dancing bear Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 update #2: Droof oil in bobbin holder area and all seems ALMOST perfect. will take practice quilt off this evening and do full cleaning and maintenance. thanks to all who responded. really apprehensive that i've damaged something... update: Maybe I have air pocket since I did use the canned air on it for the first time???? yikes ... still love this stuff ... just hope i haven't damaged my 1-week old New Toy. i decided to clean bobbin area so i removed bobbin and did the canned air bit. boy, does that stuff come out fast! POOOOOSHHHHHHH! I delinted that whole area. I then was attempting to bring bobbin thread up to top of practice quilt and needle would not move. i begin to push buttons ... sorry .... just 2nd nature ... if one doesn't work try another. no movement until suddenly needle goes down, i hear awful sound and i turn off New Toy. too scared to move. I removed bobbin and there was thread wrapped around anything it could wrap around down there. i cleaned it all out, put bobbin back in, and was able to start stitching. hear clacking sound that i've never heard before. thought it might be low bobbin sound that i've heard about. i pull bobbin out, not quite out of thread. i decided to look at needle and i put in brand new needle. does better but i'm still hearing a slight clacking that wasn't there before. have i done damage? i didn't twirl very well tonight. hope someone can help me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 It is possible that you have maybe changed the timing set on your machine, it could need to be adjusted...just a tad if you are able to sew.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anita Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Hey Dancing Bear...I'm hear to lend emotional support. Someone that can help will chime in soon, I'm sure. My experience is limited as I don't get much time to quilt...so I don't have much to offer. It could be timing is off or something got misshapen/moved. But...all is fixable. The support here and at APQS can figure it out. Scarey, huh? I know the feeling. Good luck! Anita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunningThreads Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Dancing Bear; Did you put a drop of oil on the hook after cleaning. You will find when it makes a rattle noise a drop of oil almost always quiets it down. The canned air definatley did not cause an air pocket. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VictoriaG Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 I think you have messed up your timing. " hear clacking sound.. no movement until suddenly needle goes down, i hear awful sound " Which will happen sooner or later to every machine. You will learn how to retime "sooner". Not the end of the world and the machine is not permanently broke. But do retime it, don't leave it clacking. Can someone jump in with retiming directions?? Otherwise you will have to call your dealer or the home office and they can help you through it. Victoria G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Contact Amy at APQS, she can email you specific directions with pics to retime...also she can listen over the phone to be sure that is the problem. Ask me how I know.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Remember to always give the bobbin case that extra click as you put it in. Do not hold the finger out, when you put it in. Only when you take it out. By not giving the bobbin that extra little push, you can get spools of thread in the wrong places around the bobbin area. then it jambs!! Good Luck.... Ritar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnCavanaugh Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Dancing Bear, I've sent you an email including the timing instructions, so that you can review the steps to ensure your machine is working properly. Please call us with any questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing bear Posted November 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 dawn, tried sending you u2u. not successful, i don't think. are these timing instructions the same as in manual? if so, i'm bummed ... "Place two screwdrivers behind the hook, between the hook assembly and the shaft’s round locking collar. Use a twisting motion on each of the screwdrivers to gently pry the hook forward WITHOUT CHANGING THE PROPER HOOK ROTATION THAT WAS SET IN STEP 3!" this scares me to death. i'm mechanically minded but doing this on my brand new machine makes me shudder. i see many opportunities for big messes and errors. wishing i weren't at w-o-r-k ... i could use a drink ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 You can do this, remember that anything you do can always be undone...once you do this, you will feel much better about your machine. It is kind of like that first time you play with the tension, once you get past the feeling that you are doing something wrong, you will feel like you can do anything... Believe me, you will look back on this as a learning experience.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnCavanaugh Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Dancing Bear, Don't panic; you may not need to change a thing (and if you do, we have held many a hand via a phone line as owners evaluate and fix timing.) Yes, the instructions are the same as in the manual, but I'm actually re-writing them to make them less scary, and am working on a YouTube video so you can watch it happen. Seriously, just go step by step with the "evaluation" part first, checking YOUR settings with the photos in the section. If everything is hunky dory, then move on to the next step. And you can call, too, and we'll walk you through it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing bear Posted November 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 not the "T" word ... even Dancing Bear knows to avoid the T word ... interesting that both the BIGGIES begin with T ... thank you for your confidence. i'm just not that confident. trust me, i once took my Mr. D. Bear's Parker Pen apart because we couldn't figure out how to open it properly. it was never the same ... and i'm not sure i've been forgiven. ah, sweet mysteries of Millennium ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darlene Epp Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 The first part in timing your machine is to make sure the needle bar is at the right height. It's a very easy fix. Just check your manual. No need to loosen the hook or anything else if all you've done is push the needle bar up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smorris Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Hi Dancing Bear Did you get it fixed yet? Just adding my 2 cents after all the good advice you have received. I wonder if the hook assembly has moved very slightly on the shaft. Are you using metal/aluminium bobbins ? I wonder if the needle is hitting the bobbin. Check for tiny dents around the bobbin edges. The other thing to check is that the hook is touching the back of the needle - just- not too much, Hop you are up and running again. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Maybe too late to reply but did you try a brand new bobbin and brand new bobbin case and new needle? WD40 cleaning and oil? good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnHenry Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 I was so surprised when I heard a speaker say to NEVER use an air compressor to clean your machine because it can push lint/stuff into places with such force that it will never come out. I was amazed. I thought the air compressor was the be-all, end-all, and ultimate cleaning tool. Isn't it amazing that there are always different (opposite) opinions on everything in the world? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darlene Epp Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 I've heard that about canned air too, and I don't put any stock in it at all. There is NO way you can blow anything into the APQS machine by using canned air or a compressor in the bobbin/hook area. They use a compressor at the APQS plant. I've used canned air on my Pfaff 1475 CD for close to 20 years and have had NO problems because of it. That machine is still purring. I don't think I'd use an air compressor on it tho'. Might blow the machine off the table! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 I love my air compressor. It's by far the best investment I have ever made in my longarm machine's "tool box" of tools. I religiously blow out my bobbin case every time I quilt; and if I'm using a cotton thread, it's blown out several times throughout the quilting process. I am amazed at the fuzz that flies out of there (and I run the machine as I'm blowing it out, too) Works wonders to get all the goo and fluff out of there. Once a week or so, I definitely do a bath in WD40 followed by oil drops in the bobbin hook area. Ive never, ever had a problem with my machine and the tension is always perfect. I am convinced that this routine of keeping my machine spotless clean in the bobbin area is the key to a good running machine and nice quality stitches and no tension problems ever. I am convinced!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 I still wonder where this notion of not using a compressor came from. There is no place in the bobbin area of my machine where the fluff can be blown into the machine. Everything is sealed. I use my compressor all the time with no bad effects--since 2005. Shana's cleaning routine is a great tip. Mine loves the WD-40 spa treatment followed by a nice slurp of oil---ahhhhhhh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 I suspect that the canned-air treatment might not be good for a domestic machine. That's why they sell those teeny vacuum attachments at the fabric shops. Blowing into a domestic can cause lint to pack inside somewhere that isn't accessible by you--only a repairperson. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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