somtimes its good, sometimes not!

[bobbi]

Hi! I guess I am a "newbie" to longarming.... got my used Ultimate I machine last week and have gone through my practice sheets trying to get my tensions correct. (I also forgot to move the head at night and it pottied on my sheet.)

In some areas, (on the back) it looks good, and in some I have eyelashes. I am using a really easy panograph, a large meandering "puzzle" I think it is. I wanted to be sure it would make nice round curves as I moved it. So, what's up with the ok/no ok stuff?

Also, in the middle of my table side, my Ulti seems to "hang up" and you can see where it must have done that for the previous owner too. How do I correct that - is there a way to raise the carriage so it won't hang up on the metal frame for the plexiglass? I thought about shaving down the metal with my metal sander, but that is taking forever. Certainly there is a better way!

So! Thanks for any help you all can give me! I am anxious to get started! PS: what does TOWA/mean and do.

Bobbi Brady

thebunch47@yahoo.com

[quiltmonkey]

Hi Bobbi,

Someone else who has an Ult 1 can answer your question about the table "hang up" in a spot. I am sure it is fixable and maybe just an adjustment to a few things... hold tight and someone else here will reply.

Regarding the Towa tension gauge, I don't own one (yet) but it is on my "must have" list. I believe that Towa is the company name -- it is a factory in Japan that makes precision equipment like gauges for sewing machines. I might be wrong but I googled this a few months back and I think that is what I learned about Towa.

Anyway, you basically drop your bobbin case loaded with thread in the gauge and pull the thread and it measures the tension coming out of the bobbin case. Each type of thread has a different "correct" tension. From what I've learned, it's easiest to adjust your tension in your bobbin first so it is accurate, and then you fiddle with your top tension knob to perfect the stitch so you don't have the eyelashes on top or bottom. If you have eyelashes on top it means that your top tension is either 1) too tight and pulling the bobbin thread up to the top; or 2) your bottom tension is too loose and the top thread is pulling it up to the top.

So in general: Adjust your bobbin to its correct tension first and then make the minor tweaks to the top tension. From what I understand, this is a "learn as you go" process and through time and experience you will learn the proper tensions;;; hang in there and be patient and keep experimenting.

Oh another thing about the eyelashes: Are you really whipping through quickly around the curves when you do the panto? If so, slow your speed down a bit. I understand that you need to give your needle enough time to flex back and move so it's ready to punch through the layers correctly...if you go too quickly, the needle is really whipping through and trying to stay up with you (needle flex) so slow it down and see if that helps. Otherwise, turn the speed up on your machine. Experiment a little. Have fun.

[quiltjunkie]

As usual, that quiltmonkey is right on , I say bite the bullet and get a TOWA gauge NOW.. I have decided that APQS should include one with every new machine. It would certainly cut out at least 50% of the tension issues users have and that might be a low estimate. You just can't believe how minor a turn on that screw changes your tension, and knowing the botton tension is correct it's just a few trials and you get the top tension corrected.:cool:

[bobbi]

I agree !

thanks for your input, Hester. I feel as if that's all I get done! I want to make this my retirement business, but goodness! It seems as if the fun part only takes a few minutes, and the rest - hours!

OH Well!

I did try a new needle and a bit faster speed, while trying to control the movement more consistantly. That seems to help, but on some of the round edges it still has a few eyelashes....not many. I soooooo don't want to take those out! Good thing this is a practice quilt!

Bobbi

[Charlene]

Bobbi,

I, too, use the TOWA gauge for the bobbins. In the meanwhile, try tightening up the top tension a bit.

As for the carriage part, I don't have a ULT but I know with the Millie that you can raise the carriage by adding washers to the wheels. Maybe that would help you.

Char

[ramona-quilter]

Hi Bobbi,

I have had 2 Ultimate I's, they are such work horses. I did not have the "hang up" or drag on my Ult I with the wooden table but the newer one with the lexan table has given me that problem especially where the lexan is split in the middle of the table. There are a couple of things to check.

You need to get a level out and make sure that the machine is level front to back all over; that is put the level on the table in 4 or 5 different places. If it is not level, you may have to shim it at the floor and cehck for level again.

Measure your table front to back in about those same places. The table should be the same size in all your measurements. If not, then you probably have a loose bolt on the table truss, mine was always the center tube that worked its way out every few months.

Are your rollers level? If not, look at the where the table connects to your rollers. Do any of them have washers or spacers to raise the roller? If so, does it make the roller level. You may have to add or remove washers.

Now, about that Towa gauge. Shana nailed it. I know they cost $70 but it is a tool that you will use over and over. I measure the tension on every single bobbin before I put it in the machine, that includes those prewound bobbins, too. Here is the link for the Towa gauge at Columbia River quilting.

The bobbin adjustment needs a tiny little turn (on the bigger of 2 screws on the bobbin case) using a tiny little screwdriver. Righty-tighty, lefty-loosy just like regular screws.

The top tension is also righty-tighty lefty-loosy but you make big changes to that by turning the tension gauge about a quarter turn, like 3 o'clock to 6 o'clock. No it is not marked. Bummer. Make sure that your thread is in between the tension disks, not sitting outside the disks. If the thread is outside the disks, you get these horrible bird's nest on the back of the quilt. Yeah, took me 2 weeks to figure that one out. ---blush---

Good luck and welcome to our group.

[bobbi]

thank you too Linda! I've been working on it all morning and thought I'd check the forum again...

You are all so great!

I'll try the leveling thing... I live in a very old house - above a store. I have always had to do "creative" furniture placement, so even though I thought my Ult I was level, it may not be... I also like the idea of the washers raising the carriage... I swapped the plexiglass and now it hangs up on the front. So, first I'll level, measure the table and check the rollers. I'll let you all know what happens...

It seems that no matter how much I clean off the rails, I always have gray marks on my belly! Good thing I wear a lot of pink! It shows better this way! (Ha, Ha!) - think I better make myself an apron!

Bobbi

[Beverly]

Linda Ramona, as usual your knowledge shines through. I agree with you. A lot of my tension problems went away after I bought the Towa gauge. Good information on the table issues. -- I was on my way to the garage to get a level one day and my 16 year old grandson said "Gram, watch". He put a bobbin on its side and it rolled down the table. Not level. It was a quick fix. That kid thinks out of the box. This is so much fun!!

Beverly

[smorris]

Hi Bobbi

Now I'm reading your message on this thread I understand what has happened with the machine catching.

The lexan has a metal bar on it so that the old style channel locks can engage on it. I have seen some of the lexan with those bars lift up at the edges and catch - thats the scratching you can see on the bar. Also (but less common) is that the channel locks are a little low set. I think youdid the best thing by raising the carriage a little.

As to the machine dropping oil on your quilt top, this is easy to fix. You or the previous owner have been too kind to your new baby by over oiling the wicks. They only need a drop of oil when the wicks are dry - thats no more often than monthly - honest (your manual probably says to oil them every 4 hours - this has been revised). You will need to remove the side plate on the front end of the machine - its on the opposite side to the tension knob - it has a wick in it and clean out that area, I guess there is considerable oil sitting on the base there, also remove the light tube and clean away any excess oil there, then wipe over the needlebar and the hopping foot.

Have fun

Sue in Australia

[bobbi]

Thanks again Sue!

I didn't think of that... luckily for me the oil only dropped on the sheets I had been using to practice with... not a real quilt. I have done a practice quilt since then, using the meandering "puzzle" panto.

When I go around the curves, I still get "eyelashes". I am trying to move slowly to do that, almost all the quilt look good, just in a few places where I must have gone too fast. Should I increase the speed? I had gone up to 5.

-Bobbi

[fabric007]

the things you learn, after all this time, I have been oiling the thing every quilt...now they say, once a month???

Anyway, I get skipped stictches etc. when I am to use a really thick batting, and they give you a sheet with lots of poly in it...I just know that is the problem because I can take the same thread and bobbin thread set up and do another quilt,and there are no problems.. just another possible problem...