Can Ya Help A Girl Out?

[splitrail]

Quick history, last night I installed a servo motor on my old singer, WOW, quiet, slow, even stitching! PERFECT.

Except it hasn't fixed the skipping that occurs when I move from a single ply of leather. Once I topstitch over any thickness at all it skips.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. New leather machine is in my near future, but I would love to still be able to use this machine.

I've adjusted tension, needles, presser foot pressure and thread thickness. If it was timing wouldn't it skip ALL the time?

[25b]

Have you tried a new needle?

http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/01/sewing-machine-skipping-stitches/

Edited January 5, 2016 by 25b

[TinkerTailor]

I used to run into this problem with thick materials in an old machine, It may be that the material fits, but is just at the point that the presser foot releases tension. It does this at a certain height to enable you to take the work out. If it happens while stitching, or because the foot gets pulled up by sticky material, skipped stitches will occur. If there is not enough top foot pressure, the material can lift a little, I have flirted with letting the blood out, and held the presser foot down with my finger to do those crucial stitches to get by.

[Tejas]

Attached is a comprehensive Sewing Machine Troubleshooting Chart that lists 31 causes and solutions for skipped stitches. TinkerTailor's cause is not explicitly listed, but cause 11 and 12 is close. I've seen his cause explicitly discussed on a UK vintage sewing machine forum.

[splitrail]

Thank you all for your responses.

I'm not sure if it's me Tejas, but I don't see an attachment?

Juile

[Tejas]

Oops, I failed to complete "attach this file." After Add reply, I'll check.

sewing_troubleshooting_chart.pdf

Edited January 6, 2016 by Tejas

[TheModifier]

splitrail: if I am seeing it right, it appears that the needle went in but the bobbin thread was not locked in. I could be seeing shadows though lol.

[splitrail]

I think that is exactly what is happening, trust me the bobbin is full. haha

[TheModifier]

By any chance is there a certain distance or number of threads between the missed stitches?

[splitrail]

Tejas

Thank you so much, what an amazingly detailed trouble shooting guide.

Thanks Again!

Julie

[splitrail]

By any chance is there a certain distance or number of threads between the missed stitches?

It's not consistant, sometimes it's 4 in a row and other times it's 2?

[TheModifier]

It sounds like something is sticking. Are there any wear marks on things like the bobbin? (Possibly bent?)

Edited January 6, 2016 by TheModifier

[Dwight]

I've never had that problem, . . . but after about 3 or 4 editions of it, . . . I'd probably have a little bad boy hissy fit.

Then, . . . I'd take off the spool of thread, . . . take out the bobbin, . . . take out the needle, . . . I'd wipe down and clean all those parts I could get to, . . . doing a "tear apart, . . . clean, . . . oil, . . . grease" type PM on the machine.

Next, . . . I would put in a new needle, . . . different bobbin, . . . and a different spool of thread.

If that did not solve it, . . . off to the sewing machine fix it shop it would go.

Through 55 or so years of working with mechanical "stuff", . . . I've learned most importantly, that most problems are common problems, . . . everyone has the same ones, . . . they are even somewhat predictable. BUT, . . . every now and then there is this other one, . . . and yours seems to be in that category, . . . and the process outlined above I've used on guns, sewing machines, cars, trucks, tractors, and even people to a certain degree (I'm a pastor also).

May God bless,

Dwight

[25b]

Next, . . . I would put in a new needle, . . . different bobbin, . . . and a different spool of thread.

To expand on what Dwight said above, I would recommend only doing one of those things at a time...then test sew and see if the problem persists. That way, you'll know which thing was causing the problem. If you do all of them at the same time without testing between each step, you won't know where the problem was...you might not care where it was, but it would be good to know if it was one specific thing in case it happens again.

[jimi]

Hi There, what machine are you using? i suppose you have tried with a bigger needle??

[splitrail]

Hi,

I stripped down and started over. New thread, bigger needle, (hoping that would punch a bigger hole to allow more freedom for the upper thread to grab the bobbin thread and make the return trip) ??

Same thing, the machine is stitching like a dream on a single layer, but refused to keep stitching when I add a second layer.

I did give it a go with canvas and from one layer to 3 layers it sewed just fine.

It is a Singer 291U1 Originally designed for shirt making, but it seems to have more than enough torque to sew the thick stuff.

[jimi]

I am sorry i dont know much about the Singer 291U1 machines, i personally would go with the max needle size and try each time a thinner thread? i have a couple of singer 45ks, an 18-2, 17-10, pfaff 335 and when this has happened to me i just go up to a bigger needle and it sorts that out. maybe the machine wont sew that much of that type of leather?? jimi

[TinkerTailor]

Some fabric machines have only 5/16 of foot lift. How torquey the machine goes will not change the fact that 2-3 layers of leather is too high to be accomodated. Your machine is built for high speed sewing of lightweight fabrics, not leather.

I think you have found the upper limit of thickness that machine is capable of. It may have the torque to push the needle through steel, but only if it is not too thick.

Try to re-stitch a seam it skipped on while pressing the foot down as hard as you can with a screwdriver and see if it still skips.

Edited January 6, 2016 by TinkerTailor

[Tejas]

It may be that the material fits, but is just at the point that the presser foot releases tension.

Assuming that TinkerTailor has identified the problem, and your machine might be just on the edge of forming stitches when the tension discs are released, I'm wondering were you to double-wrap the thread around the tension discs, would that provide just enough thread tension to avoid skipping stitches.

Double-wrapping the thread is a technique used by DIY boat canvas sewers sewing with home sewing machines.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Tejas

[rosiart]

Assuming that TinkerTailor has identified the problem, and your machine might be just on the edge of forming stitches when the tension discs are released, I'm wondering were you to double-wrap the thread around the tension discs, would that provide just enough thread tension to avoid skipping stitches.

Double-wrapping the thread is a technique used by DIY boat canvas sewers sewing with home sewing machines.

Tejas,

When you do that, do you do the double wrap right before you get to the problem area, since the tension seems ok for the first part with the single layer?

[splitrail]

This could go all night...

so I pushed as hard as possible with a screw driver on the presser foot and I had a good run over some thick leather and NO Skip. So I'm obviously not able to do that all time. lol

I then tightened the pressure on the presser foot, and back to skipping we go.

[TinkerTailor]

I think you may not be able to get the machine to do what you need it to do. It obviously both has not enough foot pressure and is at the max height possible. and still skips. Real leather machine is the only answer.

[splitrail]

Yes! Finally justification to spend some money on a new machine!! Thank you!

Thank you all for your ideas, solutions and suggestions. It's really appreciated. I think I can still find some use for the old Singer.

Julie

[Tejas]

.... do you do the double wrap right before you get to the problem area, since the tension seems ok for the first part with the single layer?

I don't know. Double-wrapping is a technique used when the tension discs are maxed-out. That is not your case. I just thought that a double-wrap might result in enough tension to make a stitch were the tension discs released when sewing over thicker material.

[TinkerTailor]

If you can figure out how the foot releases tension on the thread when it lifts, and modify it or disable it you may be able to make it work. It might make it a pain to pull out the work after sewing, and it is still pulling a horse trailer with a Ferrari.....It might work, but not for long.