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Bobbin tension too tight


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I have been trying to loosen the tension in my bobbin but it just doesn't want to change. Am I turning the wrong screw? There are two tiny screws very close together and I am turning the one on the right when the bobbin is on it's back and you can see the bobbin itself resting in the holder.

LIB

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All I can say is there are two tiny screws. One post said to do your bobbin adjustments inside of a zip lock bag so that should the screw drop at least you'd have a shot at finding it. The screw that you move is the bottom one. If you are holding the bobbin case this screw should be closest to you.

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All I can say is there are two tiny screws. One post said to do your bobbin adjustments inside of a zip lock bag so that should the screw drop at least you'd have a shot at finding it. The screw that you move is the bottom one. If you are holding the bobbin case this screw should be closest to you.

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Lib,

As Shana said, the screw you want to turn to make adjustments is the larger one - the one closest to where the thread comes out of the bobbin case. And if you don't want to make your changes in a plastic baggy, try doing it over the quilt on the machine, or over a piece of batting on a table or other flat surface - that way it won't "run away"!;)

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Please, I need help!!

I've got a kingsize top loaded and am doing a panto, that's what customer wanted. I have a prewound cotton bobbin and tried using King Tut on top. the stitches on top looked perfect but I checked under the quilt and there's huge loops and the bottom thread is stretched tight across the backing. All I need to do is pull that thread and all the stitches pull out.

Am I right that the top tension is not right?

I then took off the King Tub and put on Bottom Line and now the top thread breaks every few stitches. I changed the needle twice, re-threaded the machine several times, changed to a different spook of Bottom line (same color) and still the thread breaks.

I'm so frustrated I feel like selling this machine (Milli). I never have any problems as long as I use the prewound Bottom line Bobbins and Rainbow thread on top but as soon as I change to anything else I have nothing but nightmares.

I hope someone can help me. I did go thru the trouble shooting section but time is limited, I have another full time job and this quilting is a part time hobby for me...so trying to find time to read thru all the threads here is something I don't have time for right now.

Thanks

Rita

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Rita, when you switched top threads, did you adjust your top tension? It sounds like it's too loose for the King Tut and too tight for the Bottom Line. I check and adjust my tension on the side with a piece of similar fabric before I start on the quilt. I do the same checking each time I change the bobbin since they can vary from one to the next.

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Rita,

First, switch to a 4.5 needle if you have one to reduce needle flex.

Next, change the thread path for King tut and thread it through the 3-hole thread guide as shown in the photo in my most recent QuiltTalk article (the link is below). King Tut has lots of drag on the thread, and its twist can sometimes cause tension troubles. Winding it this way makes sure that you aren't adding extra twist to the thread:

QuiltTalk Seasonal Tension

Use a pre-wound bobbin with the King Tut, and loosen it considerably.

Now start tightening up the top tension until you can see the bobbin thread peeking up in the needle holes. With a little patience, you should be able to get the tension right.

Finally, remember to not make the quilt sandwich too tight, and use a batting with some loft so the thread has a chance to lock in between the layers.

Let me know if you have more troubles, or just email me directly at dawn@apqs.com if you're under the time crunch of the holidays!

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Hi Rita

It sounds like you need to loosen the bobbin tension first, and if you still have loops of top thread showing underneath, then tighten the top tension half a turn, check it, and then adjust another half turn if necessary. Left to loosen - right to tighten. Longarm machines and domestic machines are so different in respect to how far you move the tensioner.

When you change from bottomline to a cotton thread you must adjust your bobbin tension because the two threads are different thicknesses and need different amounts of tension on the bobbin case spring. It might be a good idea to buy a 2nd bobbin case and have one adjusted for the thicker threads and one for finer threads and have them set accordingly, then you won't have to make the adjustment every time you change thread weight. Also when you change the weight of your top thread, you will need to adjust the top tensioner, looser for thicker threads.

I understand your frustration when you are under pressure to get a quilt out on time, particularly at this time of year, but when things settle down a bit, you might want to read through Dawn Cavanagh's posts on this forum - she has posted lots of times with advice on how to adjust tensions and recently made a great little video demonstrating how a stitch is made - after watching the video, it will all make much better sense and might save you time and frustration in future.

Good luck

sue in Australia

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Holly, yes I did adjust the tension...I turn it to the right which means I tightened it. I've been using a finer thread for months now, usually Rainbows so maybe I should have loosened the tension cause the King Tut is a thicker thread. I'm going to reload some muslin tonight and try that. I usually use the prewound Bottom Line bobbins but had changed to a prewound Coats & Clarke 100% cotton...which I thought would equal the King Tut. I thought they should work perfectly together. WRONG!

Dawn, my quilt tension was tight, probly too tight. I've always quilted that way, and thought that ws the norm til I took a class in Houston and saw how the teachers actually leave kind of a swag in the top while it's being quilted. I think the needle was a 4.0, so I'll check to see if I have a 4.5 and try that. I will also use the link and read up on the article you mentioned. Thanks so much for your help...I'll be in touch if I have more troubles. :)

Thanks girls

Rita

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Thank you Sue...I didn't think to adjust the bobbin thread. I do have a second bobbin assy that I've never used to I'm going to mark that with a dab of nail polish to identify it for thicker threads.

I did adjust the upper tension...a lot! Like I turned it at least 3 complete revolutions. :) And it didn't make one bit of difference. I didn't understand that cause it should have done something.

Tonight I'm loading on some muslin and am going to do research with different threads both on the top and the bottom. I'm so terrified of tension problems that stay with the same thread top and bottom all the time. And I've never wound one of my own bobbins, always use the prewound ones. I'm scared that I wind one it won't work properly.

And you're right about it being the time of year and evey job being a rush to get it done. This is the last quilt i'm doing before Christmas, maybe ever! No, I'll do my own but I don't think I'm going to quilt for customers anymore. If the machine runs with no problems than fine, but once the problems start they just don't seem to stop. I was so frustrated last night I almost listed it for sale. :) Today I'm not so mad at it and will try to conquer it. <LOL>

Thanks for your help.

Rita

Canada

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Hi Rita

Don't dare give up (jump back in Shana with your encouraging words?), you just need to take things slowly and get to know your machine without any pressures. We've all been at the stage you are at but with the help of everyone on this list and the fantastic support from Amy and the other techs we've got there.

Something is bothering me though, you said you'd turned that tensioner 3 full turns and the tension didn't change - I wonder if the thread is seated between the discs properly. I take it under the disks and pull upwards with both sides of the thread to make sure.

Good luck, and let us know how you are going.

Sue in Australia

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Hey, Rita/Lib, you'll get this figured out soon. Tension is probably the hardest thing to master. Even if you use the same threads top and bottom all the time, tightening the quilt top too tight can sink you.

When I first started, I had lots of tension problems. Everybody told me to re-thread, re-thread, check your thread path. Yeah, yeah, I did that. What I failed to notice the first several tries was that my thread was not between the tension disks, it was just riding on top of the disks. Duh, I felt so dumb. Even after making sure that the thread was between the disks, I had monkeyed with the tension so much, I had to play with it to get the right balance. Dawn's video really drives that home.

Don't give up. I am not as cute as Shana :P and I don't have poms-poms but I too believe that you can do this.;)

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I did check to see the it was between the discs....at least I thought I had. I usually test this by pulling on it a bit and then making sure there's a little bounce in the spring that's in front of the discs.

I reloaded last night, put some slack in the quilt top, put King Tut back on top, Bottomline in the bobbin, didn't change the needle, and it sewed perfectly. Now I've no idea what went wrong but I'm glad to have finished the top and will reload some muslin and do some homework with different threads and bobbins...just to see what works and what doesn't. I'd really like to be able to work with both cotton on the top and bottom and have complete success with it.

I do know one thing for sure....my machine won't work with Bottomline on the top. I think the air is too dry here cause the thread gets sucked up into the flywheel and gets wrapped in there....or caught on that metal plate that's screwed onto the front of the machine. All because of static electricity...it's too try. There must be something I can do with this thread to make it useable........

Rita

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Here's some quick ideas for you:

Try re-threading the machine from the beginning - just to make sure you didn't miss a thread guide by accident....it happens!

Check the position of the 3-hole thread guide that is right above your tension control - if you look at the right side of the machine, that guide should be pointed from 8 o'clock to 2 o'clock - if it has shifted position, you can lift up the bottom a bit to get that angle.

Make sure that if you change the thread path at all with this guide (like using 2 or 1 hole instead of all 3 if your thread breaks a lot - especially cottons!) that you always use the bottom hole on this guide - thread likes to find the 'easy way out' and will work it's way in and out of your tension discs without you noticing it while you are quilting - until you roll your quilt up!!

Check the bobbin thread tension - drop test - 2-3" for prewound bobbins, 3-4" for aluminum bobbins (brushed silver with 1 hole in either side), 6-8" for metal bobbins (shiny silver with holes all the way around one side)....these measurements are good starting points - no matter what type of thread you have on the bobbin - adjusting for different brands and even colors needs to be done at times! Once you have a starting point for your bobbin, you can make the rest of the adjustments from the top, like Dawn mentioned.

If you're having problems with cotton threads, try the 'freezer trick' or using Sewer's Aid to help hydrate the thread and lubricate the machine.

Check your pigtail thread guides for grooves - if you have a groove starting, it can mess with the tension by making it harder for the thread to get through the guide. If you do see one, try flipping the pigtail over - loosen the screw, turn the pigtail 180 degrees so it is on top of the screw, and tighten the screw down again - twice the life out of your pigtails!!

Call me if you have any questions - I'm here to help!:D

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Rita,

I was having similar issues with Bottom Line on top - too dry in my studio, so lots of static electricity and clinginess. I added a humidifier, and it took care of the problem. Also took care of the problem of shocking myself whenever I touched the table - not a good thing!! Didn't need the humidifier most of the summer, but now that winter is upon us, I've started it up again. I just run it when I'm actually in the studio, so there's no danger of it running dry and causing a problem.

Bottom Line is my favorite thread for the top (and the bottom, for that matter!) - my customer's piecing becomes the focus of the quilt, rather than my so-so quilting.

Hope this helped....

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Hi Rita

You can buy anti static spray in most electronics stores. I've sprayed it on threads before to tame them.

This might help and if you are still having trouble with threads being sucked into the thumbwheel, APQS have a coverplate that doesn't cost much, or some ladies have used those flat handle plates that are used on sliding doors. Jenny posted a picture on the Lenni forum recently of hers.

sue in australia

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Barb and Sue, did either of you have trouble with the Bottom Line on top breaking all the time? That's what it does for me. Sometimes I might 10 or 15 minutes with no breakage and then again it'll break every 5 or 10 seconds. I'm not a fast sewer so it's not like I move the machine really fast at any time. I'd love to but I've had so much trouble with thread breakage that I'm not comfortable speeding up the pace. :)

I also took tape and taped over all the edges of that front plate so that the thread can't get caught behind it anymore...that's been a problem since day one. Again, probly do to static and dryness.

About using Sewers Aid, do you slather this stuff onto the spool of thread? Does it leaave residue on the thread or needle? Does it evaporate or always stay on the spool of thread? I've only used it once and very sparingly cause I'm not sure how the stuff works.

In regards to static...I wonder what would happen if I sprayed Static Gaurd onto the side of the machine? It dries immediately so I can't see how it could harm to try it out. I'm thinking it'll prevent the thread from sticking to the machine and getting sucked into that wheel.

About prewound bobbins now...do yoy leave the paper on both sides of the bobbin or do you remove one side of the paper? I leave both sides on but when I was at a class in Houston there was a guy there that told us we should remove one side. Can't remember the guys name now but I think he was from Whitehorse or Alaska and knows a lot about how these machine work. Wish I could remember his name now.

Thanks for your help and suggestions.

Rita

NWT, Canada

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