Troubleshooting a boat shuttle
 

I've finished cleaning and tweaking my Clemens Muller handcrank and am working on getting it sewing smoothly today. I can't find demos anywhere of exactly the shuttle I have, so I am asking the experts here if something looks wrong?

I've been able to get stitches but the bobbin thread is too hard to pull out of the shuttle and I cannot for the life of me figure out the problem. Testing each individual pathway everything seems smooth. The bobbin itself may not be spinning as smoothly once inside as it could? But I don't know. I have polished up the ends and looked for any possible rough spots. Adjusting the tension screw doesn't seem to make a lick of difference.

Make sure you bring the thread under the spring on the outside of the shuttle. Look at the middle pic and thread it under that spring. If the shuttle is not correct and to long it will not turn easy when thread is pulled. Also if that is old thread on the shuttle take it off and put on some new thread and try that.

Thanks Glenn. The thread is new, and both the shuttle and bobbin were purchased from Helen Howes so should be correct together. I'll go try re-threading it and see if that helps.

I've polished everything up and checked them all individually and I think it's ok. I just re-polished the bar on the back side. Another question though is when the needle is raised and I go to pull the work out where should the shuttle be?

I thought it would be to the left, but it's on the right and I am far more successful pulling the work away from the machine if I pull the work to the back and the right. :/ This is backwards from the directions I have for a Singer 12 so either it's normal for this machine or something is really off.

Edit note: Glenn is 100% correct about the thread going under the lower curved portion of the spring also.

I'm lazy..... I do not like to try to "guess" what is wrong with components that have multiple elements, so.....

1. Put the bobbin in ONLY and pull the thread gently and slowly.
----- If you feel anything but smooth consistent release of the thread clean the divots and pin ends

2. With the bobbin in place, thread it around the rear bar and do the slow gentle pull
----- If you feel anything but smooth consistent release of the thread wrap 0000 steel wool around the bar and clean it.

3. With the bobbin in place and thread around the bar, put the thread through the slot in the front and gentle/slow pull
----- If not smooth consistent release of the thread VERY gently work toothpaste on dental floss through the slot and clean VERY well afterwards.

4. Check the point of the shuttle for sharpness. Does not need to be like a pin point but sharper is better

5. Check the needle height. (you can remove the slide plates and shuttle and very slowly operate the machine through one cycle and watch the loop size and location when formed.

6. Lastly, check the shuttle holder position. They are usually adjustable to accommodate for top edge of the shuttle wear, but are almost never adjusted.

I'm getting stitching. I just feel like the bobbin is too tight. The stitching is coming out fine though. It does seem odd to me that with the needle raised that the shuttle is on the right side instead of the left but I've never tried a transverse shuttle.

Steve, I did go through all the parts as you said again and again. The steel wool was a good idea. I felt like it was helpful in getting things cleaner and more polished but I can't really feel much difference in how the thread pulls. Do these types of shuttle/bobbin combos generally pull as easily as a round bobbin in a bobbin case?

The boat shuttle does pull a little more stiff than the round bobbin but should not be that hard. I have several transverse machines and can pull the thread with no problem. You may have a bobbin problem.Does the bobbin turn freely in the shuttle or is it hard to spin? Pull the shuttle thread without pulling the top thread and see if it is still hard to pull. If it is you may have a bobbin that is a little to long for the shuttle. I am guessing now. I have never had this problem.

Glenn, It's not 100% smooth when I just pull with the bobbin. With each step along the way of threading it, I get a little more drag so that by the time it's fully threaded it has more drag than I would like. I can still pull the work away after stitching but have an easier time pulling it to the back and slightly right. I've had no luck at all seeing a difference in tension loosening the screw.

The bobbin I have has little pointy ends and one is a sharper point than the other. Should they be pointy? Or maybe that's the problem and I should blunt it down?

Interesting about the differences in ends. Check the shuttle to see if one receptacle is different then the other.