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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 |
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#2
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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. |
#3
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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 |
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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 |
#6
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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. |
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