my thoughts also. yo yo the bobbin case with bobbin in and it should crop a couple inches only.

Do you have the correct bobbin? Switch the two and see if there is a difference? Maybe you mixed them up.

Only a thought.

I fought with one machine that I have and decided it was the bobbin case. The repair place where I purchased it, said they never wear out --- but the new one worked. The old one did not. What do I know.

I've been wondering if it could be the bobbin case. The machine uses a #15 bobbin - does that make it a 15 clone? Can I buy a new bobbin case pretty easily? I'll have to look at sewingpartsonline.com -they have lots of good stuff.

I realized my major allergy attack comes from not only trees and pets, but from all the old fabric I picked up at last weekend's quilt show. I've always had trouble with house dust. I put a batch in to wash, and the water turned somewhat brown! May have been the dust, more probably that I washed reds and some bled. Washed them twice with Retayne and Color Catchers, so I hope the dust and the excess dye have been removed. How do I clean up the case? I was thinking just using a damp cloth, but will try anything you have found successful.

I think I'll order a new bobbin case and let this baby sit for a few days - I have quilting to do! Thanks for all the help!

Just unscrew the tension screw on the bobbin case....be careful not to drop that tiny screw! Then lift off the tension spring. You might find lint/thread under there. If you do, that was your problem. After I take the spring off, I usually soak it (& the spring) in alcohol & clean with a q-tip. Make sure it's good & dry before reassembling.

By the way, don't put any oil between your tension disks....I think you said you used SMO to clean the tension. It can leave a gummy film that will just get stickier over time. Again use alcohol.

If you work with your bobbin case in a zip bag and have a magnet in there it might help keep track of the little pieces. Use some rubbing alcohol to clean the tension. Clean the pin, too. No SMO on the tension. YOu can use SMO on the base of the machine. Muv has a video about how to clean up the antique sewing machines. It is in the sticky notes at the top of the page. LINK:http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...v-t167789.html She has a ton of videos and info plus she has a very well done blog.

Margaret,

Use a back light, turn the hand wheel till the feed dogs are all the way up. Then lower the presser foot and sight along the sides of the foot and the edges of the feed dogs. They should be parallel on both sides. If the foot is turned one way or the other, the fabric will turn and twist as it feeds.
I've lost count of the number of feet I've had to adjust to fix a twisting fabric problem.

The best bobbins I've bought have come from Sew-Classic. They also have good quality bobbin cases too.

Joe

Be aware that some of the last batch of class 15 bobbins did not fit on the shaft of some of my machines. I found that true of the type L bobbins as well. The good news was that they fit a different machine...

Hmm, looks to me as though the feed dogs are slightly different in height. The tension is still bad - I turned it to zero and still had quite a bit of tension on it. The metal bobbins definitely work better than the plastic. I'm going to take the tensioner apart a soon as I have a free hour or two. So many things to do! Why did I ever think retirement would be hours of free time and relaxation??!

I spent my weekend free motion quilting. Everything was going well and suddenly nothing was going well. The tension was off. I cleaned the machine, I rethreaded top and bottom, nothing seemed to help. I then had an aha moment -- changed the needle and all my problems disappeared. I thought of you and your issues.

Try a new needle. Perhaps that will help.

Aileen