What's wrong with my machine?

Sulla

Sulla

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
I am using a White 4040 machine (out of production - granddaddy of the 4042) with a quilting foot. Tension set at 5, presser foot pressure set at 3, width of strait stitch set at 0, length at 3 (tried 5 for basting stitch.)

I tried using two layers of cotton muslin, and also muslin on felt.

Here's what I keep getting (click to see 13 second video):
 
That definitely looks like a thread tension issue. If the bottom is getting tangled, the bobbin tension is far looser than the feed tension. Try fiddling up and down with the tension. I used to have a lot of problems with the bobbin thread getting so mangled like that I had to take my machine apart to untangle the gnarled mess of thread inside it multiple times with each seam I made. You might need to go down all the way to 1, or even 0.
 
Thank RebllionBarbie. Just tried 0 thread tension - made the issue worse.

Adjusting the Bobbin tension:
The machine's instruction booklet (had to dust that sucker off) said that if I mount the bobbin in the bobbin holder and then into the shuttle, the whole thing should side downward with slight resistance when pulling it all up by the thread.

I tried that too, perhaps a little tighter bobbin tension with a lower thread tension and tons of tweaking... ?
 
Sulla said:
I tried that too, perhaps a little tighter bobbin tension with a lower thread tension and tons of tweaking... ?
Click to expand...

That sounds like a good place to start. My machine doesn't allow for bobbin adjustment which is why I suggested feed tension first, but if you can make the bobbin tighter I'd say go for it. It takes some tweaking, and different materials require different tensions too. Play around with them until you find something that works right.

Once you've gotten it to stop tangling quite that badly, you can make minor adjustments in the bobbin or feed tension by sewing a straight line, then holding each end of the line in each hand (after you remove it from the machine), and yanking in opposite directions. If one of the threads breaks with very little force, then that thread is too tight in comparison to the other, and needs to be loosened a little. You might try using different bobbin and thread colors to differentiate.
 
When my Baby Lock machine does that and the above suggestions fail as well as blowing out any accumulated lint/fuzz in the bobbin compartment, my next step is to change the needle. Seems when the needle on my machine starts to go dull or the point gets burred it birds nests the back like that PDQ on the down stroke when I'm stitching a lot of webbing or when I was stitching together squares in a heavy microfiber for a quilt.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I'll play with it some more tonight.

If all else fails I suppose I can go to Hancock fabric and see if they have anyone on hand to help me out. They supposedly service Jeans Machine/White sewing machines. Even though mine is an out of production 4040, they still make the 4042 and it's basically the same machine only prettier.
 
It looks to me like the bobin under the foot is not threded correctly in is shell case ..also loosen the tension..and recheack all threads are correctly threded..good luck
 
Agreeing with the re-checking the threading...
90% of the time when this happens with my machine, the thread has gotten dislodged from the "flux capacitor"
sewing_machine_clean_small.jpg
 
Wow, I love your illustration. I will print it out and tape it to the inside of my sewing box with the rest of my useful at-a-glance reference material I use.

Oh, and thanks for the advice. I'll try re-threading again and making sure I have it all in the right place.
 
LOL!! @Rens......That looks an awfully lot like my Bernina!! I didn't know it had dilithium crystals and all that other stuff! WoW!!

Yeah, tension problem causing the looping threads like that. If you've ruled out that it's threaded correctly, no bent needles, clean bobbin race, and everything else is hunky-dory, then adjusting the tensions is needed......

Not familiar with this particular machine, but you indicate you have a numbered dial for the upper tension........does the instruction booklet tell you about adjusting the bobbin tension. IIRC those type machines the bobbin holder has a little screw on the side to adjust the tension. Load a wound bobbin in the holder and pull the thread through the tension mechanism just like you were going to start sewing with it.

Hold onto the thread and let go of the bobbin and case assembly. It should slide slowly down the thread. If it doesn't move or if it speeds away, you need to adjust the tension via the little screw. Turn it only a WEE bit, less than a quarter turn, right to tighten, left to loosen.......when holding the case with the opening upwards......

Shylaah
 
Shylaah said:
Not familiar with this particular machine, but you indicate you have a numbered dial for the upper tension........does the instruction booklet tell you about adjusting the bobbin tension. IIRC those type machines the bobbin holder has a little screw on the side to adjust the tension. Load a wound bobbin in the holder and pull the thread through the tension mechanism just like you were going to start sewing with it.

Hold onto the thread and let go of the bobbin and case assembly. It should slide slowly down the thread. If it doesn't move or if it speeds away, you need to adjust the tension via the little screw. Turn it only a WEE bit, less than a quarter turn, right to tighten, left to loosen.......when holding the case with the opening upwards......

Shylaah
Click to expand...

Yup, see post #3 - however, when I adjusted the bobbin holder with the little screw... umm... I may have turned more than a 1/4 turn either way and totally screwed it up further. *sigh* My instruction booklet did not say how far to turn the screw, only which direction was tighter and which was for a looser tension.
 
Sulla said:
Yup, see post #3 - however, when I adjusted the bobbin holder with the little screw... umm... I may have turned more than a 1/4 turn either way and totally screwed it up further. *sigh* My instruction booklet did not say how far to turn the screw, only which direction was tighter and which was for a looser tension.
Click to expand...


OIC you were saying the same thing about the sliding bobbin thread.....

Well, when the tension/s get way out of whack, you just have to have the patience of Job to keep fiddling with it till you get it right again.

Also, if you haven't in a while, you might want to do a full oiling on it, your instruction booklet should show you all the little nooks and crannies that get oiled. Then run some scrap fabric through several lines of sewing without any threads. You just never know when something might have got chewed up in there and is gumming up the works still......leave no stone unturned :)

Shylaah
 
Shylaah said:
Also, if you haven't in a while, you might want to do a full oiling on it, your instruction booklet should show you all the little nooks and crannies that get oiled. Then run some scrap fabric through several lines of sewing without any threads. You just never know when something might have got chewed up in there and is gumming up the works still......leave no stone unturned :)
Shylaah
Click to expand...

This. I was having all kinds problems with my machine last year and the good people of the RPF recommended having it serviced. Best $50 I've spent in a long time.
 
Although it could be any number of things, I most often find I forgot to thread the takeup lever when I get something that looks like that.

-John
 
Thanks John - I am wondering if that might be my problem as no adjustments I did affected the problem last night, though I was pretty sure I checked the threading. Oh well, will revisit this evening after I get some work done on the PADD kits.

But... you mean the flux capacitor right? :p
 
Hahahaa, that picture is awesome! I bought a sewing machine a few years ago to save a little money on having patches sewn on my Navy uniforms, and the pic describes exactly how I felt about it. I can tear an airplane apart and put it back together blindfolded without even batting an eyelash, but I don't think I've ever cursed anything as much as I did that infernal machine. :lol

I'm reading with interest though, since I've been thinking about dusting it off and actually learning how to use it correctly. My wife and I were pricing curtains the other day... :cry
 
Defiantly looks like tension to me, I had a Bernina that had a groove cut into the bobbin carriage from heavy thread that used to do this all the time, if you can remove the bobbin carriage, there is a gnarly looking spike that grabs the top thread to pull it around the bobbin, My groove ws cut into the crease and would snag the thread just long enough to leave a loop like that.

Tommy
 
Thanks everyone. Despite my late night, bleary eyed, exhausted attempts to figure out what was worng with my machine, thinking I'd covered the basics twice I went back to it last night as early as I could (after my daughter went to bed - my sewing room is also our living room) I looked it over again and found out it was the flux capacitor after all. With a little miss-adjustment of the bobbin case tension too. :)

Got it working and put together a few test pieces for a muslin test garment I've been working on.

DSCN1652.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

EvilOttoJr
Longevity care questions on latex Godzilla mask with built-in fog machine
Replies
0
Views
217
EvilOttoJr
EvilOttoJr
DerekPM
Machine washable padding?
Replies
1
Views
214
smithjohnj
S
tazmahv
help with mask
Replies
4
Views
216
tazmahv
tazmahv
Back
Top