Tension problem on old White machine

Hi,

I'm new to this forum, and I don't know if this is the place to ask,
but I thought I'd try...

I have an old White sewing machine (circa 1950's?), that has a tension
disk assembly on the front, just above and to the right of the needle.
The thread tension on this machine is too high. It seems like the
tension when the dial is set at 0 is about what I would expect at 7 or
8. I've removed the tension unit, but there doesn't seem to be any
further adjustment, as the whole thing comes out as one piece and
doesn't seem to disassemble further.

I bought this machine at a garage sale and it's been like this since
I've had it. It still works, but it tends to bunch up and pucker
lighter fabrics due to the tension. I would have thought that age or
wear would make the tension looser, not tighter.

Any recommendations? Is there a book available on fixing sewing
machines that would cover this era?

Thanks,

Greg

Greg Brigley wrote:

Hi,

I'm new to this forum, and I don't know if this is the place to ask,
but I thought I'd try...

I have an old White sewing machine (circa 1950's?), that has a tension
disk assembly on the front, just above and to the right of the needle.
The thread tension on this machine is too high. It seems like the
tension when the dial is set at 0 is about what I would expect at 7 or
8. I've removed the tension unit, but there doesn't seem to be any
further adjustment, as the whole thing comes out as one piece and
doesn't seem to disassemble further.

I bought this machine at a garage sale and it's been like this since
I've had it. It still works, but it tends to bunch up and pucker
lighter fabrics due to the tension. I would have thought that age or
wear would make the tension looser, not tighter.

Any recommendations? Is there a book available on fixing sewing
machines that would cover this era?

Thanks,

Greg
http://www.mrsews.com/lessons/lession1.html


--

Joanne
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/
Life is about the journey, not about the destination.

On these tension devices, you can get the knob off (usually there is a plastic
disk let into the front of the knob - remove this and then you can take the knob
off). You will then find a star shaped disk, which you can turn to reduce the
tension, and then put the plastic knob back on. No need to take the tension
device out.
Roger.
--
Yarn Forward
Your On Line Yarn Store
http://www.yarnforward.com


Greg Brigley wrote:

Hi,

I'm new to this forum, and I don't know if this is the place to ask,
but I thought I'd try...

I have an old White sewing machine (circa 1950's?), that has a tension
disk assembly on the front, just above and to the right of the needle.
The thread tension on this machine is too high. It seems like the
tension when the dial is set at 0 is about what I would expect at 7 or
8. I've removed the tension unit, but there doesn't seem to be any
further adjustment, as the whole thing comes out as one piece and
doesn't seem to disassemble further.

I bought this machine at a garage sale and it's been like this since
I've had it. It still works, but it tends to bunch up and pucker
lighter fabrics due to the tension. I would have thought that age or
wear would make the tension looser, not tighter.

Any recommendations? Is there a book available on fixing sewing
machines that would cover this era?

Thanks,

Greg

Thank you for posting about the yahoo group. I like being able to keep my
machines running well, and this group looks to be kind and full of really
useful information. While Im not afraid to take things apart, this group
might help me actually put them back together right! lol
Diana

--
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"IMS" wrote in message
...
You likely have to take the tension assembly apart and reset it. The
previous poster posted a link to a web site that shows what most tension
assemblies look like...

You are also welcome to join us on the YAHOO group WEFIXIT, we are a
bunch of 'sewing machine shade tree mechanics!' Lots of knowledgeable
and helpful people there.

On 14 Nov 2003 13:43:36 -0800, (Greg Brigley) wrote:

Hi,

I'm new to this forum, and I don't know if this is the place to ask,
but I thought I'd try...

I have an old White sewing machine (circa 1950's?), that has a tension
disk assembly on the front, just above and to the right of the needle.
The thread tension on this machine is too high. It seems like the
tension when the dial is set at 0 is about what I would expect at 7 or
8. I've removed the tension unit, but there doesn't seem to be any
further adjustment, as the whole thing comes out as one piece and
doesn't seem to disassemble further.

I bought this machine at a garage sale and it's been like this since
I've had it. It still works, but it tends to bunch up and pucker
lighter fabrics due to the tension. I would have thought that age or
wear would make the tension looser, not tighter.

Any recommendations? Is there a book available on fixing sewing
machines that would cover this era?

Thanks,

Greg

Old quilters never die, they just go to pieces.

Thanks a bunch! My machine isn't exactly like the one in the article,
but it is close enough. It doesn't have a thumb nut on the end, but
the dial can be pressed in far enough that the pin disengages,
allowing the dial to turn for adjustment.

I used it last night to repair a pair of pants, and it now works as
well as any machine i've used; no puckering, no skipped stitches, sews
through some pretty hefty fabrics too!

Greg

Me wrote in message ...
Greg Brigley wrote:

Hi,

I'm new to this forum, and I don't know if this is the place to ask,
but I thought I'd try...

I have an old White sewing machine (circa 1950's?), that has a tension
disk assembly on the front, just above and to the right of the needle.
The thread tension on this machine is too high. It seems like the
tension when the dial is set at 0 is about what I would expect at 7 or
8. I've removed the tension unit, but there doesn't seem to be any
further adjustment, as the whole thing comes out as one piece and
doesn't seem to disassemble further.

I bought this machine at a garage sale and it's been like this since
I've had it. It still works, but it tends to bunch up and pucker
lighter fabrics due to the tension. I would have thought that age or
wear would make the tension looser, not tighter.

Any recommendations? Is there a book available on fixing sewing
machines that would cover this era?

Thanks,

Greg
http://www.mrsews.com/lessons/lession1.html

Greg Brigley wrote:

Thanks a bunch! My machine isn't exactly like the one in the article,
but it is close enough. It doesn't have a thumb nut on the end, but
the dial can be pressed in far enough that the pin disengages,
allowing the dial to turn for adjustment.

I used it last night to repair a pair of pants, and it now works as
well as any machine i've used; no puckering, no skipped stitches, sews
through some pretty hefty fabrics too!

Greg

That's good news. The older White machines are real
workhorses. The only thing I don't care for is the
friction drive on the older ones. The motor has a rubber
gasket on the spindle, which presses against the handwheel
to make it 'go.' If you don't move it away from the wheel
when not using it, it develops a flat spot, which makes
sewing sort of "thump-a-thump-a-thump."

--

Joanne
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/
Life is about the journey, not about the destination.