Reasons For Needle Breaking

[donna]

I am a new owner of an older pfaff 1245. The needle is breaking way more than it should. (I am formerly a sewer on kenmore sewing machines and they never broker like this). Hubby is sewing up a purse and he has broken 3 today!! Once it bent.

Donna

[machinehead]

Let's start by identifying the needle system and size and also the size of thread you are using. Did they come with the machine?

[Art]

It may be the person doing the sewing. It is easy to try and pull the work while you are trying to put in a gusset or when stepping up or down in thickness. If you pull too hard, you will deflect the needle enough to strike the needle plate.

Art

I am a new owner of an older pfaff 1245. The needle is breaking way more than it should. (I am formerly a sewer on kenmore sewing machines and they never broker like this). Hubby is sewing up a purse and he has broken 3 today!! Once it bent.

Donna

[donna]

He was using a 100 needle and #69 thread top and bobbin. He just switched to needle 125 (because that is what we have) but he now is just hand turning the wheel because he doesn't want to plow through needles right now. His opinion currently is that the timing on the needle may be out of sinc with the foot. Needle is hitting slightly before the foot is...he is thinking he may need to retime the foot or needle. The needles came with the machine. 134/35 system.

Thankssss.

Donna

Let's start by identifying the needle system and size and also the size of thread you are using. Did they come with the machine?

[Wizcrafts]

If, as Art suggested, the material is being pulled out of the needle path, while guiding it, more pressor foot pressure might help keep it in line with the hole.

Try using a bigger needle, which is harder to bend.

Look at where the needle is positioned as it enters the hole in the feed dog. It should be centered. If not, realign the feeder positioning bracket underneath (fwd/bkwd_ rt-lft).

Breakage can also be cause if the needle hits the bobbin case instead of entering it freely.

A threaded needle going through tough leather (or thick hems) can deflect the needle sideways. If the pickup point touches a deflected needle, it can bend or break it. The giveaway is a soft tick sound as the point touches the eye of the needle, instead of just passing it and grabbing the thread loop. If this is happening, remove the cover plate, loosen the screws that secure the shuttle, but not so much that is spins on its own, and tap it slightly away from the needle, with the needle down and the point just at the eye. Then tighten it back up and see if the problem is resolved. The point should pass the eye without making contact with the metal. Do this with the largest needle size you intend to use.

Bad top-to-bottom timing can also cause needle problems. Watch the action of the triple feed parts, without any material or thread and see if the inside foot and tip of the needle makes contact with the rising, but not yet moving feed dog. If the dog is in forward/backward motion before the needle enters the top of the hole, the tip of the needle might pass too close to the edges of the hole. If this happens, the leather would cause further deflection and breakage.

Finally, if the top thread tension is too great for the needle size being used, the needle may be pulled sideways on the way through the material, causing it to make direct contact with either the bobbin case, or the pickup point. Try reducing the tension on the top and bottom threads.

On a related note to the above; look at the thread cone and make sure that the thread is not getting jammed or twisted over itself in the loop on top of the thread stand. This can cause sudden excessive top tension that might deflect your needle.

[steveh]

That pfaff 1245 takes a 190LR needle system for sewing leather, check and make sure that the machine has not been altered for the 134/35. You just might have the wrong needle?

[donna]

Thank you for all this information...very helpful and David will check it all out.

Donna

If, as Art suggested, the material is being pulled out of the needle path, while guiding it, more pressor foot pressure might help keep it in line with the hole.

Try using a bigger needle, which is harder to bend.

Look at where the needle is positioned as it enters the hole in the feed dog. It should be centered. If not, realign the feeder positioning bracket underneath (fwd/bkwd_ rt-lft).

Breakage can also be cause if the needle hits the bobbin case instead of entering it freely.

A threaded needle going through tough leather (or thick hems) can deflect the needle sideways. If the pickup point touches a deflected needle, it can bend or break it. The giveaway is a soft tick sound as the point touches the eye of the needle, instead of just passing it and grabbing the thread loop. If this is happening, remove the cover plate, loosen the screws that secure the shuttle, but not so much that is spins on its own, and tap it slightly away from the needle, with the needle down and the point just at the eye. Then tighten it back up and see if the problem is resolved. The point should pass the eye without making contact with the metal. Do this with the largest needle size you intend to use.

Bad top-to-bottom timing can also cause needle problems. Watch the action of the triple feed parts, without any material or thread and see if the inside foot and tip of the needle makes contact with the rising, but not yet moving feed dog. If the dog is in forward/backward motion before the needle enters the top of the hole, the tip of the needle might pass too close to the edges of the hole. If this happens, the leather would cause further deflection and breakage.

Finally, if the top thread tension is too great for the needle size being used, the needle may be pulled sideways on the way through the material, causing it to make direct contact with either the bobbin case, or the pickup point. Try reducing the tension on the top and bottom threads.

On a related note to the above; look at the thread cone and make sure that the thread is not getting jammed or twisted over itself in the loop on top of the thread stand. This can cause sudden excessive top tension that might deflect your needle.

[donna]

Hi Steve,

Sooooooooooo, after reading your reply, I plowed through the stack of info I had (manuals and such) and looked up the model of machine I have 706-47 601/CLPMN Then, I looked at all the needles I had given to us. You are right about the 190LR being the needles we need to use. The manual listed 134/35 but further research into the manuals confirms your answer...so thank you for that. It would have easily been overlooked. The needles we had given to us with machine are way too big I think 150's and 160's and were used for canvas (I believe as he made heavy coverings for airplanes). Should be 110 - 140 needles but I need to see what exactly will work for #69 and #92 threads.

Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuu.

Donna

That pfaff 1245 takes a 190LR needle system for sewing leather, check and make sure that the machine has not been altered for the 134/35. You just might have the wrong needle?

Edited December 16, 2010 by donna

[Art]

Hi Donna,

69 thread can be used with 100/16 all the way through 130/21

92 thread can be used with 120/19 up through 140/22

These are by all means just guidelines, your a application may require something different.

I have found that you can go pretty small as long as you don't start fraying thread or have excessive needle breakage. Slowing down will help with the needle breakage. For example, I use a 120/19 needle with 138 nylon thread without fraying and if I don't push it good needle life. This is way outside the recommended range but gives me the look I want. Look is much more important with leatherwork than textiles. Going too big on the other hand can cause problems with desired stitch length and possible skipped stitches.

Art

Hi Steve,

Sooooooooooo, after reading your reply, I plowed through the stack of info I had (manuals and such) and looked up the model of machine I have 706-47 601/CLPMN Then, I looked at all the needles I had given to us. You are right about the 190LR being the needles we need to use. The manual listed 134/35 but further research into the manuals confirms your answer...so thank you for that. It would have easily been overlooked. The needles we had given to us with machine are way too big I think 150's and 160's and were used for canvas (I believe as he made heavy coverings for airplanes). Should be 110 - 140 needles but I need to see what exactly will work for #69 and #92 threads.

Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuu.

Donna

[donna]

Thanks Art for chiming in and helping these leather newbies...truly appreciate it.

Donna

Hi Donna,

69 thread can be used with 100/16 all the way through 130/21

92 thread can be used with 120/19 up through 140/22

These are by all means just guidelines, your a application may require something different.

I have found that you can go pretty small as long as you don't start fraying thread or have excessive needle breakage. Slowing down will help with the needle breakage. For example, I use a 120/19 needle with 138 nylon thread without fraying and if I don't push it good needle life. This is way outside the recommended range but gives me the look I want. Look is much more important with leatherwork than textiles. Going too big on the other hand can cause problems with desired stitch length and possible skipped stitches.

Art