jimerickson

It sounds like the hook is not clamping down tight enough to keep it aligned. When you re-time, be sure to tighten all (2 or 3, probably 3) screws well. After you tighten it down, try and turn the hook by hand while keeping the machine mechanism from turning. If you are able to turn the hook, without the machine turning, then you're not getting the hook screws tight enough. You may need to remove the hook itself and examine it for defects. My original hook had a burr on one of the hook screw holes which made adjustment difficult. I removed the burr, with a file, and after that I had no further problems with adjustments. Jim

Sounds like you may be out of luck. A possibility would be to take a board from a donor machine, but where you might find one of them is anyone's guess. Replacing the whole machine head maybe your only option. Jim

Is the replacement circuit board out of stock, or no longer available? If it's out of stock, you can wait until some come in. If it's no longer available that's another case. Jim

I assume you have eliminated the possibility of burrs anywhere. Now try another stronger thread (I use YLI Longarm Professional) and see if the problem continues. I've always had problems with Glide breaking on me, and as a result, I don't often use it. You might also try using a different type needle. Sometime back I switched from the Groz-Beckert MR needles to Schmetz SERV 7 needles. They have performed a good bit better for me than the MR's. It's certainly worth a try. Maybe a bit inconvenient, but a lot less trouble than selling your machine. Glide is an embroidery thread, and not really designed for long arm quilting. Lots of people use it with success, but it's not really meant for that use. Good luck. Jim

I'd guess that your re-timing wasn't completely successful. Go ahead and re-time it again. Pay particular attention to the position of the needle eye when it meets the hook. I assume you just changed the hook position, and the "re-timing" didn't involve a change in needle bar height. If you changed the needle bar height that's another issue. I think the noise you hear is probably the needle hitting the hook. Again a symptom of improper timing. Good luck. Jim PS: If there is no in/out play in the hook when you pull and push on the small center shaft, the hook you have is still probably good. Jim

Yea, I think Gammill was bought out about three years ago. I know the long time dealer in our area had their dealership canceled. Now they're representing Innova. Jim

The switch may be bad. They actually are "consumable" items, and need to be replace from time to time. Radio Shack stocked the item in the past, but alas, they are no more. I'd guess APQS has them. To test, and serve you in the mean time, you can remove the switch from the handles you aren't using, and replace the one you think is faulty. Good luck. Jim

Kay: If your Ult 1 has verticle wheels like my Ult 2, I think you could follow my advice to Sue. I think the Edgeriders for a Gammill Classic can be fitted to the Ult 1 just like the Ult 2 or the Lenni. The Edgerider wheels were a real improvement over the ones like yours that came on my Ult 2. Good luck. Jim

I don't know whether you'll get a reply or not (you might want to personal message her), but if you've found a machine you like at a price you like, I wouldn't let the table length stand in the way of a purchase. All you need to do is find a local welder/fabricator, and follow the instructions I offered above. I haven't had this done because I did all the work on my table myself, but I shouldn't think it would cost more than $200 or $300. Good luck. Jim

I'm not sure what you're referring to as "check springs", but guess you mean the thread take-up spring on the tension assembly. If you remove the tension assembly and examine how it's assembled, you should get a pretty good idea how it all works. The take-up spring is tensioned by the set screw that holds assembly to the main shaft. Turning the assembly one direction or the other increases or decreases tension, and then setting the screw holds the desired pressure. The disk spring tension is controlled by the tension knob that screws on the end of the main shaft. Good luck. Jim

Sheilah: I don't think there are many Compuquilters here anymore. I think Kasa Engineering (Intelliquilt) has been supporting Compuquilter since the original folks went out of business. Try contacting them and see. Jim

I think it's probably more than a fuse. Sounds like you jammed the machine. Look for thread wrapped around the hook, needle tip stuck in hook, etc.

Don't know whether it's still available, but, yes, the table does break down. The largest item is the wooden table top itself, 12' long, about 2' wide and 8" tall. The legs and racks come apart and will lay flat. The rollers come off, so they're easy to transport. You should probably personal message the seller to be sure she sees your interest. Regards. Jim

There's a rod on the right side (looking from the front) of the machine, The hole in the laser clamp slides over the rod and the large knob tightens the assembly in whatever position you like. Jim

I think you could probably change to the L bobbin, but in my opinion that's a giant step backwards. I went from L to M years ago and feel that's one of the smartest moves I've made. I don't know of anyone who moved from L to M who regretted it. Having used both systems on the same machine, I can say without reservation, there was no change in quilting performance. I've followed the forum here for more than a decade and don't recall anyone complaining about an up grade to M from L. BTW, free motion is all I do. Back in the day when APQS didn't offer an M bobbin option there was a lot of advertising hype about the L system. That's completely disappeared since they have had an M bobbin option. How can changing bobbins twice as often be a good situation? Learn to use your machine and forget about bobbin size. Just my take. Jim

It looks to me like your bobbin tension isn't tight enough. This problem seems to be compounded by the variegated thread which makes each stitch look a little different. I'd try bumping the bobbin tension up just a bit. If that doesn't work then it probably is simply the color of the top thread and you'll have to live with it. Good luck. Jim

Check out the Q-Bot. I think they have kits for some of the Asian machines, and the Pfaff might just be the same as some other brands. Good luck. Jim

What exactly is a "front panel"? Stitch regulator, machine mechanism, display screen? We here aren't that familiar with A-1 terminology. Jim

What type wool batting did you use? I use Hobbs, and I've never had a problem with bearding. I've used a lot of Hobbs wool, and it isn't "furry" like what's coming through your quilt. Certainly linen is a poor choice for a quilt fabric. most of us use 100% cotton all the time. Jim

If you look at my post from 2014 titled New Hand Wheels for Zelda you'll find a photo (DSC00019.JPG) that clearly shows my Ult 2 rollers with the hand wheels installed. I'd have posted to it to bring it forward, but the thread has been archived so post can no longer be made. You'll have to search for it. Jim

I used two sided tape to attach my replacement leaders. I ran a strip the entire length of each roller, using the seam in the tubing as a guide to keep the installation straight. After I pressed the edge of my new leader down on the tape, again using the edge of the tape/tubing seam as a guide, I added a strip of tape about half the diameter of the roller perpendicular to the already taped down fabric every 18 inches from one edge of the leader to the other. This helped keep the fabric from being pulled up off the tape. After 12 years I've had no problems what so ever with the leader coming loose from the rollers. Now, I have long leaders, so I rarely unwind them til the fabric pulls directly on the tape, which may have helped with the bond. The installation was both neat, and pretty easy to control. BTW, the tape I used 1/2" wide stuff I use with my wood working activities. Hope this helps. Jim

I don't know how the George's work, but sometimes something like this will happen with a domestic machine. Check the foot control, and make sure it working properly. Good luck. Jim

There is one more issue. That is the amount of fabric on the backing roller. Now backing doesn't take up a lot of room, but it does make the backing roller "bigger". At a certain point the diameter of the backing roller (roller and fabric) will affect the alignment of the quilt sandwich. Probably not a practical issue, but it is there. I've tried doing this, and found it to be as troublesome as cutting and loading each back separately. Haven't done it since. Jim

I think just telling the welder that you want the table (actually the roller length) shortened to 10 feet. You need to know exactly how long you want the completed table to be. Typically table length is the roller length, not the entire table( a 10' table would probably be more than 11' long). In your case, since the table will be custom, you can specify any roller length you want (e.g. 10'2", 9'9", 10'10" etc). I would suggest you make the rollers as long as your space will permit. When you tell the welder how long you want the table, he/she can figure out how long the individual parts should be. Delivering the table assembled would probably be most helpful. If you can't do that, at least provide detailed photos of the assembled table. Special roller lengths aren't anything of a problem because you can make your own leaders, and cut any length you want. In fact you're probably better off making your own. That way you can make them any size you want, and out of any fabric you like. In my case, the rollers are 12' long, so I made the leaders 11' long. I bought 4 yards of 72" canvas duck, cut in half for the top and backing roller, and another 4 yards which I cut to 48" for the take-up roller. The extra length (depth?) makes it easier for me to pin, and sew to the end of any quilt. After cutting the leaders, I surged the edges, and sewed one inch "pockets" on the pinning edge. Good luck. Jim

Try cutting the thread, strand by strand, or as much as you can each time. Pull each thread you cut out until the clog is removed. Good luck. Jim PS: the last resort would be to remove the hook assembly from the machine. If you do that, you'll have to re-time the machine after the clog is removed. It's difficult to loosen the screws that hold the hook in place if you can't rotate the hook (turn the flywheel) A lot of folks are afraid to do this, but if you're serious about long arm quilting, it's something you really should learn how to do. One more step to mastering the trade.