Corvus Report post Posted May 8, 2011 Well, after a good 6 months wait I've finally got my Cobra Class 4!! So here i am on a Sunday afternoon trying to get the thing going :-) The problem I'm having seems to be that the top thread more or less jams through the second tensioner. I adjusted the tensioners and got one good row of stitching out of it but then had the same problem again. I'm as sure as I can be that I'm threading the machine right. Obviously I'll contact Steve tomorrow if necessary but i just thought someone here might know the answer. I'm using the needle and thread it shipped with. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lws380 Report post Posted May 8, 2011 Well, after a good 6 months wait I've finally got my Cobra Class 4!! So here i am on a Sunday afternoon trying to get the thing going :-) The problem I'm having seems to be that the top thread more or less jams through the second tensioner. I adjusted the tensioners and got one good row of stitching out of it but then had the same problem again. I'm as sure as I can be that I'm threading the machine right. Obviously I'll contact Steve tomorrow if necessary but i just thought someone here might know the answer. I'm using the needle and thread it shipped with. I'm by no means an expert. But i was having some sewing problems with thread tension particularly when I changed color of threads. I finally just loosened both tension screws all the way out and started over with both. Just unscrew the tension screws all the way. Then restart just until the adjustment screws start to catch. Then turn each one the exact amount of turns. It took 3-4 full turns (for each) with mine using a #24 needle and 277 thread top and bottom. When it gots close to correct, I would tighten the top tension just slightly (1/4 turn or less) to get it right. Also make sure the threading is right. You mentioned the second tensioner, so make sure the thread is betweeen the little curved wheels. I have had it come over the wheels when making the second wrap around. It helps to use good lighting to see as you thread. follow threading directions as in the manual. Good luck. Call Steve for more info, he is good about explaining what to do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Corvus Report post Posted May 8, 2011 I'm by no means an expert. But i was having some sewing problems with thread tension particularly when I changed color of threads. I finally just loosened both tension screws all the way out and started over with both. Just unscrew the tension screws all the way. Then restart just until the adjustment screws start to catch. Then turn each one the exact amount of turns. It took 3-4 full turns (for each) with mine using a #24 needle and 277 thread top and bottom. When it gots close to correct, I would tighten the top tension just slightly (1/4 turn or less) to get it right. Also make sure the threading is right. You mentioned the second tensioner, so make sure the thread is betweeen the little curved wheels. I have had it come over the wheels when making the second wrap around. It helps to use good lighting to see as you thread. follow threading directions as in the manual. Good luck. Call Steve for more info, he is good about explaining what to do. Thank you very much for your reply, I'll try that out with the tensioners. I will phone Steve as soon as it's 'office hours' if I can't sort it out :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted May 8, 2011 I have learned to thread the top this way, to avoid jump-offs: After coming down from the top tension disks, feed the thread through the twisted steel eye on the bottom disk array and to the left side of the disk. Go around the inner disk twice, counterclockwise, then back up through the same guide - to the eye of the check spring, then up the the take-up lever, etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Corvus Report post Posted May 8, 2011 I have learned to thread the top this way, to avoid jump-offs: After coming down from the top tension disks, feed the thread through the twisted steel eye on the bottom disk array and to the left side of the disk. Go around the inner disk twice, counterclockwise, then back up through the same guide - to the eye of the check spring, then up the the take-up lever, etc. Thank you for replying Wizcrafts, I'm certainly threading it up right but I'm pretty sure the tension is too much. Even loosening both sets of tension plates off as much as they will go and then threading up as you describe I'm finding that once the thread is through the second tensioner it is so tight that I can barely pull any thread through by hand ... this surely can't be right? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lws380 Report post Posted May 8, 2011 (edited) Thank you for replying Wizcrafts, I'm certainly threading it up right but I'm pretty sure the tension is too much. Even loosening both sets of tension plates off as much as they will go and then threading up as you describe I'm finding that once the thread is through the second tensioner it is so tight that I can barely pull any thread through by hand ... this surely can't be right? If I try to pull the thread through the second tension it is nearly impossible unless: 1) I depress the tension foot pedal/presser foot or 2) pull extra string from the first tension before pulling through the second tension. When you push the presser foot pedal the tension loosens on the top tension screw as the presser foot comes up. Can you post a picture/pictures of how it is threaded? Also, make sure the bobbin thread did not come loose from the center of the bobbin. Sometimes when I change bobbins, the thread does not seat right in the middle hole of the bobbin. I have to open the end and check to make sure it is in the right place. Edited May 8, 2011 by lws380 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KAYAK45 Report post Posted May 8, 2011 Hello folks. Glad to see Wiz and his remarks on using the eye twice, I found that the best way on my cowboy and felt guilty not following the "BOOK". Gotta follow the BOOK, even when written in china,...... except when you find a better way. Again glad I'm not alone in this trespass. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GrampaJoel Report post Posted May 8, 2011 I have a cobra 4 and I have found that the little knurled thread tension knobs are a sewing persons best friends. Play with those knobs and sew a stitch a few inches long. Then adjust some more and sew some more. Repeat until you get the stitch you want. Also be careful when pulling your thread with the foot pedal pressed. If there is excess thread not taken up it will wrap around something you surely don't want it to. Remember when in peril, Call Steve. He knows the answer. Joel Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted May 9, 2011 Thank you for replying Wizcrafts, I'm certainly threading it up right but I'm pretty sure the tension is too much. Even loosening both sets of tension plates off as much as they will go and then threading up as you describe I'm finding that once the thread is through the second tensioner it is so tight that I can barely pull any thread through by hand ... this surely can't be right? The top thread is sticking somewhere along its path. Examine the mobility of the top thread at each of these points: At the spool. The thread should feed freely off the spool, without catching itself under other threads, or under the spool itself, then up to the back and out the front of the thread guide hole in the horizontal bar above that spool. At the post on top of the machine. If you have wrapped the thread around the post, change it to just feed through one hole, preferably inline. The top and bottom holes are almost inline with the top tensioner. The middles ones are at an angle and give more resistance. The top tensioner thread guide. Feed the thread through it from the post, then up, then around and inside the disks, back through the hole in the guide Here is where you may find your problem. When the thread exits the thread guide in front of the top tensioner, it must feed down at an angle to get to the bottom disks. There is a pointed steel bracket that pivots on a center hole, which shoves the point inside the top tension disks when you lift the pressor feet. Lift the feet with the manual lever and look to see if the thread is getting jammed under the point of the tension release. Then, step on the right foot pedal lifter, lifting the feet all the way up and see if the point has now caught the top thread, or not. If the tension release lever is catching the thread, change the path so that the thread feeds through the guide only on entry, then up and around the top disks twice, then straight down to the bottom disks. Feed the thread through the guide over the bottom disk, then counterclockwise, 1 1/2 turns around the disks, then back through the hole in the guide. Lift the pressor feet (lever or foot lifter) and see if the thread pulls smoothly. If so, feed it through the eye of the check spring, then up to the take-up lever. If the thread is not easily pulled, revisit its path to find where it is jamming. After exiting the take-up lever, feed the thread through one of the holes in the pull tab thread guide half way down the front plate. Feed the thread through the twisted spring hole above the needlebar Feed the thread through the hole directly over the needle Lift the feet and pull the thread. It should give smoothly, with a reasonable tug. Thread it through the eye of the needle and see if the problem persists. Adjust the top thread tension spring for moderate pressure, and balance the bobbin spring to allow the knots to go into the middle of the layers being sewn. BTW: feed the bobbin thread backwards, into the slit in the bobbin case. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Corvus Report post Posted May 9, 2011 Thanks very much for all the responses Got up today ready to do battle with the beast and it all seems to have gone surprisingly smoothly. I hadn't got the thread threaded through the eye on the spool holder, OH pointed this out and I do think it was not helping matters. Re-threaded it all carefully and loosened the tension nuts right off and then started tightening them until the stitch looked right and it seems to work! It's an impressive beast! All the waiting and hassle to get it here suddenly seems worth it!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted May 9, 2011 Thanks very much for all the responses Got up today ready to do battle with the beast and it all seems to have gone surprisingly smoothly. I hadn't got the thread threaded through the eye on the spool holder, OH pointed this out and I do think it was not helping matters. You absolutely must feed the thread off the top of the spool! Industrial spools are not designed to be fed sideways, such as home machine spools are. The way they are wound requires top feed. When you open a new spool of thread and begin to loosen the threads, make sure you completely free the end from being under any other thread. If the thread gets caught underneath previous rows binding will occur. Sometimes, I see top thread coming loose on the spool and getting caught under the spool mount. This always causes the top thread to jam up. This leads to knots on top of the leather and often, tiny stitches. This can even cause perforation of the leather. A properly tensioned 441 or 205 stitcher will allow you to pull the threads will little effort, with the pressor feet lifted and top tension disks released. If you have to yank the top thread by hand, something is not right, or is less right than it could be. It is a good idea to check on the action of the thread release crank and make sure it spreads the top disks, without capturing the thread in the process. Note: if you remove the front cover plate to oil the machine, pay attention to the position of the pressure release crank as you reinstall the plate. It tends to drop down and out of position and may not work at all (to release tension). Make sure the release lever is up, into the upper disks, as you reinstall the face plate. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
