Help With New Pfaff 335

[starvist]

I am about to throw my new Pfaff out the window (if I could lift it, it would already be gone)! Hi everyone I'm new here and new to sewing leather with a compound walking foot machine!

I got a great deal on a new Pfaff 335 cylinder arm machine. I mostly make pursers/handbags, and just recently started working with leather. When my Bernina dealer told me I was going to ruin my machine if I kept trying to sew leather with it well... my search began. I tried my pfaff in the show room on a few occasions and did not have any issues with it. Now I can't even sew a straight line with out thread getting all bunched up in the bobbin casing and thread breaking and the machine locking up. I don't know if something got bumped during transport or what is going on. Of course since then I have tried to adjust the tension hoping this would help, but I'm scared maybe that has made things worse. I have tried rethreading both bobbin and needle threads per the manual. I even tried the bobbin thread backwards to what the manual said just in case. I have oiled the machine and done everything I can think of to get this machine to sew. As you can imagine I am extremely frustrated when I have this new expensive machine and I can't be productive with it. Oh and i have tried different threads and stitch lengths. I am hoping and praying someone will enlighten me. This machine appears more complicated than I expected, definitely not a plug in and go like my Bernina. My next step is to pay someone to come help me, thankfully I know a semi local service guy.

Please help and thank you in advance!

[Northmount]

Too little top tension is one of the most common causes of the birds nest under the backside of the leather. Make sure the thread is pulled into the tension discs. If that is okay, then increase the top tension in steps and test it. Go back to the thread that was first installed, or at least to the same size. Check the needle for damage or a bend.

Tom

[starvist]

Thank you for taking the time to respond! I wish the problem I was having was bird nesting as I've dealt with that before. My issue is that the thread is getting tangled/jammed down in and around the case. I have tried changing th top tension with no success. I have not changed the needle as I haven't sewn with the machine but very little cause it's been acting up since I brought it home, but I will try that. I'll call the dealer tomorrow after work and hope that he'll be able to provide some assistance. Just hoping someone would say "Oh I had that problem and it's an easy fix"

[catskin]

Recheck the threading. I know you did it to the book but I have known several cases where it all seemed right but somehow the thread slipped beside the tension discs even tough it looked like it was between them. So my suggestion is make sure that didn't happen. Hope this gets you going quick.

[starvist]

Ugh... the sigh of defeat! I think I'm going to have my local service guy come out. A bushing popped out of the bobbin case and I have no idea how it goes in. So FRUSTRATING! I spoke to my service guy today who also recommended I rethread it and tighten my tension, but now my thread is breaking. I'm about to pay him what ever it takes to get this thing working! Thanks for all your feedback! I appreciate any input that might save me a couple hundred dollars!

[Constabulary]

take some pictures and post them, maybe one can help when he sees what is going on.

[starvist]

So I found a video and some better diagrams on line! What did we do before the internet? I rethreaded the top thread according to the better illustrated images online and still no luck.... So i went on to rethread the bobbin according to the directions... still no luck. On a fluke I threaded the bobbin the opposite of what I saw in the diagram and Voila I am sewing again. Weird! fingers crossed that this is my last issue around this for a while!!!!

Thanks again for all the help!

[Bru]

I'm also a beginner with my Pfaff 335 and I'm having a similar problem.  My main issue is that I can't figure out how to bring the bobbin thread up.  My instruction manual is absolutely no help, and I can't find anything online.  Can anyone help point me in teh right direction, either with a video link or a diagram?  Thanks!

[Hockeymender]

Guess the first question is: was it sewing and will no longer pick up the bobbin thread? If so then it's most likely a timing issue re hook to needle. That will require readjusting the hook point to the needle scarf. Report back and we can go from there. 

[Wizcrafts]

2 hours ago, Bru said:

I'm also a beginner with my Pfaff 335 and I'm having a similar problem.  My main issue is that I can't figure out how to bring the bobbin thread up.  My instruction manual is absolutely no help, and I can't find anything online.  Can anyone help point me in teh right direction, either with a video link or a diagram?  Thanks!

Are you rotating the handwheel towards you from the top-right? It needs to rotate counterclockwise to pick up the bobbin thread.

Other causes include a needle bar than met resistance and moved up, throwing off the hook to eye of the needle timing. I don't know if your machine is equipped with a safety clutch that pops if there is a thread jam in the bobbin case, but if it is, the clutch may have disengaged the bobbin drive to protect the gears and hook.

Finally, make sure that the needle is the correct system and that it is up all the way, and that the ribbed side faces left, while the cutout scarf faces due right.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Wizcrafts

[Bru]

2 hours ago, Hockeymender said:

Guess the first question is: was it sewing and will no longer pick up the bobbin thread? If so then it's most likely a timing issue re hook to needle. That will require readjusting the hook point to the needle scarf. Report back and we can go from there. 

Hi Joe - I'm a friend of Glenn Miller's, and he has nothing but great things to say about you and your work.  I'm glad that you responded!  To answer your question - no, I just got the machine, it's my first industrial machine, and I just can't figure out how to set up the thread in the bobbin case to allow the needle to pick it up.  The instruction manual has a diagram that somewhat shows how to insert the bobbin in the correct position, and it also shows that 5mm of thread should be left outside the bobbin.  But - I can't seem to figure out how or where to set this outside thread so that the needle and pick it up.   Each time I try something new, the bobbin either doesn't spin at all or the thread gets all would up inside the case.  Am I making sense?

My wife has a non-commercial singer type machine, and all she has to do is wind the bobbin thread and then insert the case in place and the machine does the rest.  Is this the case with the Pfaff as well?  Thanks for any help you can give!

[Hockeymender]

You want to make sure the thread is inserted properly in the bobbin case. Make sure it's under the spring. Let about three inches hang loose from the bobbin case and make sure the entire unit "snaps" into place in the bobbin carrier or case. With needle threaded, rotate the hand wheel towards you. As the needle drops into the "needle hole" it should emerge with the bobbin thread. If you are doing this and still no joy, PM me and we will go from there. 

[Bru]

Thanks Joe!  I guess my main problem is that I don't know how to insert the thread "properly" into the bobbin case.  I'll give it another go keeping your advice in mind and PM you if I still can't figure it out.  Thanks for the quick replies!

 

[sandyt]

5mm is way too short. Did you mean 5 cm? 

[Uwe]

The Pfaff 335 Manual actually shows the threading and bobbin loading steps fairly well on pages 23-25.

[Bru]

1 hour ago, Uwe said:

The Pfaff 335 Manual actually shows the threading and bobbin loading steps fairly well on pages 23-25.

Maybe I'm just not seeing it.  I can clearly see how to thread and load the bobbin, but placing the thread inside so that it can catch with the needle thread has been a big problem.  For reference, here's the bobbin case next to a pic of the instructions.  You can see that the case itself and the pic look nothing alike (in my eyes) which is why I'm confused.  

[Uwe]

They really are the same. You need to pull the thread into the slot on the bobbin basket (red arrow) and then pull it to the top so the thread runs under and emerges at the tip of the black tension spring blade (blue arrow).

[Hockeymender]

Here are a couple photos that may help. The First shows the thread being pulled thru the slot in the bobbin case. The second shows the thread which has been pulled thru the slot pulled UNDER the bobbin tension spring. Install the bobbin case (be sure it "snaps" into place) and cycle the needle. Should pick up the bobbin thread.

Edited March 27, 2016 by Hockeymender

[Bru]

@Uwe @Hockeymender - yes, that did the trick!  I tried pulling the thread through the slot before, but I must not have also pulled it under the spring and outside the case when I snapped it into place.  Thanks for the diagram and pics - and your patience.  It seems so simple now but I just couldn't get it from the instructions.  

Now, unfortunately, I've got another problem.  I can get about two stitches through a single layer of 2mm jenpro before the top thread snaps.  I've adjusted the thread tension to it's absolute lowest pressure setting (a few more turns and the nut will fall off), but the thread tension still seems very strong.  It's too the point where the needle will bend if I pull the thread with my fingers.  Is the tension supposed to be this tight?  I am also hearing a slight metal on metal click as the needle descends into the hole, so perhaps I've got a timing issue instead?  Would you guys have any suggestions?

Thanks again for all of your help.  Sometimes I feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew with this machine.  So much to learn!! 

[Uwe]

Turn off the motor and turn the wheel by hand. Closely look and listen to what happens in the hook area. Don't turn the motor back on until you can hand-turn a dozen perfect stitches. You can do considerable damage by stepping on the gas pedal if something is not right. Make sure the thread unwinds from the spool and isn't caught somewhere.

 

Edited March 27, 2016 by Uwe

[Bru]

This is typically what happens after 2 stitches when turning the wheel by hand & shutting the machine off - the thread starts to unravel and get balled up on the left hand side of the needle.  I can't tell if the bobbin thread is unwinding, but it is definitely not getting caught up inside the case.

In taking a look at the needle inside the case (with the bobbin out) as it descends down into the hole, everything is fine on the downstroke but it definitely hits metal on the upstroke (towards the "backside" of the machine).  

Edited March 27, 2016 by Bru

[Uwe]

You're gonna have to find out exactly what metal in the back the needle is hitting (or getting hit by) on the upstroke, because it definitely should not be hitting ANYTHING during the cycle. With the feet raised and the thread removed you should be able to turn the handwheel in a very smooth fashion without any binding or resistance (other than overcoming the spring pressure). There should be NO snapping/grinding/rubbing sounds, just buttery smoothness. Don't force it if you hit resistance. Jog the hand wheel back and forth gently and find out exactly where things touch that shouldn't touch. This may take a flashlight, neck craning, and strong reading glasses (in my case). Once you know what touches, then you can figure out WHY things touch and make an adjustment so they don't touch.

When the feet are raised, you should be able to pull the thread through the eye of the needle with little force. I've had the upper thread accidentally wrap around a post/screw/spring or otherwise get hung up. Nothing will work right if the machine can't pull the upper thread when it needs to. It'll deflect the needle, chafe the thread, make the needle hit the feed dog or the hook, and all manner of bad things start happening, especially under motor power.

When something bad happens under motor power things may slip, the safety clutch may pop, or other things may bend or otherwise go out of alignment. Quite often it's something simple like threading, seating or changing out the needle, inserting the bobbin properly, etc.  If the machine in a totally screwed up state, you need to methodically go through the Pfaff 335 Service Manual and compare should-be settings with your machine's real world settings one by one, in sequence, until you find one that's not as it should be and fix it. Repeat until everything is adjusted as it should be and things move smoothly. Don't loosen screws unless you know what they're for.

There's definitely a learning curve with these machines and it can be steep and frustrating. The industrial sewing machines are tough and fragile at the same time. Ultimately there's no way around learning a few basic adjustments yourself unless you want to take the machine to the mechanic at $90+/hr every time some little thing goes wrong.

 

 

[Bru]

Thanks Uwe.  Upon further inspection, it looks as if a piece of the casing is actually hitting the needle and pushing it backwards as it rotates towards it in a counterclockwise direction (see pic - the blade of the screwdriver is touching the piece that is hitting the needle).  Is this the hook?  I looks as if this piece also pushes (what I think is) the feed dog slightly upwards as well.  

[SARK9]

The position of the swivel plate assembly looks a bit odd...it seems to show a large gap above the machine arm, like something may be bent, loose, not assembled correctly, or its getting interfered with from below.

 

-DC

[Uwe]

That hook part should not be touching the needle or anything else, and the feed dog should NOT be moving up and down (unless you have a special, rare sub-class of the 335).

My advice at this point would be to take it to a mechanic to be put back in working order (or take it back to the person who sold it to you). There's too many interconnected things wrong right now to trouble-shoot and talk you through fixing it remotely. It's extremely hard to learn on a machine that is way out of adjustment. You're also likely to cause even more damage as a novice to sewing machines. 

Once you get the machine back in good working order, have somebody show you the basics of using this machine. Take time to inspect how everything should work/feel/sound and read the user and the service manual front to back and compare the manual's diagrams and descriptions with your machine. THEN hook up the motor again.

Edited March 27, 2016 by Uwe