jmcclannan Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 I have had problems with needles breaking from time to time for no apparent reason. It's frustrating because I end up taking a few stitches after the needle breaks before I get the machine stopped and that has caused a tear in the quilt. My husband has become a champ at timing my Millie although breaking the needle doesn't always throw her out of timing. Does anyone have some advice for me? Am I the only one dealing with this? I love my Millie except when she does this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 Weird! Maybe she needs an examination by Dr. A Anderson at the hospital in Carroll IA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 What Shana said! Maybe try going up a needle size. And quilting really fast will add stress to the needle as it gets flexed more while trying to make a stitch. So perhaps slow down a bit? That's all I've got!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeri Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 Are you using a different brand of needles than the ones recomended? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyLake Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 Julie, When I break a needle, it is usually with a thicker quilt sandwich and at a moment when I wasn't real decisive about which direction I wanted to take the machine. Another thought, I've learned that I have less problems with tension and needle breakage if I place the area I want to quilt in the center between the back and front roller bar. For finicky quilts, I stay about 6" away from the roller bars when quilting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 Julie: Do you have any idea why you are breaking needles? I break them sometimes on thick seams. When I get out of sync with may stitch regulator, I'll hit the needle plate and damage the point of the needle-usually don't break the needle just ruin the point. I broke a lot of needles when my needle bar was out of adjustment. The eye of the needle and the hook were in proper adjustment, but the bar was too low, and when the needle was flexed it would hit the hook before the taper that provided space for the needle. This caused scratches on the hook assembly. Check for that. What size needle are you using. If it's smaller than a 4.0 that might be the reason. There's a lot of stress on the needle, so large ones hold up better than thin ones. Good luck in your search. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcclannan Posted February 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 I just changed to a 4.0 needle from 3.5 to see if that would help but I think I changed to a 3.5 the last time I broke a needle hoping that would help. I talked to Mark F. at APQS and he is sending out a new bobbin assembly. Maybe that will be the fix. I don't expect Millie to trudge through really dense seams but I do expect her to keep on trucking when I'm playing nice and just quilting along normally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 For me, it's rare to break a needle but it does happen to me every once in a while but to few to recall. I hope your new bobbin assy will fix the problem. Good luck, BobbinJewels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcclannan Posted February 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 My DH replaced the bobbin assembly when it arrived today and Millie seems to be a happy girl. I'm keeping my fingers crossed although it's hard to quilt that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Julie: When you say "bobbin assembly", What exactly do you mean? (bobbin case, hook, or both) What was wrong with the defective part(s)? I'm interested so I know what to look for if I have the same kind of problem. Thanks. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcclannan Posted February 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 I was referring to the whole bobbin basket that fits on the cam. The black part seemed a bit loose and Mark F. felt like that could be my problem along with general wear and tear. I have completed a quilt and two table runners without problem so I'm hoping it is fixed. Make sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Julie: I'm not sure I understand. It sounds like you replaced the hook? (the round metal assembly that clamps with screws to the hook shaft coming out of the front of the machine) I'm lost as to the black part. Do you mean the black "finger" that keeps the bobbin basket from rotating with the hook, or something different? My hook is all silver, but I've recently learned some are teflon coated, and the coating is probably black. Thanks for the update. I'm glad you're up and running now. Regards. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbm Posted February 11, 2012 Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 Jim, most of the older hook assemblies that I've seen have a shiny silver outer part and a darker grey/black inner part (you're right, that's probably the teflon coating). The newer hook assembly that I recently had in my parts kit was all silver. I'm sure that Julie is talking about the inner part of the hook assembly being a little loose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcclannan Posted February 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 Yeah, what Barb said. . I am not a mechanical person and usually refer to any such item as a "thingy". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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