OT maybe; finding a technician

I posted this over at the sewing group but, truth be told, I much more
respect the experience of you (all).
Here's what I asked:
I need my serger. I NEED it. It has decided to feed only in a
curve -
will Not feed straight anymore. Logically, methinks something is out of
alignment. Wonder what? and what 'I' can do? She went crazy when I was
finishing the side seam in a baby girl dress - just 4 layers at the
underarm seam and the fabric is not really a tough one. Please help me if
you have any suggestions.
My serger is an Elna 945. Very probably she needs a fine technician to
get her going straight again BUT there's nobody locally that repairs
anything that isn't made by John Deere. I can not just hand her over
blindly to any body who claims expertise. I love this serger. I need it
for little clothes for babies who weigh in at 3 pounds. Any thoughts?
Polly

Sounds to me like here is your new career, Polly.
Go to college, take a vocational engineering course, and set up in
practice (after you've fixed your own serger obviously!).
How's that for an idea? It could work ... ...
..
In message , Polly Esther
writes
I posted this over at the sewing group but, truth be told, I much more
respect the experience of you (all).
Here's what I asked:
I need my serger. I NEED it. It has decided to feed only in a
curve -
will Not feed straight anymore. Logically, methinks something is out of
alignment. Wonder what? and what 'I' can do? She went crazy when I was
finishing the side seam in a baby girl dress - just 4 layers at the
underarm seam and the fabric is not really a tough one. Please help me if
you have any suggestions.
My serger is an Elna 945. Very probably she needs a fine technician
to get her going straight again BUT there's nobody locally that repairs
anything that isn't made by John Deere. I can not just hand her over
blindly to any body who claims expertise. I love this serger. I need
it for little clothes for babies who weigh in at 3 pounds. Any
thoughts? Polly


--
Best Regards
Pat on the Green

Can't help Polly, but had a good laugh about the John Deer, mainly cuz
I've lived places like that and remember very well what it's like.
Take Care
Joanna

Polly Esther wrote:
I posted this over at the sewing group but, truth be told, I much more
respect the experience of you (all).
Here's what I asked:
I need my serger. I NEED it. It has decided to feed only in a
curve -
will Not feed straight anymore. Logically, methinks something is out of
alignment. Wonder what? and what 'I' can do? She went crazy when I was
finishing the side seam in a baby girl dress - just 4 layers at the
underarm seam and the fabric is not really a tough one. Please help me if
you have any suggestions.
My serger is an Elna 945. Very probably she needs a fine technician
to get her going straight again BUT there's nobody locally that repairs
anything that isn't made by John Deere. I can not just hand her over
blindly to any body who claims expertise. I love this serger. I need
it for little clothes for babies who weigh in at 3 pounds. Any
thoughts? Polly

Hi Polly, I posted a reply over at alt sewing I hope might help. Did you
change the type of threads and the tension before it went goofy?
Barbara in HOT 100 degree days in SC

LOL, Pat. Yeah. Right. Like I need a career. The entire gov't would go
bonkers if I dared to earn one dollar. I can just see the mountain of paper
work that would generate. Polly

"Pat S"
Sounds to me like here is your new career, Polly.
Go to college, take a vocational engineering course, and set up in
practice (after you've fixed your own serger obviously!).
How's that for an idea? It could work ... ...
.
Polly Esther
writes
I posted this over at the sewing group but, truth be told, I much more
respect the experience of you (all).
Here's what I asked:
I need my serger. I NEED it. It has decided to feed only in a
curve -
will Not feed straight anymore. Logically, methinks something is out of
alignment. Wonder what? and what 'I' can do? She went crazy when I was
finishing the side seam in a baby girl dress - just 4 layers at the
underarm seam and the fabric is not really a tough one. Please help me if
you have any suggestions.
My serger is an Elna 945. Very probably she needs a fine technician to
get her going straight again BUT there's nobody locally that repairs
anything that isn't made by John Deere. I can not just hand her over
blindly to any body who claims expertise. I love this serger. I need it
for little clothes for babies who weigh in at 3 pounds. Any thoughts?
Polly

Changed everything several times, Barbara - even the blade. I think the
steering column has gone out. Do sergers even have a steering column?
Polly [we were the bull's eye for Tropical Storm Bonnie and barely got a
'poof'.]


"Bobbie Sews More" wrote in message
...
Hi Polly, I posted a reply over at alt sewing I hope might help. Did you
change the type of threads and the tension before it went goofy?
Barbara in HOT 100 degree days in SC

Polly, I just posted over on the sewing group with some ideas...also
did you try new needles?

-Irene

On Sat, 24 Jul 2010 23:35:50 -0500, "Polly Esther"
wrote:

I posted this over at the sewing group but, truth be told, I much more
respect the experience of you (all).
Here's what I asked:
I need my serger. I NEED it. It has decided to feed only in a
curve -
will Not feed straight anymore. Logically, methinks something is out of
alignment. Wonder what? and what 'I' can do? She went crazy when I was
finishing the side seam in a baby girl dress - just 4 layers at the
underarm seam and the fabric is not really a tough one. Please help me if
you have any suggestions.
My serger is an Elna 945. Very probably she needs a fine technician to
get her going straight again BUT there's nobody locally that repairs
anything that isn't made by John Deere. I can not just hand her over
blindly to any body who claims expertise. I love this serger. I need it
for little clothes for babies who weigh in at 3 pounds. Any thoughts?
Polly

First thing that I would try is to figure out whether one of your
threads is caught up somewhere and is causing the pull. Start with
the needle thread #1 and move the tension setting to zero - gently
pull on the thread and 'feel' whether it is co-operating.....if it
seems to pull easily - return the tension back to the required
setting .....move on to the needle #2 and repeat..........then test
out the looper threads individually in the same manner. You might get
lucky and solve the problem in the needle area.....

Open up the serger and look for any place where thread might have
knotted itself around a moving part - hand walk your serger through
the motions and look for any seizing/jerking movement.

Make sure that the feed dogs are clear of any debris and that the
knife blades are clean of lint buildup.

Thread each looper/needle with a different coloured thread and
manually operate the serger to check for any problem with the stitch
using your regular tension settings both with the differential feed
engaged and disengaged.

If you feel capable of rethreading the serger from scratch - try that
but otherwise - use the tie-on method of changing threads.

Does your serger use oil? Sometimes, it helps to run a serger or
sewing machine at top speed with using thread or needle to dislodge
any deeply imbedded lint/dirt.

Hope that one of these suggestions helps, jennellh

On Jul 25, 12:35*am, "Polly Esther" wrote:
I posted this over at the sewing group but, truth be told, I much more
respect the experience of you (all).
* * Here's what I asked:
* * I need my serger. *I * NEED *it. *It has decided to feed only in a
curve -
will Not feed straight anymore. *Logically, methinks something is out of
alignment. *Wonder what? and what 'I' can do? *She went crazy when I was
finishing the side seam in a baby girl dress *- just 4 layers at the
underarm seam and the fabric is not really a tough one. *Please help me if
you have any suggestions. *
* * My serger is an Elna 945. *Very probably she needs a fine technician to
get her going straight again BUT there's nobody locally that repairs
anything that isn't made by John Deere. *I can not just hand her over
blindly to any body who claims expertise. *I love this serger. *I need it
for little clothes for babies who weigh in at 3 pounds. *Any thoughts?
Polly

Polly, You probably are familiar enough with machines to realize when it is
time to get them help.
I have had good luck with these guys:
Ken's Sewing Center http://www.kenssewingcenter.com/
912 East 2nd St. ~ Muscle Shoals, AL 35661

I don't have any idea if they work on Elna or how close they are to you but
they might have
some suggestions for help. I have bought a couple of machines from them and
been happy.
One machine had to be sent back to be tweaked but it wasn't too much fuss.
Your serger
problem may well be an easy fix.
Taria
"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...
I posted this over at the sewing group but, truth be told, I much more
respect the experience of you (all).
Here's what I asked:
I need my serger. I NEED it. It has decided to feed only in a
curve -
will Not feed straight anymore. Logically, methinks something is out of
alignment. Wonder what? and what 'I' can do? She went crazy when I was
finishing the side seam in a baby girl dress - just 4 layers at the
underarm seam and the fabric is not really a tough one. Please help me if
you have any suggestions.
My serger is an Elna 945. Very probably she needs a fine technician to
get her going straight again BUT there's nobody locally that repairs
anything that isn't made by John Deere. I can not just hand her over
blindly to any body who claims expertise. I love this serger. I need it
for little clothes for babies who weigh in at 3 pounds. Any thoughts?
Polly

On Sat, 24 Jul 2010 23:35:50 -0500, Polly Esther wrote:
My serger is an Elna 945. Very probably she needs a fine technician to
get her going straight again BUT there's nobody locally that repairs
anything that isn't made by John Deere. I can not just hand her over

Hey, I love John Deere engineering. Any company that makes their engineers
jump through hoops to get permission to use one of the non-company-standard
bolts has my favor. So does the company that builds harvesters designed
to be taken apart and put together again with two sizes of wrench and two
sizes of screwdriver.

Why yes, I am nettled that assembling a $#@!#@ bbq yesterday required four
sizes of wrench and five of bolts.

Kay, who takes sewing machines and sergers apart and puts them back together
before buying them.