gottaknow

Speaking of books for these, I probably have an original one from Singer. If I do I'll post it here. Regards, Eric

I would move up to a 22 needle, then loosen your top tension a bit and tighten your bobbin tension a bit. Regards, Eric

The bobbin case stays in the machine. You adjust it from the side towards the front. Regards, Eric

Lol. If I had the time I'd travel around and fix everything so people would have more time to actually sew.

Looking forward to getting my hands on this Adler. Like the last one, I'll document stuff for the forum. For me it's a labor of love and a way to give back. Paying forward and stuff. Regards, Eric

The quote was from UPS.com. He can't fix it because he doesn't know how. That's not being a professional and his knowledge is worthless. My opinion of course. Regards, Eric

I'll be blunt and to the point here. I've been repairing industrial machines in a FACTORY, not a repair shop, since 1980. Sewing machine operators in a factory sew pedal to the metal all day. I don't have the option of not fixing a machine. The company I work for isn't just going to buy a different machine if I fail. Many mechanics who claim they fix industrials in fact work on home machines which are totally different, or work on just a few industrials a year. If you took your machine to be fixed and he couldn't fix it, there should be no charge. I could honestly take your machine entirely apart, put it in a box and shake it up, then put it back together and get it sewing good. Whoever told you your machine can't be fixed is an idiot. Industrial machines are built to be repaired, plain and simple. I do this 40 hours a week, year 'round. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. My offer stands. Regards, Eric

Hi Mariel, If I might offer a few adjustments based on your photo. Loosen the screw on the chrome thread guide and line it up straight up and down like the yellow line I drew. Then remove your thread from around that post. I suspect it's been wrapped around that pin because the angle is wrong on the thread guide and the thread jumps out unless this is corrected. Also, if you follow the red line, (the proper threading) you'll see it changes the angle of the thread entering the check spring assembly. It's wrapped around too far because of the angle. Make sure the thread is not wrapped completely around the tension disk. Next, loosen the little screw on the chrome plate of the check screw plate and rotate it clockwise until the slot is centered on the screw or slightly past. Lastly, use your handwheel to pull the bobbin thread up through the feed dog hole. Place a finger on top of the bobbin and while pressing down, pull the bobbin thread. This ensures that your bobbin thread is under the tension spring. Then take a small pin or needle and gently pull the part of the bobbin tension spring where the thread exits. Make sure there's no fuzz or lint under it. When you pull on the bobbin thread, you should feel tension. It should be quite a bit looser than your needle thread, but it still needs tension. If you're sure you have bobbin tension, then slowly back off the needle tension while sewing on 2 ply of your material. If you feel you don't have enough tension on your bobbin thread, your spring may be weak and needs to be bent. You can do this by removing both screws and bending the spring into a sharper curve. Then replace the screws, tightening the right hand screw all the way which secures it, and then adjusting the adjusting screw until you can feel tension. I use a magnetized screw driver on those little guy so you don't loose them. Regards, Eric

FYI. Freight from Edmonton to Post Falls, $110, 5 days. Regards, Eric

Aside from the 100+ machines I keep going at the factory, I still do side work. Charging $500-$1000 is a rip-off, plain and simple. Seriously, check the freight to Post Falls, ID, 83854. I'd rather have you pay the freight company for shipping just the head to me round trip. I'll get it purring and send it back. It's not the first time I've done that for folks. I just hate the thought of people getting ripped off. I still think you could check the timing yourself along with several other common settings. Regards, Eric

I disagree. I've seen plenty of home users learn how to set their timing. It's really not that complicated and on your machine, very easy to see. It's also something long term that you should learn how to do. You don't want to pay someone every time you have to reset your machine. If you want to check it, open the slide cover, remove the bobbin and turn the handwheel towards you until the tip of the hook is centered on the needle. Take as close up a picture as you can and let's have a look. I'm attaching a picture for you too see where the hook tip should be coming into the scarf (the little indentation in the needle). Regards, Eric

If it's a timing issue, the timing is probably retarded, meaning it's picking up the loop too late. When machines jam up and the hook tries to sew through the jam, the hook will slip, always to the retarded position(late). This condition is magnified when sewing in reverse. When trying to sew forward, the hook starts its trip around the hook too late while the take up lever is rising. With snug tension, it can fray or break the thread. Especially for a machine that was sewing fine to change that way, you should always check the timing. It could also explain why it appeared your check spring wasn't working correctly. Glad it's working somewhat better for you. Regards, Eric

Calculate the freight to Post Falls, ID 83854 for the head only. No charge for the repair. Seriously. Regards, Eric

That's some good advice there TinkerTailor. I get frustrated for folks trying to solve their issues on the internet when I know if I had 15 minutes in person with the machine it'd be purring in no time. Even though I make a really good living as a head mechanic in a factory, I still travel to upholstery shops, drapery shops, a mattress factory, and even a guy who makes hot air balloons. I charge a modest amount for travel, and just a fraction of what most repair places charge. I do it to help folks out, plus I'm a people person. I've even had people ship me the heads and I put it in one of my tables to fix. I'm convinced if you're going to have an industrial machine, you either need to learn yourself, or think outside the box a bit and find someone to make a house call. If you can find a sewing factory nearby, call and talk to their mechanic. You'd be surprised that most of us are willing to make house calls. I wish you the best of luck. Regards, Eric

Wiz is right. After watching your video, your check spring is hardly doing anything. It should be moving about 3 times the distance it is and you probably need to put more tension on it, in other words, when it's pulling against your thread, it should be pulling harder. It's entirely possible your check spring has come loose inside the tension unit and not only decreased it's travel distance, but also it's strength. That would explain why the machine was working good when you got it and now it's not. The manual should explain the exact adjustment for the check spring. If you can figure out how to readjust that, you'll have to re-balance your tensions. Regards, Eric

You're welcome CD. I wish I had more time to help folks. I need a Star Trek transporter to just pop in and take care things. Regards, Eric

I can tell by looking that your latch opener isn't set correctly. Loosen the screw and move that flat curved piece to the right. When the thread approaches the tab on the basket, your latch opener should be contacting the basket to make room for the thread to pass and set the stitch. Regards, Eric

The latch opener is a little piece that pulls the bobbin basket a bit counter-clockwise to allow the needle thread to pass between the small tab one the basket and the notch on the bottom of the throat plate. It can be checked with material in the machine, with the hook plate open so you can see the needle thread move over the top of the hook. If you search this forum, I go into the adjustment in great detail. I'm attaching a photo so you can identify the part and it's function. Regards, Eric

You should check your latch opener adjustment. It would explain why it worked better with thinner thread. Regards, Eric

No worries DC, I'm just glad some folks find my information and experience useful. I'm actually apprenticing a new mechanic right now and am putting together pdf's of my lecture time. I may end up making them all available here. I'm also recording more video and will putting it on my youtube. The mechanic I'm training will actually work in our Seattle factory, so I'll do part of his training online. Next time I'm in Seattle, I'll be making a video of our leather luggage factory. We make some really amazing luggage. Regards, Eric

On both the upper thread guide and the one just before the tension disk, I would only wrap the thread through the first and last holes, skipping the middle holes. That will allow you to increase the top tension and set your stitch, it's simply too loose. Make sure after you've pulled up the bobbin thread that you pull on it and make sure it didn't get tighter. Another cause of this with bonded nylon is that if you're hook timing is retarded some, The previous loop won't get pulled up all the way before the hook comes around and breaks it. Remember, a hook makes two revolutions for each stitch. The first is to pick up the loop, the second is to feed the material. If you know how, I'd also check the latch opener adjustment. If you search this forum, I go into great detail on how to check it. Good luck! Regards, Eric

It's common for that reset hook to go missing. I used to remove them so the operator had to call for help rather than just keep resetting the machine without clearing the jam. Save a lot of hooks and other parts that way. If I recall, I mention that in the video. If your machine spent any time in a factory, I'm sure I'm not the only one that's done the same thing. Regards, Eric

I've purchased about 20 Juki's in the last year. The quality is fairly consistent. It's more important that you learn how to use and maintain your machine. I usually recommend folks to seek out upholstery shops and simply ask them if you can pay for an hour of their time to go over the basics. This has worked for many people I've helped over the years. Most shops have a variety of machines and if you're pleasant and don't mind paying a bit for their knowledge, you can get some really good instruction that is almost impossible to achieve on the internet. It doesn't have to be the exact machine you end up getting. Have fun! Regards, Eric

While sewing with any speed, the needle on verticle hook machines deflects to the left. You can't see this deflection when just turning the machine over by hand. I move the hook close enough to just knick the needle as it passes, having begun the process by first bending the needle guard to the right. Set your hook tight enough to just deflect the needle a bit, then bend the needle guard to the left to push the needle away from the hook point, but leaving it very snug. This will accommodate most materials, needle choices and threads. Have fun! Regards, Eric

The Yamata sergers are similar to older Juki's. I may have an old manual at work, I'll check tomorrow for you. The 503 is a single needle serger, designed to prevent frayed edges on fabric like cotton or nylon. Without the second needle, the single needle version isn't really suitable for a joining stitch except on light material not subjected to stress. If you want to use it to trim and clean a regular seam, you can run a lockstitch seam about 1/8" next to it for a strong seam. Parts should still be available. If I have a manual, I'll gladly scan it and make it available as a pdf. Regards, Eric