Dave9111

I did obtain some #23 needles. I now have some Groz-Beckert chrome needles and then I found some Groz Beckert Gebedur Titanium needles. Ill try these out this week and let you know what happens. Its threaded properly.

Answering my own question: I pulled apart the stitch length control mechanism behind the knob. There is a cam in there that accepts a pin. The pin moves the stitch length mechanism which changes the looper tensioner and the feed stitch length. The pin was off the cam apparently. Putting it back together after cleaning and oiling and I can now change the stitch length and get rid of the fabric bunching in front of the puller. The puller and feed dogs now work together. Time to put the machine on a stand with a servo motor.

I bought a Pfaff 5642 two thread chainstitch machine. Yes, I know its a 401 chain stitch machine (like the hem on jean pant legs) but I have wanted to try one out after seeing so much commercial canvas sewn with one. I think its a late 80's machine. Not having a bobbin is a big advantage when doing larger canvas projects. This machine is built like a tank. I've seen engine blocks with thinner cast iron. This machine has a built in fabric puller. The bottom roller is knurled steel and the top roller is soft rubber. When running the machine by hand, its obvious that the puller lags the feed dog. Material begins to bunch up in front of the puller. I pulled the center cover off the machine, and the shaft that drives the feed dog is geared to the bottom puller drive roller. So it appears that the puller "pull" is a fixed amount for every stitch. Does that mean that the puller dictates the stitch length? I'm new to "pullers". If I make the puller drive roller larger in diameter, more material will be moved for each stitch. I could make a bigger drive roll or temporarily wrap friction tape around it to make it bigger. What do you think? Per the manual, the stitch length is adjustable per a handwheel at the right side of the machine but that doesn't seem to be doing much. Perhaps I need to tear into that to see if something has fallen out, disconnected itself etc. Every machine I have purchased has had something wrong with it. This is likely not an exception. But at least it sews, nothing is worn loose, and internally it is very clean. Thanks!

Thanks guys. The little plastic pots I've seen say v69 thread max. But maybe thats wrong. I really thought a 22 needle should be big enough but ill get some 23s and consider your needle brand recommendations. Im sewing mostly through two layers of WeatherMax 80 poly canvas and sometimes also two layers of polyester binding. With the dense binding it can be a challenge.

No. Im using a #22 needle with V138. If i lube the thread, no issues at all. I take the spool off the spool rack and spray it with silicone lube. (A bit messy). But of course it not consistently lubed throughout the spool. I think a lubricator would solve the issues. I like things to "just work". Thanks for the reply!

I have issues sometimes with heavier thread, like V138 shredding at the needle on my Pfaff 1245. I have sprayed my thread spool with silicone spray and that helps but its not consistent. Perhaps I need to spray it more consistently? I went looking for thread lubricators and not many are available. None looked worth the $. Many said V69 and below. Im pretty sure many more were available years ago? Should I make one? What do you guys do? Dave

The right hand twist thread arrived yesterday. Its a V138 bonded polyester that looks nearly identical to the Dabond polyester that I have been using. I did nothing to the machine other than remove the existing left needle thread that was a left twist thread (Z twist - standard thread) and I replaced it with the right twist (S Twist) thread. Wow, what a difference! No unraveling at all. The stitches on the right and left side now look the same. The left top thread looked a little odd before. Not a huge issue, but they did look different. If you have a dual needle machine and the left needle thread is unraveling, get some right twist thread. I bought the thread from "The Thread Exchange" in North Carolina. I think it was $29 plus $10 shipping for a pound. Trivantage has right twist thread as well, but I don't have an account with them yet. Trivantage also has right twist thread in PTFE in V90 and V138. Here are the threads slack in the machine after sewing about 15 feet of stitches. Notice that both thread are wound tight, no unraveling. Compare this to the picture above with the left hand twist thread in the left needle.

Thanks Wizcrafts. I'll look into that. I'll also let you know if the right hand twist thread fixes this issue or not. The thread post that Michiel showed might help.

Thread post. Interesting idea. There aren't traditional thread posts on this machine. They are identical to the ones in video. The post is horizontal and has one hole in the side of it, then the post becomes tubular and the thread goes through the tube. Pretty odd. None of my other machines have that type of post/guide. I have one wrap around the post before the thread goes into the tube.. Now I wonder would would happen if I put several wraps around the post?? Hmmmmm.......

>>As an experiment, try using only the left needle and feed the right thread to its guide hole. I did that and I isolated the problem to the left hook which simply untwists the thread. I also checked for burrs everywhere. However per Constabulary's mention of the thread lubricator, I found a piece of foam, cut it and and pushed it into the holder and lubed it with sewing machine oil and put the threads behind the foam. I also re-threaded the machine per the video, which is how it was threaded when I got the machine. I had cleaned the tension mechanism when I took it all apart looking for burrs. Nothing was found but there was a lot of dirt/gunk in the disks. Now the tension system seems to be much smoother than when I first got the machine. The gunk must have been affecting the tension mechanism. Now everything is different. The left hook is still untwisting the thread. Yet the machine runs ok now, even at high speed, and the stitches look good. So I think the only way to get rid of the untwisting is to use the right hand twist thread as was mentioned at the beginning of this message thread. However it is really nice that I can now run regular left hand twist thread and the machine will function! :-) The fact that the thread is untwisted somewhat is not great, but its not very noticeable in the finished stitches. Still, I think having a right hand twist thread in the left needle would be better. I have a pound of V138 right hand twist, on its way. With the thread lubricator/guide in place, the thread is apparently under better control between the takeup arm and the thread guides at the needle bar. I wonder how long my "foam" lubricator block will last. I used a small piece of foam carpet padding as the donor material for the lubricator block. I think it is polyurethane foam. I added a pict of the current machine threading and the results of my latest test run. The unraveling of the left thread is not obvious in the picture since the takeup arm is up all the ways so the threads are under some tension. The test run is about 24 feet of stitching. About half of it at full speed, which I think is about 2300 spm. There are some double stitches in there as I was testing the reverse as well. Anyway, I am going to consider this problem solved for now. I'll let you know how the right hand twist thread does when I get it. I think the key fix was the lubricator/thread guide, which keeps the threads under better control. I'm always amazed at how much a little, seeming insignificant change like this can really make a huge difference on a sewing machine. Thanks for the help everyone!

Thanks for the reply! So that's a thread oiler/guide. That makes sense. Thanks for the parts reference. I went and looked at the machine again and both of the hooks rotate clockwise. But only the left thread has this issue. Do both of your machines hooks rotate clockwise as well? I have always used bonded polyester thread as it is the most common thread in the US for sewing Polyester Canvas and boat sails. But like I mentioned, the thread is easily untwisted. So its not very "bonded". I didn't notice the error in his tensioning setup. Does your machine also have the small pins next the friction disks in the tension mechanism? Do you wrap the thread around those pins as he mentions in the video? I was doing that and I was getting inconsistent tension, so I rerouted the threads to not use the small pins and tension control seems to be improved. I thought that perhaps pulling the thread around the pin might be unraveling the thread, but that was not the case. Here is a picture of my left thread after sewing a few feet of stitches. Its unraveled all the way up to the takeup. I wonder if the thread you use is more tightly wound than the thread I am using. Perhaps it is untwisting, but not enough to show the individual strands? Thanks, Dave

Sorry to resurrect a sleeping message thread but I have the same issue, I think. I just bought what appears to be a Consew 339RB clone. Its a double needle machine. The guy I bought it from complained that it had issues and he mentioned issues with the left needle shredding the thread. I re-timed the right hook and that solved most of the issues. However, the outside/left top thread keeps untwisting and after several feet of stitching, the top left thread is not a thread but a number of loose filaments! The left hook is apparently unwinding the left/outside top thread. I ran into this message thread looking for a solution. I tried both V92 and V138 thread and some different versions of bonded poly and the left hook is very effective at unwinding the left top thread no matter what. "Bonded" Poly is not THAT bonded! However, after looking at another Youtube video of a very similar machine, I realized that there is supposed to be a wad of cotton, foam, or felt that holds the threads leading to the needles up against the machine. My machine has the chrome "wad of felt/cotton holder" but the wad is missing. Could the purpose of that wad of cotton also be to keep the thread from unwinding back to the tension mechanism? Look here at 2:25 and you can see the chrome cotton holder and the cotton pressing the thread against the machine. I did find some right twist thread online and I have a pound of White V138 coming but this right twist thread is pretty rare. Trivantage has some, but I'm not a customer, but even then they only have it in black and white. So is this a burden that users of double needle machines must deal with? I thought I would just lube it, load it up with thread, correct the timing and it would work fine with "standard" left hand twist thread. Not so. Thanks, Dave

Ok... say you want a new cutting die? Do you guys have one made or do you make it yourself or ? I have a large hydraulic press that was used to die cut foam board for years. I have some dies for it but they are all circles of different diameters. It has about 6" of open space and is 48" wide or so. Its a two post design. I'd like to use it to cut fabric, leather, heavy vinyl etc? Dave

I have miss-threaded sewing machines in so many different ways..... I tell myself I do that because I am creative.... but that may not be the issue! ;-)

Hi Dave84, What machine is this ? Have you checked your needle plate, feed dog for burrs? Needle strikes on the edge of the needle hole can cut the thread. Another possible issue: If you don't have a sufficient gap around the nib on the bobbin carrier that engages with the needle plate. There is a nib (I don't know its real name) that hold the thread on bobbin carrier to form the loop around the bobbin carrier. (The bobbin carrier is held stationary inside the rotating hook by this nib) That nib engages in a notch in the needle plate and prevents the bobbin carrier from rotating so the thread is pulled out of the bobbin carrier. If the clearance between the nib and the notch is not sufficient, you will break your thread every time. This happens if you run large thread through a machine setup for thin thread. The only way I know how to set this gap is to move the hook away from the needle plate. I've never had to do that. Was the hook replaced in this machine? If so perhaps the gap was not properly set? 69 Cougar... nice car! Dave