Cobra Class 26 needle not grabbing the bobbin thread

[ToddW]

ok.. kinda of embarrassing..  Bought the Cobra Class 26 new and been sitting in my leather room for over a year.  Most of my stuff, I can hand sew so just never tried.  Well.... this weekend, I decided to build a laptop slip case..  the Cobra shipped with a white thread and I changed it out to a beige thread to match the case.  I loaded a bobbin and threaded it via a youtube video..  On the thread that shipped with it, it ran stitches just fine.. with the threadding I did, the needle doesn't pick up the bobbin thread.. the needle pulls the bobbin thread to start but does not catch it while stitching.  while threading the needle, I had to lower the needle a bit as it would not thread through that hole on the shaft above the needle.. my theory is that I have the timing off or something.  If I raise the needle back up, I can't thread the thread through that hole above the base of the needle.

I watched a bunch of video's and don't have any thread down in the bobbin area. The machine moves freely which is why I am thinking its a timing issue.  

 

Thoughts??

[AlZilla]

3 hours ago, ToddW said:

On the thread that shipped with it, it ran stitches just fine.. with the threadding I did, the needle doesn't pick up the bobbin thread.. the needle pulls the bobbin thread to start but does not catch it while stitching.

The Sewing Machine Sages will be along shortly with their incredible insight. Meanwhile, one rookie to another, if it was stitching right up until you rethreaded it with different thread, and now it's not, I'd say the problem lies with the thread or the threading.  That's what changed.

Did you change thread size and maybe throw the upper tension off?  Also, I'd look closely at that thread path and make sure it's threaded exactly the way the seller wants it done.

But since you have a Cobra, I'd call Leather Machine Co. They have a stellar reputation for customer support and I'd be surprised if they don't have it sorted in a few minutes over the phone.

[ToddW]

I agree.. its on me somehow :-). I'm pretty sure the path is correct.. I do believe the thread is thinner, I did have to shift the needle down from original config to allow the thread to pass through the shaft..  I have played with the top tension..

[Wizcrafts]

Make sure the needle is aligned with the rib on the left and scarf on the right. The needle should be inserted all the way up into the needle bar hole. The needle should be System 135x16 (leather), or 135x17 (cloth). It is remotely possible that you have the wrong needle system, thus it is too short to reach the hook. The proper system 135x17 needle length is 43.8mm, or 1.72 inches, from the top of the shank to the tip. Some leather points may be very slightly shorter than the round points.

[DonInReno]

If you had to move the needle to pass thread through it, you threaded the wrong hole.  The upper hole is a sight hole to see that the needle is seated all the way in - the lower hole gets the thread.

As others have said, make sure the thread is passing through the eye of the needle in the correct direction - left to right.  Since the needle was moved, make sure to put it back correctly - round needles rely on you to line them up correctly.

 

[ToddW]

On 4/10/2023 at 4:55 PM, DonInReno said:

If you had to move the needle to pass thread through it, you threaded the wrong hole.  The upper hole is a sight hole to see that the needle is seated all the way in - the lower hole gets the thread.

As others have said, make sure the thread is passing through the eye of the needle in the correct direction - left to right.  Since the needle was moved, make sure to put it back correctly - round needles rely on you to line them up correctly.

This is probably what is going on..