winding bobbin by hand or by drill

[esantoro]

Do those of you who wind bobbins by hand or by drill ever feel that sometimes bobbin tension isn't as consistent as it could be if wound on the machine?

I had liked the idea of not having to run my 441 just to wind bobbins since I have only one cone of each type and color of thread, but bobbin tension doesn't seem to be consistent. I also think that when I do it by hand or by drill I've got to pay more attention to which direction I wind the bobbin, clockwise or counter clockwise.

I think I just may go back to prewinding bobbins on my machine and cut out another variable in the guess work.

ed

[bruce johnson]

Ed,

I really don't see a noticeable difference. Some I wind on the 2000, some I do with the drill. If I have a long run (rein day), I wind all the empties I have at once on the drill. Faster for me to do that than to change out bobbins on the machine, set the next one, do it over. I don't much care for the winders that bind on the belt, so I never installed it on the 1245, all those I use the drill.

I tension with my thumb and forefinger, so tension is pretty consistant. I dont see tension as much of a factor, as long as it is consistant. The biggest tensioner is on the bobbin case, not how tight the bobbin is wound on the spool. Biggest advantage I have with doing them with the drill is I can evenly wind them. No glob in the center and tapered ends. That is what catches and binds sometimes as you sew. My experience.

[barra]

Threading the bobbin thread thru the tensioner disks on the winder is a pain in the backside. I tension by running the thread around my shears handle or by using the thumb and fore finger depending on my whim at the moment.

Bruce, doesn't your 1245 have a bobbin winder on the front of the arm????

Barra

[bcurrier]

Applying tension only aids winding the bobbin. It doesn't add tension to the bobbin thread itself. There is no thread tension in the windings to speak of. The only tension provided is by the bobbin case.

Bill

[esantoro]

Applying tension only aids winding the bobbin. It doesn't add tension to the bobbin thread itself. There is no thread tension in the windings to speak of. The only tension provided is by the bobbin case.

Bill

I was thinking that if the thread is not wound on the bobbin in a consistent fashion, the thread would not pull of the bobbin in a consistent manner. Lately, I've had a few bobbin threads snag on the bobbin spool itself, nothing else. I attributed it to my hand or drill winding: too tight , not tight enough.

ed

[bruce johnson]

Barra,

I have Ferdco's 1245, a clone of the Pfaff. Nope, no bobbin winder on the machine. Good little machine though. I have had it for a year, still waiting for the first skipped stitch once I got the tensions set to my likings. Apparently there are other "1245s". On the boot and shoemakers forum, they talked about about the 1245, but one that is a post machine totally unrelated in any recognizable form to the Pfaff or the clones of it. Silly me, I thought I knew the answer.

Ed,

I think the key to bobbins is to have an even tension and wind them level. A softer lie and then harder tension over that can dig a thread in, and it may drag when feeding. If the drag is more than the cast tension, it will pull tighter. That would be the only situation I could see where bobbon winding tension could be an issue. Likewise an uneven bobbin where the thread is feeding from low, and rides into the blob of thread above it and catches might be a problem. Think level-wind like the old baitcasting fishing reels.

[Ken Nelson]

I use a remote bobbin winder and they can be purchased, factory made for about $100.00. I built one, used belt driven industrial winder, put a household sewing motor on to drive it and it works great. FAST, with a lot of control and cheap to build. I mounted it on the wall out of the way. Handy as all get out.

[esantoro]

Barra,

I have Ferdco's 1245, a clone of the Pfaff. Nope, no bobbin winder on the machine. Good little machine though. I have had it for a year, still waiting for the first skipped stitch once I got the tensions set to my likings. Apparently there are other "1245s". On the boot and shoemakers forum, they talked about about the 1245, but one that is a post machine totally unrelated in any recognizable form to the Pfaff or the clones of it. Silly me, I thought I knew the answer.

Ed,

I think the key to bobbins is to have an even tension and wind them level. A softer lie and then harder tension over that can dig a thread in, and it may drag when feeding. If the drag is more than the cast tension, it will pull tighter. That would be the only situation I could see where bobbon winding tension could be an issue. Likewise an uneven bobbin where the thread is feeding from low, and rides into the blob of thread above it and catches might be a problem. Think level-wind like the old baitcasting fishing reels.

Bruce,

If you wind by hand or by drill, do you have to make sure the bobbin spins clockwise or counterclockwise?

ed

[Art]

Hi Ed,

As most bobbins are symmetrical, that doesn't make any difference. However counter clockwise is faster when you figure in the rotation of the earth.

Art

Bruce,

If you wind by hand or by drill, do you have to make sure the bobbin spins clockwise or counterclockwise?

ed

[esantoro]

Hi Ed,

As most bobbins are symmetrical, that doesn't make any difference. However counter clockwise is faster when you figure in the rotation of the earth.

Art

Should I also account for gravitational pull and altitutde?

Seriously, I read or heard somewhere that because of the way the thread is twisted winding one direction or the other affects how the thread will come off the bottom. One direction will allow the thread to fall off the bobbin too easily rather than staying wound. I haven't really noticed any difference but it sounded as if it made sense.

ed

[bruce johnson]

Ed,

I am going to add another factor in here. I look at which way the drain water swirls. No, seriously, I don't think it makes much difference with thread. It matters how you load the bobbin and the direction it unwinds in the case. If it is the wrong way, swap the bobbin end for end. Kind of like the great "toilet paper unwinding over the top or from the bottom" debate one of those inane newspaper advice columnists supported themselves with a few years back.

That said, I usually wind my bobbins the way it was wound on the spool. I lay my bobbin supply spools in a drawer and unwind them clockwise (viewed from the bottom of the spool) from the side letting them spin in the drawer, and onto the bobbin clockwise. My logic with the lay of ropes, and unwinding or winding hose and barbwire tells me that should be right. In real life, bobbin winders on machines unwind from the top, and so will feed coils onto the bobbin. If it is the direction to tighten the thread twist or unwind it, I am not sure. Obviously not a huge concern of the sewing industry, because they all do it. When I cut the bobbin thread from the main spool, I usually get about 6-10" that springs off. I just figure that as my tag end. My two cents worth.