miaoreo

Hey Eric... Please forgive my long absence.. My Mother passed and I have not had time to sew in months... I had to take care of her estate, then the holidays... and well you get the picture. I just started sewing again and the Singer still works like a charm... Mia

Awesome Eric! That looks wonderful... I can't imagine sewing anything much thicker... and if I do I will be shopping for a new machine.( you know who....) cant wait to get it, and start sewing again. Cannot thank you enough. Mia

Kat you may want to read Eric's thread on "Rebirth of a Singer 211G155" that is my machine he is working on. I had many of the same issues/problems like yours. Everyone here is very helpful and if you can post specific issues with pictures, I am sure you will get help. Just my .02 worth. Mia

If I may chime in here... I did take material with me before I bought it... and it DID sew it. Apparently there were so many things wrong with the machine, that either in the course of moving it or my inept tinkering, I made it much worse. So much worse that it became impossible to sew on it. I am so very truly grateful to EVERYONE here for their advice. But Especially to Eric who has taken it under his wing to give it a new life. Mia

And this is Mia doing a Happy Dance! I cannot thank you enough Eric!

Again thank you everyone... and although I am female, I am pretty mechanically inclined. Everything everyone is saying makes sense it is just hard to take the words and visualize what you are telling me to do. I did have a tension issue. Let me start over by saying I bought the machine used, very used. SOMEONE had worked on it previously as some parts, were missing and some parts had been replaced, It is obvious where an improper screwdriver was used and the slot in the screw head is abraded. The machine was already set up with the longer (190) needle system. Tor, I fixed the issue of the thread jumping out of the tension disks. Yes it was a separate post. I believe I resolved the tension issue but in my tinkering and jamming up the machine with loops of thread in the process somehow it has developed this issue of abrading and breaking the thread. It WOULD sew denim and thinner leather, now it wont sew anything at all without breaking the thread. So somehow I have made the issue worse. Eric, If I am reading your post correctly, you adjust the hook TOWARD the needle and bend the guard OUT also toward the needle?

First let me say THANK You to everyone here... I am not an idiot, this machine is just frustrating me. Grant I did remove the bobbin case, all looks good there. No thread or rough sports and it is good and tight. (thank you for giving me the courage to attack those tiny screws) I did find a rough spot actually above the needle on the lower edge of the thread lubricator, where the thread had cut a groove in the metal, amazing. I polished that down smooth. I will look again, and feel, for any lines on the the needle bar, and if none go hunt up a carbide scribe. And yes, it is a journey, Consider it a day wasted you don't learn something. I agree the tension problem is mostly resolved and this has to be a timing/hook thing...

Well I am just ready to throw this thing out the window.. If I could lift it.... Nothing works. Obviously someone changed the needle bar to use these longer needles. There are no scribe marks on it that I can see. The Thread still frays and breaks. The thread "Frays' in such a way that in one or two stitches it breaks. I took a couple of photos, with two different threads same results. This is just turning the flywheel by hand and this happens.

" the first thing I would like you to do is 1) turn off machine insert on sheet of paper under pressers 2) with needle out of the machine and no thread turn flywheel while slightly tugging on the paper. It should be pull through the machine and if you tug too hard on paper to resist feed, the machine should tear it. If you are using smooth bottom presser feet you should see no teeth indentations on needle side of paper or very faint ones from feed dogs. If the paper does not feed or you can pull back on the paper your presser bar height need to be set following the manual." Did this.... feed dogs pull paper thru, and if I tug on paper too hard it will tear. Feet and dogs have teeth. there is impression from dogs on bottom of paper. Best I can tell Rise of 'pressor feet' is about 4 or 5 mm. Looking for a magnet right now, not messing with those tiny screws until I find one! LOL

HELP PLEASE 1. Grant wrote... and others suggested.. to " Remove your bobbin case (remove three tiny screws) and inspect where the thread exits the bobbin case and ensure no burrs and that no thread is wrapped around the hook shaft" These are the tiniest screw heads imaginable... My jewelers screwdrivers are too long to fit under the machine and be straight up and down to remove the screws. What kind of screwdrivers do you have/where to get them to take the bobbin case out???? 2. See attached picture. This is underside of 2 layers of garment leather. Uninterrupted line of stitching except to lift and turn at the point of the diamond. Still getting LOOPS on the bottom. But intermittently, sews fine, then loops. Oh and I changed the needle... still breaks the thread.

Wow Grant... thank you... a lot to digest... I will work on your suggestions and let you know what happens.. thanks again Mia

Mine doesn't seem to "relax"... I am not where I can examine the machine right now. But will do so later this evening... thanks!

Perfect video! Yes.. but on mine the thread is tight, very tight and rubs hard on the latch opener.

Go around yes, but it is literally 'dragging' across the top and catching on the Latch opener contact point. I will check for burrs tho, thanks.

I think I have narrowed down my thread breaking issue.. by sewing slowly with the bobbin cover off I can see the hook grab the thread, It is DRAGGING the thread across the top of the bobbin! 4 or 5 stitches of this abuse and the thread frays and breaks... not right at all... What Have I DONE? I read a previous long post on 211G155, dont know if it is the one you were referring too Eric. But in it Wiz posted this information about timing... "You've probably knocked the shuttle out of time.Does your machine have a push button on the bed, near the inside bobbin cover? If so, unthread the needle, then press and hold down on the button and turn the handwheel toward you until you hear and feel a distinct click. That would be the shuttle returning to the timed position, or close to it." There is a Button on the bed, but my manual says it is to change the stich length........ Help!

Thank you Wiz, for the explanation. Mia.

Oh and in case anyone is interested. Here is what I am sewing... Mia

Ok I think what you are describing is exactly what is going on now. By sewing verrrrrryyyyyy slowly, like one stitch at a time. Basically slipping the clutch and turning the flywheel by hand. I can get it to sew the thicker material. The tiny tiny tiny screw for adjusting the bobbin thread tension I cannot turn. I took my screwdriver for my eyeglasses and tried. The slot in that screw is so shallow I can get no grip on it. The needle I am using is a Groz-Beckert 190 something, picture attached. What would be the next size... Needle sizing charts baffle me. And Yes, I know that is not the specified needle system for a 211G155 but those were too short.

Eric... I can hear the "snap" now when the thread break. So does this mean the tension is too tight or too loose? and top or bottom tension? Thanks again for your time. Mia

Thanks again.... Eric, Videos really do help. I have a small nerf football under the pedal (read that here, somewhere) Anne.... what is a "grub screw"? Sorry I have no idea.

OH Eric... fun? Fun would be machine sewing and not skipping stitches, and breaking thread.... seem to have solved the 'loops' tension problem. But it still skips stitches and breaks the thread. Pictures attached. Seems to happen Most OFTEN when my "less that perfect" control of the foot feed, lets it go too fast. Sure wish I had a servo motor....

Thanks Eric... appreciate the help.. I am gradually getting the hang of this. I will try your suggestions tommorrow. I put a small white mark on the tension adj nut, with liquid white out. So I can "see" how far I have tightened the tension down. By adjusting 1/2 turn at a time I am getting better control. I also found I am suffering from what my father used to call "Operator Ineptitude". For 40 years I have sewn on a home machine with a knee control. This whole knee lever/foot feed is new to my brain. I discovered I was unconciously pressing the knee lever when I was sewing!!! DUH!! Tension released = Loops!!! Retrain the brain.

OK making progress, slowly... all back together. Wound new bobbin, re-threaded machine, new needle with leather point. Sews 4 layers of denim fine, sews 2 layers of wool rug/blanker fine, when I added a layer of garment leather, (soft) to the 2 layers of rug/blanket BAM! loopy threads on bottom and thread breaks after about 8 stitches.... darn... Help! Please!

Wow, thanks.... good ideas... Mia

OH Good GRIEF! A friend at work suggested I follow the path from the knee lever up to where raising the foot releases the tension disks. I did not have to go far. Who ever looks at the BACK side of their machine? The "knee lifter lifting Lever" is not properly inserted and is barely catching the lever that lifts the foot and not engaging the tension release AT ALL! I just hope that down the road my experience will help someone else trying to stumble upon their problem. Now, my problem is getting that big screw out that holds the lever in place. Well upon remove I find I have the wrong lever, it is marked Singer 508274 and the manual calls for part # 514047. The difference being the little arm that comes off the lever at a 90 degree angle has a 90 degree turn in it and will catch the lift for the foot. Whomever worked on this machine last, obviously did not know what they were doing... Well neither do I but at least I can see what is wrong. Mia