CucumberQuilting Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Broke a needle this evening. The first one and for no apparant reason, except, the machine was sort of chattering as I pulled it forward. It did that two or three times and I thought about stopping to see if I needed to clean out the bobbin case and maybe add a bit of oil. ~~ Well, okay, I didn't stop, hey it's right before Christmas. I don't have time to stop for noises, right? After the broken needle I couldn't keep the top thread from breaking. Rats!!! Checked the hook assembly for burrs and such. Really couldn't find any but gave it a bit of a polish anyway. Still breaking thread. Changed to a second new needle, changed to a different spool of thread, changed tension, changed this, changed that; still breaking. Just about gave up and decided to change the bobbin case. Now it seems to be working. My Q: How did I "fix" this problem? Or do I have another problem lurking that needs closer inspection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramona-quilter Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Are there any scratches/burrs on the old bobbin case? Did you drop the bobbin case on a hard surface? Maybe a dent or ding. I have jammed a needle and had burrs on the hook. I once broke a needle so bad that I had to replace the hook. Is the Finger-thingy loose. I'm not sure what it is called. On my Ultimate I it is the metal finger that keeps the bobbin assembly in place; it is on the under side of the front of the machine head near the needle plate. Mine came loose once due to operator error....I had not tightened it enough after timing my machine. You might want to give John or one of the techs a call at APQS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SherryRogers Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 If it isnt broke, dont fix it! It could have been a pesky piece of lint or thread or it could have been that the thread was not seated in the tensioner. The good news is that it is working okay now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GERRY Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Hay Cu-Q. Ya know, it never fails when you're in a time crunch, that when things go wrong................. I think the bobbin case was the broblem. I bet if you put it back in, & tried it out, the thread would start breacking again............... I just glad you were able to fix things, before to long, & that you had a extra bob case at hand. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaB Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Hey Eva...... Like Sherry said...."if it ain't broke -- don't fix it!!!" ;) Merry Christmas Eva..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CucumberQuilting Posted December 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Thanks you guys. I went to bed late last night, and dreaded coming back downstairs again this morning. So much dread, I even made breakfast for my family and cleaned the kitchen! But, hooray, it's still working. Yes, the bobbin case has been dropped on the hard floor -- many times. I'll put it away and send for a new one to take it's place. It's only a $10.00 part. That's a fraction of the cost of my time, quilting and peace of mind. FYI: finger-thingy is a backlash spring LOL -- Don't worry, if you ever have to call APQS for one, they know what we're talking about! Thanks too for the Christmas cheer. Love you all. ~~Eva Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Eva, I've had something like this happen several times. Go look at the bobbin that you took out. Is there tiny scar marks on the one edge where the needle comes down? I have had several bobbins that are just the tiniest bit off being the correct size (even though they were marked "L" bobbins). The scarring was caused when the needle was hitting the edge of the bobbin and with enough hits on the bobbin and it wobbling in the bobbin case the needles did break. The chatter that I was getting is where the bobbin was loose in the case and it was hitting the needle as it went up and down. It wasn't enough of a hit to make direct contact, but just bushing along the edge. My threads continued to break until I also took out my bobbin and changed it. I didn't notice the damage right away....it was several quilts later that each time I used that bobbin I would have the same problem. With further looking at my bobbins I found that I had 4 or 5 that each had a tiny bit of scarring on the edge....Once they were thrown away, I didn't have any problems. Well, not like this...anyway. Not sure this will help, but worth a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CucumberQuilting Posted December 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Bonnie, you're right. I bought several "different" looking bobbins at a show recently. Better take a look at those or just toss them and re-order new ones from APQS. duh, huh? Besides that, I have been asking my little guy with the "sticky" fingers to please keep to his own area in the studio and to play with his own toys. How would he like it if Mommy went over and threw his things down on the floor and jumbled them all up? He'd LOVE it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Hey before you throw them away...give them to "Kid Stickyfingers" on a string that he can't break....maybe he would like to play with them if he won't put them in his mouth. I used mine for a cat toy...hung a sting on the door with several tied to the end....got a little loud at times, but they gave me so much entertainment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CucumberQuilting Posted December 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 Oh, great idea. Make them his toys, so he can go find something else of mine to play with! LOL Maybe I'll just hang them on the tree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 Just a thought.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltaholi_518 Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 I have, at any given time, these extra things on hand- A bobbin case 2 backlash springs a couple of pigtails a tension spring motor brushes case screws Those are the main things, I would be interested if there are any other things people like to have on hand that I might have missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 I think you have yourself covered.....but does your machine use fuses...that is the only other thing I can think you might need in an emergency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tusistas Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 Caron: I think I would add the rubber tubing for the bobbin winder, thread cutter replacement blades?, light bulb (although, I did pick one up at Home Depot), and is the "backlash spring" the same as a "check spring"? What about an extra motor (I'm sitting here twirling my finger in the air trying to think of the name)..... belt? I look at extra parts kind of like insurance. If you got 'em, they don't break. It's only when you don't that they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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