Bernina bobbin trouble

I have a Bernie 830, so I took a peek at the winder tension unit. It looks
like it would be a fairly simple job to remove it to see what might be
gunking it up if the waxed dental floss trick doesnt do it for you. There is
a small nut inside the top case lid that a few turns or more would
disassemble. Its worth a try. Just remember which way it goes back together!
Diana

--
Queen of FAQs
Royal Peace Maker
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"Lobo" wrote in message
news:qFhNb.66763$xy6.125348@attbi_s02...

To:
Subject: Bernina bobbin trouble


I have a Bernina 830 which is giving me a lot of trouble winding the
bobbin.
The local repair guy said it was unfixable (the next nearest recommended
shop is 50 miles away, and I will take it there if you guys don't have any
tricks for working around the problem).


The thread is tightening at the pre-tension (this is the manual's name for
the little thing on the left top of the machine) when I wind a bobbin. It
tightens regardless of whether the thread is drawn around the pre-tension
in
a figure 8 (as the instructions direct) or just looped around it
counter-clockwise. The thread works its way up to the top, gets between
the
"lid" of the pre-tension and the bottom part of it that moves and drags
there. To solve this, I've been holding my fabric pusher (pointy thing
like
a screwdriver, except it has no threads) vertical on top of the machine
near
the pre-tension and drawing the thread around it instead of the
pre-tension.
It doesn't wind too evenly, but at least I'm not having to hand wind it.


TIA for any advice. Lobo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delete the obvious to reply to me personally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations on being a former smoker. I haven't quite
made it yet.

Your treadle machine won't sew? Probably it's something
simple, like the needle is in backwards - or the bobbin
thread is going the wrong direction. Unless nothing
happens when you step on the treadle, in which case it's
something else - either the pitman or the belt.

Keep that lung inflated - remember to breathe.
--

thanks on the congrats. i really wasn't planning on quitting, but believe
that i had no other choice. after 30 years of smoking, guess the lord told
me it was time to quit or i will have to pay for it later.

I'm doing more research on the net for treadles, and have found a few things
that may be the problem. haven't checked the needle though, will look into
that. I know the bobbin is in correctly, but not sure if the bobbin case is
in correctly, still looking for pics on that. this 1 I'm working on now has
the long bobbin in the vibrating shuttle.
my other is like the newer bobbins, just need to oil it up, and make sure
everything is in working condition. it did come with it's own motor and
lamp, but want to make it into a treadle, so when the power is out, I can do
some sewing. I have 2 electric machines, 1 only a few years old, the other
is an old straight stitch Kenmore, green in color and haven't had any
problems with that machine. my dad bought that green Kenmore from some lady
when I was a teen, and just adore that he did that for me back then. well
he knew I loved to sew. my mom started me on sewing when I was about 10,
and in a couple years was working with patterns, so when I took sewing class
in jr high, I already knew what to do, just had to laugh at my fellow
classmates, because they had no idea what a sewing machine did.

Thanks for the few ideas...Maine-iac Rose

Kate Dicey wrote:

Pogonip wrote:

nana2b wrote:


Hi Pogo, I did exactly that. When I got my FW I read the book, took him
all apart and cleaned and oiled everything. Runs like a new machine. Not
terribly difficult either. Nana




Not only that, but it's fun, isn't it? Then there's the
feeling of accomplishment. I like the sense of
competence. As in "this is my machine and I can maintain
it."


You should have heard me crow when I dismantled, cleaned, and
reassembled the tension on my Singer 15-88! Yay me! ;D

When I was in high school, back when the dinosaurs were
dying out, girls took home ec., boys took auto shop and
wood shop. So, as a young adult, I signed up for wood
shop and auto shop in the Adult Ed. night classes offered
in my school district. It was highly satisfying to me to
find that I could do both at least as well as the average
male student. I was the first woman in the area to do the
auto shop (told you this was a long time ago, didn't I?)
but after I finished the classes, the instructor set up a
class for women. There were a lot of women in the wood
shop class already, one pediatrician was making herself a
4-poster bed with all the posts turned on the lathe. A
work of beauty.

For me, working on the sewing machines is a continuation
of this. If I run into a major problem, I have no trouble
taking a machine to a sewing machine mechanic, but I will
no longer be put off with esoteric language about my
sewing machine, anymore than I can be about my car.
--

Joanne @ stitches @ singerlady.reno.nv.us
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/
Life is about the journey, not about the destination.

Maine-iac Rose wrote:
I'm doing more research on the net for treadles, and have found a few things
that may be the problem. haven't checked the needle though, will look into
that. I know the bobbin is in correctly, but not sure if the bobbin case is
in correctly, still looking for pics on that. this 1 I'm working on now has
the long bobbin in the vibrating shuttle.
my other is like the newer bobbins, just need to oil it up, and make sure
everything is in working condition. it did come with it's own motor and
lamp, but want to make it into a treadle, so when the power is out, I can do
some sewing. I have 2 electric machines, 1 only a few years old, the other
is an old straight stitch Kenmore, green in color and haven't had any
problems with that machine. my dad bought that green Kenmore from some lady
when I was a teen, and just adore that he did that for me back then. well
he knew I loved to sew. my mom started me on sewing when I was about 10,
and in a couple years was working with patterns, so when I took sewing class
in jr high, I already knew what to do, just had to laugh at my fellow
classmates, because they had no idea what a sewing machine did.

Thanks for the few ideas...Maine-iac Rose



When you get deeper into it, if you have any problems or
questions, there are several of us here who have treadles
and other old sewing machines, and what we can't answer,
we can generally point you in the right direction to find
answers. Treadling is very soothing, and is a gentle
exercise as well. Anyone who has made drapes or curtains
on a treadle can attest to that. Or a quilt. I am not
much into aerobic treadling, myself. But it can be done.
--

Joanne @ stitches @ singerlady.reno.nv.us
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/
Life is about the journey, not about the destination.

When you get deeper into it, if you have any problems or
questions, there are several of us here who have treadles
and other old sewing machines, and what we can't answer,
we can generally point you in the right direction to find
answers. Treadling is very soothing, and is a gentle
exercise as well. Anyone who has made drapes or curtains
on a treadle can attest to that. Or a quilt. I am not
much into aerobic treadling, myself. But it can be done.
--

Joanne @ stitches @ singerlady.reno.nv.us
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/
Life is about the journey, not about the destination.

I was going to put up a post, if after doing a few checks, and it still
isn't working right. I did have a treadle as a teen, it was in a box type
cabinet, and I loved using it back then. but then something happened to it,
and I think it got thrown to the dump. I kept the cabinet for a while until
that was falling apart also. didn't realize back then that it could have
been fixed, sure do wish I had that one, but do have 2 of them now. both
are singers, one is the model 127 or 128, and I think the other is a model
66.
thanks for the post on that, but seen we have gotten off the subject of
helping Lobo with this. I just started by mentioning how I got ripped off
from a sewing machine dealer, and if I had looked at my 1960's singer, and
saw that screw loose, I would have saved myself $300 back then, and wouldn't
have had to lug both machines back.
again thanks for the post, when I feel that I can handle the treadle without
getting out of breath, I'll see what I can get done on my own, and if I
can't figure it out, I have seen other posts about treadles here and another
group.

Maine-iac Rose

P.S. Sorry Lobo, hope you get your machine back in working order.

"Polly Esther" wrote in message
nk.net...
Lobo, I am wondering if you are like I am and need adult supervision to do
something more mechanical than assembling a coffee pot. If that's the
case,
consider calling the guy 50 miles away and tell him what you have told us.
A
phone call might save you some time and $s. He may say that he thinks he
can


I have fixed lots of things, I'm proud to say. I disassembled (and
reassembled ... ; ) the tension on my FW, and I can even program a VCR!

I will call the guy though ... excellent idea and might save me that drive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delete the obvious to reply to me personally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Pogonip" wrote in message
...
I don't have this particular machine, but I wonder if the
pre-tension just needs a thorough cleaning. Perhaps with
unwaxed dental floss to clean it all the way down as far
as thread will reach. Or it might be possible to remove
it, take it apart and clean it that way.

Good idea. I'm going to try that.

I got a couple other ideas elsewhere too.

1. Run the thread around a knitting needle. Holding it point up will be
more stable than using my pointy tool.
2. Put the thread on the far right spool pin and then run the thread around
the left spoon pin and then on to the bobbin winder.

Thanks all! Lobo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delete the obvious to reply to me personally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AHA! The floss did something ... it's working better!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delete the obvious to reply to me personally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lobo" wrote in message
news:vCHNb.62722$sv6.142190@attbi_s52...
"Pogonip" wrote in message
...
I don't have this particular machine, but I wonder if the
pre-tension just needs a thorough cleaning. Perhaps with
unwaxed dental floss to clean it all the way down as far
as thread will reach. Or it might be possible to remove
it, take it apart and clean it that way.

Good idea. I'm going to try that.

I got a couple other ideas elsewhere too.

1. Run the thread around a knitting needle. Holding it point up will be
more stable than using my pointy tool.
2. Put the thread on the far right spool pin and then run the thread
around
the left spoon pin and then on to the bobbin winder.

Thanks all! Lobo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delete the obvious to reply to me personally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Program the VCR? Oh, wow. I'm just real proud to play a movie. Still can't
understand why the VCR remote won't control the volume. Or why the tv has to
be on channel 3 for VCR and on channel 1 and then "down" one channel that
doesn't exist to play a game. I think they set the whole thing up just to
annoy me. There. I said it and I feel much better. Polly

"Lobo" wrote in message
news:YQFNb.61346$Rc4.219363@attbi_s54...
"Polly Esther" wrote in message
nk.net...
Lobo, I am wondering if you are like I am and need adult supervision to
do
something more mechanical than assembling a coffee pot. If that's the
case,
consider calling the guy 50 miles away and tell him what you have told
us.
A
phone call might save you some time and $s. He may say that he thinks he
can


I have fixed lots of things, I'm proud to say. I disassembled (and
reassembled ... ; ) the tension on my FW, and I can even program a VCR!

I will call the guy though ... excellent idea and might save me that
drive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delete the obvious to reply to me personally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lobo wrote:

AHA! The floss did something ... it's working better!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's good. Usually, the thread runs from a spool pin
either on top of the arm of the head, or on the bottom
right corner of the bed, and runs through something like
your pre-tension. So that the thread travels in a path
before getting to the bobbin. Do you have the manual for
this machine?

--

Joanne @ stitches @ singerlady.reno.nv.us
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/
Life is about the journey, not about the destination.