You will for sure need to use a manual or look up Tammi's videos on tensions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzFX...AyBQ2l-Mzkw7ew she walks you through it - the video is VERY clear - I think she has another similar video as well.

Tippysmom,

If you have a gummed up top tension, bobbin case spring, or both, the machine will never sew completely right until that is cleaned.

I don't know about the sewing machine shops in your area, the one locally charges $65.00 to service a sewing machine.

So, if you can read a pattern and make anything from it, you can read the instructions in TFSR and do your own tensions.
{ http://www.tfsr.org/publications/tec...machine_manual }

Why spend money to have something done you can do yourself?

Joe

I would start by moving the handwheel a little. This happens to me and jiggling does the trick

Thanks Miriam :)

This one might help more (it's the other one you mentioned), unless people want to take the tensioner off the machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guYToL6Gegs

That said both have some slightly different information in them so it's worth watching both if you have time. Both videos were "Stream of consciousness" no script at all.

The other note (which is in the description but a lot of people don't read them): The "2 setting" I mention toward the end of the video works for most full sized tensioners. For the smaller tensioners, like the 301 and the Featherweight, I find that the setting is full tight when the post is flush - between 9 and 10.

PS, I agree, it's the tension release pin. The bobbin tension wouldn't have anything to do with the top tension not releasing.

No but when things are needing to be cleaned you might as well have at it...

OK, bad wording on my part. I will never tell someone not to clean a tension device, top or bottom. Simply adjusting it to be looser - which is more than likely the wrong way btw, wasn't going to fix the situation and might have made other issues (like the tension balance would be off when stitching)

Well, changing the bobbin tension didn't work, neither did jiggling the wheel. So I will be studying those videos very closely and will attempt to adjust the tension.

Too bad none of us live closer to each other! I do have a friend who is an engineer, and she is one of those people who will fix anything without hesitation. I may ask her to help me on this project, since she has a FW, plus she has dis-assembled many sewing machines and gotten them in good shape.

I just 'got' this. The tension release pin doesn't work. Just one question: Does it work when you push the foot lift up slightly more than normal (hold it up) as in hold up the lever and see if the thread is still tight.

After reading this whole thread and going back and reading the original post again, I'm wondering if it's not just an issue of making sure the take up lever is over the top of it's travel so the last stitch has finished. If that hasn't happened then the thread will still be tight because the hook hasn't finished it's travel for that stitch. Clear as mud?

Cari

I think Cari might be right. That's what I thought when I read the first post. On mine when I finish I rotate the handwheel towards me until the needle and thread arm are all the way up, and it makes a very subtle click. That's when I know that the stitch is done and the threads will pull smoothly out. Or I take up the foot and then rotate the wheel until the needle is out and the thread frees up. Same with all of the vertical bobbin machines I have, but I didn't know it was a thing before I started on vintage machines and I'd never seen it mentioned explicitly in the manuals.

The semi-vintage electronic Pfaff I use has a feature that does it automatically when you flip the foot lever up. It was creepy the first time I did it accidentally.