Question about the mechanics...

Good morning -

There is a small, sheetmetal plate that goes over the heavy ring
that holds the bottom mechanism in place. Hard to describe, but its
the part under the machine that controls the bottom half of the
stitch.
For some reason, when I'm doing a zig-zag stitch, the needle will hit
that sheetmetal plate, so something is out of adjustment.
Any ideas how to adjust the machine to keep the needle from hitting
that plate? - Mike

new needle?? otherwise, the whole thing could have been bent by sewing
fabric that was too heavy....my hubby, "omar, the tentmaker" did that to my
first machine, while he was repairing a tent trailer....no, he has never
dared to touch a sewing machine, here, since!
admom
Michael Horowitz wrote in message
...
Good morning -

There is a small, sheetmetal plate that goes over the heavy ring
that holds the bottom mechanism in place. Hard to describe, but its
the part under the machine that controls the bottom half of the
stitch.
For some reason, when I'm doing a zig-zag stitch, the needle will hit
that sheetmetal plate, so something is out of adjustment.
Any ideas how to adjust the machine to keep the needle from hitting
that plate? - Mike

Michael Horowitz wrote:

Good morning -

There is a small, sheetmetal plate that goes over the heavy ring
that holds the bottom mechanism in place. Hard to describe, but its
the part under the machine that controls the bottom half of the
stitch.
For some reason, when I'm doing a zig-zag stitch, the needle will hit
that sheetmetal plate, so something is out of adjustment.
Any ideas how to adjust the machine to keep the needle from hitting
that plate? - Mike


G'day Mike!

Check that you haven't inadvertently set the needle to the wrong position. On my
machine, there's a cryptic little dial that can push the needle into the extreme
left or extreme right of its possible positions (that's for zippers or for
specialised stitching where you *don't* want the needle smakk in the middle). I
broke a few needles before I realised that dial had been set to the left and was
interfering with my needle position!

The other possibilities a

that your needle is bent or loose in its housing (and therefore not travelling
true and missing its intended path. Tighten the nut that holds the needle in
place and gently turn the flywheel to see exactly what's causing the needle to
go astray. Fit a new needle anyway, because this one is clearly dead by now!

the fabric you've been (still are?) using is so heavy that it's pulling the
needle out of its proper path. To remedy, put a table or board under the fabric
as it enters and leaves the machine so that its weight doesn't pull away from
the needle.

you're pushing/pulling the fabric through the feed dogs and thus bending your
needle out of position as you sew. You only need to guide and support the
fabric: you don't need to exert *any* extra force on it as it travels beneath
the needle (unless it's stretch fabric, which is another matter altogether...
it's another matter...)

Finally, just FYI:

the 'sheetmetal plate' is called the 'footplate' because the metal jobbie that
presses on the fabric while the needle engages is the 'presser foot'.

'the heavy ring that holds the bottom mechanism in place' is the 'bobbin case'
or 'bobbin assembly', depending on your machine (because it holds the bobbin or
lower spool of thread).

and the notched metal jobbie that rises up from the bottom and pushes the fabric
along is called the 'feed dogs' (because that's just what it's called).

It sounds as though you haven't checked out your machine's manual (or you'd know
the names of the parts). Being an extremely anti-manual person meself, I
understand that. Thing is, though, your manual has probably got a
troubleshooting guide in it which will tell you what sorts of things will pull
the needle out of kilter. If you don't have a manual, see if you can Google for
it! There's *lots* of places online that deal in older or out-of-print manuals!

Oh, and one last thing that just occurred to me: set your machine to 'straight
stitch' and gently turn the flywheel (that's the big one at the left-hand end of
the machine with the drive belt on it - the one that lowers and raises the
needle when you turn it). See what the needle does then (it might help to sew a
bit of paper, just to record the straightness - or otherwise - of the needle's
path). If it follows a perfectly straight path, then perhaps you're setting your
zigzag width too wide? Or perhaps your machine requires you to use a zigzag foot
(one with an extra wide gap in it) while zigzagging?

Finally, if all else fails, see if you can find some local person who sews and
get them to eyeball the problem (drycleaners in Oz usually do running clothing
repairs, so mine would certainly look at my machine for me). This doesn't
necessarily sound like something's broken in your machine (although it could
be...). It sounds more as though you've overlooked something in the way you've
set up/used the machine. Post again if you can't solve the problem. Rcts is
*great* at getting to the bottom of these things!

HTH,
--
Trish {|:-}
Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Question about the mechanics...

(Michael=A0Horowitz)
snip
For some reason, when I'm doing a zig-zag stitch, the needle will hit
that sheetmetal plate, so something is out of adjustment. Any ideas how
to adjust the machine to keep the needle from hitting that plate? - Mike
---
Trish posted a pretty good synopsis of probable causes. I will two
more to the list.
It is possible that you threw the needle bar position out-of whack,
or your timing may be off. Check to see if there are needle strike marks
on the bobbin casing. If any repairs are necessary, be sure to buy some
fine emery cloth and buff any needle strike burrs from both bobbin
casing, and face plate.
Do check the remedies Trish mentioned before seeking emergency medical
care for your machine.
Cea

On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 17:07:31 -0400, Michael Horowitz wrote:
Good morning -

There is a small, sheetmetal plate that goes over the heavy ring
that holds the bottom mechanism in place. Hard to describe, but its
the part under the machine that controls the bottom half of the
stitch.
For some reason, when I'm doing a zig-zag stitch, the needle will hit
that sheetmetal plate, so something is out of adjustment.
Any ideas how to adjust the machine to keep the needle from hitting
that plate? - Mike

Sounds like you're hitting the throatplate with the needle? Something's
bent, or the machine is out of adjustment. Given you're also having thread
nest problems (your other post), I'd haul it in to a sewing machine mechanic
for a cleaning and tuneup.

Want to learn more about your sewing machine? A couple of good books to
start with might be John Giordano's Sewing Machine Guide (Taunton Press),
or Gale Grigg Hazen's Owner's Guide to Sewing Machines, Sergers and Knitting
Machines (Creative Machine Arts series, alas, out of print)

Kay Lancaster

On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 17:07:31 -0400, Michael Horowitz
wrote:

Good morning -

There is a small, sheetmetal plate that goes over the heavy ring
that holds the bottom mechanism in place. Hard to describe, but its
the part under the machine that controls the bottom half of the
stitch.
For some reason, when I'm doing a zig-zag stitch, the needle will hit
that sheetmetal plate, so something is out of adjustment.
Any ideas how to adjust the machine to keep the needle from hitting
that plate? - Mike

There are several possibilities. The needle may be bent. The two
screws that hold that "small, sheetmetal plate" to the ring may have
loosened allowing the plate to move into the needle path. Someone may
have installed a ring designed for a different machine. The mechanism
that swings the needle may be out of adjustment.

Try a new needle (turn the handwheel by hand) and check the screws on
the ring. Otherwise, take the machine to a repair shop.

gwh