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#1
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Help! Tension suddenly stopped working!
I don't know what happened. I've had this sewing machine for less than
a year, but I haven't used it much. I've been using it lately now and then, and it's been working fine. And tonight... I finished cutting the fabric to make the most ruffly bedskirt ever... and... *sob* all of a sudden... The tension stopped working! So here's the deal: the tension is too high no matter what I set it for. It works exactly the same at 0 and at 9. I opened up the machine, I cleaned it with a lint brush, I lubricated it everywhere I could possibly imagine, including the tension disks... no use! It doesn't seem like it makes any difference if I turn the wheel with the tension #s or not (when I look at it). So, I've no idea what happened, why it happened so suddenly, and what to do. If there's no other way, I guess I'll take it to the sewing machine doctor... But I'm afraid it'll be expensive. I've no idea how much these things cost. (I live in NYC, so there's a plenty of places to take it to.) Is that the only way to fix my baby? On an unrelated note, the needle clamp (if that's what it's called) hasn't been working super lately. The needle keeps coming out, which is really annoying. (I had to sew a lot of monster fur - you know, 3" long nap... Didn't make my machine very happy. It's a $200 machine, and it wasn't made for that.) Any way to fix it? If not, any idea how much that would cost? Right now, it's not so bad to take it to be fixed on its own, but I figure, if I'll have to take the machine to a specialist to fix the tension, might get this thing done as well. Thanks so much! Malia |
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#2
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malia wrote:
I don't know what happened. I've had this sewing machine for less than a year, but I haven't used it much. I've been using it lately now and then, and it's been working fine. And tonight... I finished cutting the fabric to make the most ruffly bedskirt ever... and... *sob* all of a sudden... The tension stopped working! If your $200 machine is anything like the low-end $250 White I bought for my son a few years back, you're lucky it lasted that long. His machine only lasted 2-3 months. So here's the deal: the tension is too high no matter what I set it for. It works exactly the same at 0 and at 9. I opened up the machine, I cleaned it with a lint brush, I lubricated it everywhere I could possibly imagine, including the tension disks... no use! It doesn't seem like it makes any difference if I turn the wheel with the tension #s or not (when I look at it). Did you "floss" the tension disks as well? Boy, I sure hope your machine doesn't have the same problem ours did -- several trips to the SM mechanic failed to permanently cure the problem. machine doctor... But I'm afraid it'll be expensive. I've no idea how much these things cost. (I live in NYC, so there's a plenty of places to take it to.) Is that the only way to fix my baby? There's a Yahoo group called wefixit that you might ask this question at -- they were recommended to people in this group in the past year. On an unrelated note, the needle clamp (if that's what it's called) hasn't been working super lately. The needle keeps coming out, which is really annoying. (I had to sew a lot of monster fur - you know, 3" long nap... Didn't make my machine very happy. It's a $200 machine, and it wasn't made for that.) Any way to fix it? If not, any idea how much that would cost? Right now, it's not so bad to take it to be fixed on its own, but I figure, if I'll have to take the machine to a specialist to fix the tension, might get this thing done as well. You're right that if you had to take it in you might as well get everything looked at. Only your local SM mechanic will be able to tell you what it will cost for a tuneup. Here in the SF Bay Area the most-local-to-me shop charges about $100. -- I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. - Mother Teresa |
#3
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malia wrote:
So here's the deal: the tension is too high no matter what I set it for. It works exactly the same at 0 and at 9. I opened up the machine, I cleaned it with a lint brush, I lubricated it everywhere I could possibly imagine, including the tension disks... no use! It doesn't seem like it makes any difference if I turn the wheel with the tension #s or not (when I look at it). Grasping at straws, have you completely unthreaded and rethreaded it? It's possible that the thread has got caught round something on its path. So, I've no idea what happened, why it happened so suddenly, and what to do. If there's no other way, I guess I'll take it to the sewing machine doctor... But I'm afraid it'll be expensive. [...] It's a $200 machine, After you get a quote for any necessary repairs, take a look at second-hand machines. A second-hand machine from a good manufacturer will sew better than a new $200 machine. It'll be more tolerant of cheap threads and strange fabrics, too. It sounds like you've been pushing your poor sewing machine to do something it's just not capable of. If you do decide to buy a new-to-you machine, look at Penny's FAQ, http://www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm too see what to look for. -- Sally Holmes Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England |
#4
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malia wrote:
I don't know what happened. I've had this sewing machine for less than a year, but I haven't used it much. I've been using it lately now and then, and it's been working fine. And tonight... I finished cutting the fabric to make the most ruffly bedskirt ever... and... *sob* all of a sudden... The tension stopped working! On an unrelated note, the needle clamp (if that's what it's called) hasn't been working super lately. The needle keeps coming out, which is really annoying. (I had to sew a lot of monster fur - you know, 3" long nap... Didn't make my machine very happy. It's a $200 machine, and it wasn't made for that.) Any way to fix it? If not, any idea how much that would cost? Right now, it's not so bad to take it to be fixed on its own, but I figure, if I'll have to take the machine to a specialist to fix the tension, might get this thing done as well. Thanks so much! Malia Here's a very helpful site - http://www.mrsews.com/lessondir.html Look especially at http://www.mrsews.com/lessons/lession1.html for your tension. You might also need to clean out the needle area, and check the screw on the clamp. It may not be able to screw all the way in. Patience. You can probably do all that a basic clean-and-oil at a shop would do, and do it better since you care about the end result. Plus you don't want to sell yourself a new machine. ;-) -- Joanne @ stitches @ singerlady.reno.nv.us http://bernardschopen.tripod.com/ Life is about the journey, not about the destination. |
#5
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"Sally Holmes" wrote in message ...
malia wrote: So here's the deal: the tension is too high no matter what I set it for. It works exactly the same at 0 and at 9. I opened up the machine, I cleaned it with a lint brush, I lubricated it everywhere I could possibly imagine, including the tension disks... no use! It doesn't seem like it makes any difference if I turn the wheel with the tension #s or not (when I look at it). Grasping at straws, have you completely unthreaded and rethreaded it? It's possible that the thread has got caught round something on its path. So, I've no idea what happened, why it happened so suddenly, and what to do. If there's no other way, I guess I'll take it to the sewing machine doctor... But I'm afraid it'll be expensive. [...] It's a $200 machine, After you get a quote for any necessary repairs, take a look at second-hand machines. A second-hand machine from a good manufacturer will sew better than a new $200 machine. It'll be more tolerant of cheap threads and strange fabrics, too. It sounds like you've been pushing your poor sewing machine to do something it's just not capable of. If you do decide to buy a new-to-you machine, look at Penny's FAQ, http://www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm too see what to look for. This is so obvious, I'm sure you've checked: is the thread from the spool wrapped around the spool holder? |
#6
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Help! Tension suddenly stopped working! (malia) snip all of a sudden... The tension stopped working! So here's the deal: the tension is too high no matter what I set it for. It works exactly the same at 0 and at 9. I opened up the machine, I cleaned it with a lint brush, I lubricated it everywhere I could possibly imagine, including the tension disks... no use! It doesn't seem like it makes any difference if I turn the wheel with the tension #s or not (when I look at it). snip --- Are the feet making contact with the feed dogs? If you tightened the tension screw for working with the fur, did you remember to release some of the tension? (Turn screw counter-clockwise--adjust when foot is in the down position). Are you threading the machine with the foot up, so that the tension discs are open to receive the thread? Bobbins should be wound with the foot up, at an even rate of speed. Try a new needle & new bobbin, and be sure you have checked under/around the race for threads and lint. Your bobbin case spring may be damaged. Is the bobbin running freely in the bobbin case? Be sure you are threading the bobbin case properly. It would, as another post noted, be helpful to now what machine you have. My Bernette 230, for example, will not stitch properly if the bobbin winder cover (located on rt.end of the machine) is left in the 'up' position after you've wound the bobbin. Nothing in the manual mentions this quirk. --- On an unrelated note, the needle clamp (if that's what it's called) hasn't been working super lately. The needle keeps coming out, which is really annoying. (I had to sew a lot of monster fur - you know, 3" long nap... Didn't make my machine very happy. It's a $200 machine, and it wasn't made for that.) snip Malia --- Oops! Bad news, needle drop. You may have a screw loose snort uh, I mean, you may need a new screw. clamp. This could be the source of the problem. Dropped needles get burrs, and get bent and dulled. Needle problems are one of the main causes of bad stitching. Do you tighten the clamp screw with a screwdriver, and does it still fall out? Cea |
#7
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#8
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a machine i had years ago had a spring that went in the top tension.i
know a lot of machines these days do not have the same type, but, it is a thought that this could be the problem and if so will only cost pence to fix. |
#10
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On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 20:49:46 +0000, Kate Dicey
wrote: The needle clamp on my Lily has a screwdriver slot... So does the one on the Viscount. I use a screwdriver to tighten it all the time. So do my Necchi and my White Family Rotary. (I'd have to move several things to look at my Monkey Ward.) I don't usually tighten a needle clamp with a screwdriver because the heads of the screws give me a good grip. (Wide and flat on the Necchi, large and knurled on the White.) I've been known to need a screwdriver to *loosen* the screws, though, and I can't imagine a machine so cheap that it would leave out that little slot. (But I can't imagine a lot of the trash that people are passing off as sewing machines these days. Whenever I'm asked by a newbie, I say "Buy second hand -- you want something that has been tested for "infant difficulties".) Joy Beeson -- http://home.earthlink.net/~joybeeson/ -- needlework http://home.earthlink.net/~beeson_n3f/ -- Writers' Exchange joy beeson at earthlink dot net |
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