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Broken Needle


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I was practicing a pantograph with no thread, bobbin, or fabric and with the stitch regulator on. At the end the first pass, I heard a terrible noise, stopped the machine and discovered a broken needle.

 

My machine has been vibrating and have tried changing the tightness of the screws on the front of the carriage. Kind of decided maybe it was just me, but the machine almost bounces especially front to back going either toward one or two o'clock or coming forward to 4 o'clock. It is worse with the stitch regulator. I have thought I was hearing a clicking, but can't find anything touching when I move the needle up and down by hand.

Any ideas?

 

Nancy Engebretson

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Make sure you find all the pieces for the needle.  When inserting the new needle make sure it is pushed all the way into the needle bar and that it is screwed in tight.

Also take the needle plate cover off and move the fly wheel by hand and check that there are no scratches on the hook assembly.

 

The machine may feel like it is vibrating more from the back(panto ) side especially if you have the death grip on the handles and may be pushing it down.

 

Without a  quilt sandwich on the machine then you would find the usual vibrations may be amplified too.

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Here's how I adjust my machine and carriage wheels.  Everyone has their own technique and APQS has theirs as well.  I've been adjusting these wheels since they came out with them.  I've found that every table is a tad bit different then all the other tables.  No one is the same.  What adjustment works for one most likely won't adjust the same way on the next one.  First off, get a 14mm and a 7/16" wrench.  The 14mm works on the top adjustment cam and the 7/16" works on the bottom tightening bolt.  Second, loosen the tightening bolt with the 7/16" wrench and place the 14mm on the adjustment cam.  When you adjust the cams always adjust in the opposite direction.  If your cam is at 3 o'clock then the opposite cam should be at 9 o'clock. Understand?  The machine cams are much easier to adjust then the  carriage cams due to the fact there is less distance for the machine to travel and has far less measurement errors the table.  Don't get me wrong, the measurements for the tables may only be off by a fraction of an inch and can throw your carriage cam adjustments off.  Remember, carriages are between 38 to 46 inches in length and the tables are 14' and shorter.  That's a big difference in measurements.  Once you have found a smooth motion with your machine on the carriage, tighten the bottom bolt.  Your half way there!!!!!!  Now get ready to do the carriage wheels for the table.  Do the same with these wheel as well, except, leave the tightening bolt a little snug, but not too snug.  Just enough so you can change the position of the cam while your working.  Start with the cams in the 6 o'clock position and try pushing the machine across the table.  If that's no good, then set your cams at 7 and 5 o'clock position and continue until you find the adjustment that you like.  

 

And as always,  it might be your wheels too.  If your working with factory wheels then you should change them out about every two to two and half years depending how much you use your machine.  They just don't last that long and if they are leaking grease, change them out for new ones or for EdgeRiders or M&M's.

 

Ok, there you have it.    zeke.........................don't get needle under the presser foot. 

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Thank you, Lyn.

Zeke, I was wondering about about the cams. My machine only has the adjustment cams on the front of the machine.  My machine is ready to upgrade to Bliss system. Are those the machine cams or the carriage cams? Both cams are going to 9 o'clock. I have tried both in various places between 10 and 8. Are these the ones that should be opposite? Should one be 9 and the other 3?

 

Thanks

Nancy

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Nancy,

 

Sorry to hear you're still having trouble! You can turn the cams to 3:00 and 9:00 and they will have the same result as both being at 9:00, so it's ok to do that. I had another thought about something we should check regarding your machine. It may have to do with your carriage itself. It would be a little work to check, but we'd want to make sure that it is not warped or somehow bent. To do that you'd need to take the sewing head off, then remove the carriage and flip it over on a very flat surface to make sure it was flat. If it somehow is not, we can send you a new one. If it's warped, then when you use the SR you'd get vibration since the wheels on the carriage would not necessarily touch the rails with even pressure.

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Thanks, Dawn. I will check it! Would that vibration be what caused the needle to hit on something to break? It was in very tightly when I loosened the screw to get the remainder out.

 

The friends that came with me to Iowa and I are going on a road trip to Arizona on Monday, so not sure if I will be able to check out my carriage before I go. Will let you know.

 

Again Thanks for the help.

 

Nancy

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Wow Dawn, and I thought that I was the only one that did that.  Almost brought that up to her, but figured that it was kind of a long shot.  I've only come across one carriage that was out of whack and it was a simple fix that involved a large vise and a come-along.  zeke...............................

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The right rail was tweaked and used a large vise to hold it in place. Used a come-along to straighten it out. A long cable attached to the rail and with the ratcheting side hooked it across the shop and started clicking. I know, kind of crazy, right. Zeke.

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