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Oh mannnnnn!!!! (Moderated by Sharon1952, EleanorSews)
Posted on: 4/24/05 12:55 PM ET
First let me say that I can't remember when I last had it serviced...maybe 1-1/2 to 2 years ago? And I HAVE been sewing more now then ever. Here is the problem: every now and then, the tension is "farkacht", a technical Yiddish term.
I just attempted to stitch a zig-zag seam, and it totally pulls out. What's the matter with my SM? 
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I just attempted to stitch a zig-zag seam, and it totally pulls out. What's the matter with my SM? 
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Leah
"As I stand before God at the end of my life, I hope that I do not have a single talent
so that I may say I used everything you gave me." Erma Bombeck
"As I stand before God at the end of my life, I hope that I do not have a single talent
so that I may say I used everything you gave me." Erma Bombeck
Re: My SM is (posted on 4/24/05 2:27 PM ET)
I double checked in a Yiddish dictionary, just to be sure I had the definition right. Farkakt translates as "screwed up" which isn't specific enough and certainly isn't technical. 
Is the thread failing to catch top and bobbin together? Is the top pulling almost straight? More description please. Have you checked all the usual suspects of needle, thread path, etc? Have you already tried adjusting the tension?
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Is the thread failing to catch top and bobbin together? Is the top pulling almost straight? More description please. Have you checked all the usual suspects of needle, thread path, etc? Have you already tried adjusting the tension?
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Buy the best and you only cry once.
Re: My SM is (posted on 4/24/05 5:39 PM ET)
We may be able to come up with a fix here, but it's been way too long since your machine has been in the shop. It needs to be cleaned and oiled, at a bare minimum. Don't put this off any longer or this problem could wind up being very costly and in the shop for a long time.
Now, if only I could take this advise for myself. :(
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Now, if only I could take this advise for myself. :(
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Visit my blog at http://sewingsaga.blogspot.com
If it's worth sewing, it's worth sewing well;
and if it's worth sewing well, it's worth FITTING FIRST! - TSL
If it's worth sewing, it's worth sewing well;
and if it's worth sewing well, it's worth FITTING FIRST! - TSL
Re: My SM is (posted on 4/25/05 2:06 AM ET)
I re-thread my SM and made sure the bobbin was in correctly. It works now, but it was working just before it got weird earlier.
How hard is it to clean and oil the machine myself? I'm pretty handy if I know what to do. 
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How hard is it to clean and oil the machine myself? I'm pretty handy if I know what to do. 
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Leah
"As I stand before God at the end of my life, I hope that I do not have a single talent
so that I may say I used everything you gave me." Erma Bombeck
"As I stand before God at the end of my life, I hope that I do not have a single talent
so that I may say I used everything you gave me." Erma Bombeck
Re: My SM is (posted on 4/25/05 5:06 AM ET)
In reply to Joyfullife
How easy (or otherwise) it is to clean and oil a sewing machine depends a lot on the type of machine (mechanical, electronic, computerized). Generally, most manuals recommend you perform this every 10 hours of sewing, but some machines may be more tolerant. This wouldn't, of course, be a "deep" cleaning but would just be intended to remove lint etc. The vast majority of tension problems are caused by a) lint buildup and b) insufficient lubrication, both of which things a user should be able to deal with. If you need to get deeper into the guts of the machine, there's a group on Yahoo called wefixit who do just that.
Jennifer
Jennifer
Re: My SM is (posted on 4/25/05 8:25 AM ET)
It sounds like your tension assembly needs some cleaning out. Your basic cleaning and oiling is easy and, as Jennifer pointed out, should be done regularly. Best to do it at the beginning of a sewing session. Your manual should tell you where to oil.
I take all of my machines in once a year for servicing. Many minor problems can be corrected at that time - before they turn into expensive repairs. A good tech. will give it a deep cleaning, thorough lubrication in areas where we can't easily reach, check the timing, polish burrs from your hook and throat plate if they need it, etc. I figure I have way too much $$ invested in my equipment to attempt tinkering with it myself!
I take all of my machines in once a year for servicing. Many minor problems can be corrected at that time - before they turn into expensive repairs. A good tech. will give it a deep cleaning, thorough lubrication in areas where we can't easily reach, check the timing, polish burrs from your hook and throat plate if they need it, etc. I figure I have way too much $$ invested in my equipment to attempt tinkering with it myself!
Re: My SM is (posted on 4/25/05 10:19 AM ET)
I just read the manual. It says to oil where the bobbin casing is, no where else. It says it's a "maintenance-free" machine. ????? I have a mechanical Pfaff. I do blow it out with canned air all the time.
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Leah
"As I stand before God at the end of my life, I hope that I do not have a single talent
so that I may say I used everything you gave me." Erma Bombeck
"As I stand before God at the end of my life, I hope that I do not have a single talent
so that I may say I used everything you gave me." Erma Bombeck
Re: My SM is (posted on 4/25/05 10:44 AM ET)
Leah, what that means is that there are no other places on the machine intended to be maintained by the user. I guess they don't want a non-technician taking it apart to lubricate the insides.
Re: My SM is (posted on 4/25/05 11:57 AM ET)
As Gigi said, maintenance free means "you can't do it". Actually, I would offer a word of warning about canned air: unless you're very, very careful there's a good chance that you'll end up pushing stuff further in, rather than pulling it out. If you don't have a very fine nozzle for a vacuum cleaner you can sometimes rig something up with a straw inserted through some duct tape attached to the hose. Don't vacum for very long like this, though, as you can cause the motor on your vacuum to overheat, and then you'll be sending that for service as well 
I don't know whether your machine has what would be considered to be tension dials, but if it does, you might want to try loosening the dial as much as possible then thoroughly clean around there: you'd be amazed at what can end up in there which you can't see. A thin piece of stiff card can be helpful to do this.
Jennifer

I don't know whether your machine has what would be considered to be tension dials, but if it does, you might want to try loosening the dial as much as possible then thoroughly clean around there: you'd be amazed at what can end up in there which you can't see. A thin piece of stiff card can be helpful to do this.
Jennifer
Re: My SM is (posted on 4/25/05 1:05 PM ET)
In reply to jenniferpa
I wanted to second what StitchMD said about checking needle and thread path too. I have had similar problems twice on my new Janome, and both times it turned out to be the needle. (My dealer had told be not to use Singer needles, and I had gotten rid of all of them, but it turns out Dritz needles don't seem to work too well either. Schmetz for me from now on!)
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