Singer211G155 Stitch Problem And Pfaff 145 Loose Stitch Problem

[mk1mad]

I have read the various posts on singer 211s but can't find one that describes the problem I have , the machine stitches ok through all kinds of material even up to around 6 layers of upholstery leather but the stitches are slanted , so on an 8 mm stitch the front of the stitch is about 1mm to the right of the back of the stitch and this continues as it sews, it's very difficult to sew a straight line ! I've checked with a carpenters square off the front of the machine and the feet look to be in line as you'd expect them to be , I'm a bit baffled but the machine is difficult to use when trying to produce nice looking work !

Any help would be greatly appreciated , I have had it serviced recently and when I mentioned it to the engineer he pretty much ignored it because I'm not sure he knew what the problem was and he just attended to a couple of timing issues it had !

I also have a pfaff 145 which I bought rather cheaply but it had various problems and most of which I've sorted myself except the loose stitches , when I use what we class as a 40's thread in the uk the machine sews fine through most materials , although through much more than 5 layers of vinyl the back of the stitches is a little looser than I'd like so I wind up the tension a little , is this normal ?

However when I use 20's thread the machine is a nightmare and chews up the thread around the bobbin case and you get a birds nest of thread under the material , I don't get this problem with the singer when I use thick thread ! Is it just that the pfaff isn't really man enough for the job or is it timing and tension issues ?

Regards Craig

Edited August 16, 2014 by mk1mad

[Constabulary]

I have to run - just a quick note...

Because of the 211 - try a larger size needle or thinner thread. It could also be caused by the needle it self, LR point needles produce a slanted stitch.

The bird nest could be caused when the hook is not catching the top thread and the bottom thread winds around the tab of the hook that goes in the gap in the needle plate. Is that problem?

EDIT:

The Pfaff could be slightly out of time and the needle bar has to be lowered a little bit. That would be my 1st guess w/o knowing how it is timed. Make sure the hook meets the needle scarf approx. 1.6mm above the needle eye when the needle bar is in the upward stroke. Also check if the needle is inserted correctly and the scarf is facing right (if you hook is on the right side).

Edited August 16, 2014 by Constabulary

[mk1mad]

Thanks for that :-)

In all honesty I think the pfaff needs new gears for the hook , when you turn over the machine by hand and rock it back and forth there is a delay between the needle bar movement and the hook starting to move , I've adjusted the gears underneath so they mesh tighter but it's still there to a lesser degree , it's a 145h2 and parts are looking a little scarce and from what I hear the re manufactured parts are equally as bad ! I may try filing the shank on the gears so they can actually mesh a little tighter , I've nothing to lose ! I also think the thread gets caught over the top of the bobbin case locating tooth and the underside of the presser foot plate , especially when there's plenty of thickness of material under the foot , it's as though it's bending the plate , it does seem feeble to be honest and In my opinion these are not in the same league as the singer 211 machines . I thought walking foot was a walking foot but there are so many variations it's a bit confusing at first , I've recently bought a Chinese made juki type replica called a pf5318 and it sews really nicely however it only has limited presser foot lift and I struggle with carpet binding etc and it has a rear walking foot and no needle feed so tight corners while piping or welding as the USA call it's a pain and the machine is inclined to walk off the job if you're not vigilant and ruin your work , the pfaff is front walking and needle feed but has no rising feed dog and the stitch length is limited to 4 mm , which leads me to the opinion that my singer 211 with front walking foot , needle feed and rising feed dog is by far a superior machine for car trimming , sadly it has no lockstitch which is why I bought the pfaff ! I've been doing car trimming on and off for years but never really got involved with the machines but I personally feel that the quality of engineers these days in the uk is pretty poor without spending a kings ransome , so I've been trying to learn a little as I go along but these no substitute for hands on experience ! I think that engineers want to get your machine sort of seeing with the minimum effort and run with your money rather than do a proper job and sort it out fully so you'll have to call them again in 4 months time !

The singer does have a leather point needle in and I always use them in that machine , I'll try another style needle and see what it does , I appreciate if I used smaller stitches the problem wouldn't be as evident but I like the look of a larger stitch if it's visible on car seats etc , I'll drop it to 6mm and see what happens also ,

Once again thanks for the help I'll let you know how it goes 👍

Regards Craig

[Constabulary]

I may have gears as I´m cannibalizing a Pfaff 142 atm I once bought as a spare machine and I think the gears are the same.

I don´t want big $ for them. If interested let me know - if not - no problem.

[mk1mad]

Yeah that'd be great I'll see if I can get any part numbers off them on Monday and get back to you , obviously there's no point progressing with setting up the machine till the timing is consistent and not coming in and out as it likes !!

Regards Craig

[mk1mad]

Hi again , I've looked at the cogs and upon closer inspection they're no longer the problem , the play was on the top cogs under the inspection plate so I adjusted one over slightly to take out the excess lash , the machine is sewing really nice on standard auto upholstery thread now after I tweeked the timing a little , not tried it on the thickest thread but I've already made up my mind to sell it so I'm not over fussed now , just spent 2 hours on the singer too and altered the walk on the feet as it was over adjusted and binding up inside ,I've also altered the timing on this too , it now sews smoothly and effortlessly through pretty much anything I throw at it , And doesn't need the tension altering when swapping from thin materials to a couple of layers of carpet etc , thanks again , regards Craig