glockanator Report post Posted February 23, 2016 I am at my wits end! I have been trouble shooting my machine for several days. I had it working perfect I then changed to a full bobbin to stitch a belt and can't get it to work right. It wants to skip stitches and in the moments that it is working the length of stitch is not consistent. I have changed the needle as well as oiled everything. I have called Tipp man in the past but never hear back from them. Can any one help. I am using 277 with a 200 needle. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mlapaglia Report post Posted February 23, 2016 (edited) Have you tried a different bobbin? If the bobbin is wound too tight or inconsistently it could cause the problem you are having. Mine did that once and when I changed the bobbin it worked again. Also make sure the thread is coming off the bobbin the right direction. If its in backwards it will screw things up. It should come off the roll counter-clockwise. Let me know if that doesn't fix it. Michael Edited February 23, 2016 by mlapaglia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted February 23, 2016 (edited) Mike probably gave you the answer, . . . BUT, . . . if that didn't do it: Refill the bobbin that did work, . . . and try it. If it works, . . . take a ball peen hammer to the one that did not work. Then you can toss it. Double check the needle, . . . they can be ever so slightly bent, . . . and NOT WORK AT ALL HARDLY, . . . UGH !! Last, . . . take the back off your machine, . . . make sure everything looks like this picture. Especially the upper left corner. That collar slipped on mine one time, . . . I wound up not seeing what was wrong, . . . took a day off from production, . . . drove 200 miles to the Tippmann factory, . . . Ben fixed it for me, . . . free gratis. May God bless, Dwight Edited February 23, 2016 by Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
glockanator Report post Posted February 25, 2016 I changed bobbins back to the one that worked. Not much improvement. When I bought my machine he said that the needles were mixed new/used. I am going to buy new needles and junk all the ones I have. Do I need to buy needles from Tippmann or can I get them from some place local? This is the back of my machine. It looks to be in place but I can see some has marks to the right of the bushing. Is that normal or has it moved? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted February 25, 2016 I changed bobbins back to the one that worked. Not much improvement. When I bought my machine he said that the needles were mixed new/used. I am going to buy new needles and junk all the ones I have. Do I need to buy needles from Tippmann or can I get them from some place local? This is the back of my machine. It looks to be in place but I can see some has marks to the right of the bushing. Is that normal or has it moved? When I took mine in to Ben, . . . before he took the back off, . . . he tried it "as is" and just shook his head. He looked at the bobbin, . . . the needle, . . . you know, . . . gave it the $ .25 onceover. When he couldn't find anything else wrong, . . . he flipped it around and took off the back. He actually had the guy working next to him come over and look , . . . asked if he had ever seen one slip like mine did, . . . it was like 2 1/2 or 3 inches to the right of where it should have been. He told me that the distance was just short of critical, . . . and while I couldn't remember what it was, . . . I went out and measured it, . . . from the inside edge of the casting, . . . to the nearest edge of the collar, . . . is 5/8 of an inch, . . . and he marked it for me. The marks you see to the right of the collar most likely are knurlings on the shaft, . . . mine has them too. It's pretty difficult to tell in the picture, . . . but like I said, . . . mine is 5/8 of an inch, . . . and works flawlessly if I do my part. Best wishes, my friend. May God bless, Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
glockanator Report post Posted March 5, 2016 So I bought new needles on Friday and they just got here. I paid for 2 day shipping so I could get orders done. I received an email on Monday saying they shipped and I should have them on Wednesday. I have to say I am not very impressed with Tippman's customer service. I have called them several times es and either get put on hold forever or I am told I will get a call back from a technician but never hear back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted March 7, 2016 Glockanator, . . . try this: I sent them an email indicating you were having trouble, . . . Here is the response *************************** Hi Dwight, I’m sorry to hear that your friend is having trouble with his machine. Our technicians would like to help him out. Please have your friend give either Jamie or Al a call at his convenience. Thank you. Have a great day! Rachel Fogarty Purchasing Agent Customer Service Representative Tippmann Industrial 3518 Adams Center Rd. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 1-866-286-8046 Rachel@tippmannindustrial.com Rachel@air-ordnance.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted March 8, 2016 OK, Glockanator, . . . misery loves company they say. If you figure yours out, . . . holler at me. I went out to sew up a belt for my niece tonight, . . . something I've done XYZ number of times, . . . COULD NOT GET IT TO SEW. So, . . . I'm back in the house, . . . chilling, . . . I'll take a whack at it sometime tomorrow, . . . If I mess with it tonight, . . . I'll take a whack at it with a 4 pound hammer, . . . Didja ever get yours running correctly??? May God bless, Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
glockanator Report post Posted March 8, 2016 Thanks for emailing them Dwight. After putting in a new needle and readjusting my presser foot tension it seems to work a lot better. I haven't really had a chance to put a bunch of time into since my 3 year old just his tonsils removed as well as we are trying to move. Sorry to hear you are having trouble with your machine now. Thanks for all the help. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tnhomestead Report post Posted March 12, 2016 I just got a used one and the customer service so far is fantastic -- now I do call back instead of waiting for them, I figure they get busy. I got one of the original machines, all cast iron and steel gears. Just started playing with it and so far so good. I may send it back for a real cleaning, but right now all I need to do (I hope) is get the tension adjusted. It does sound like the tension on the bobbin is off to me, maybe it was not wound as good as it could be? Try this site for some info, maybe something there to help you.Tippmann boss blogspot Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted March 13, 2016 (edited) Glockanator, . . . OK, . . . got mine fixed, . . . it would sew 20 or so stitches then somehow catch the thread, . . . next time, . . . 2 stitches. I took out the needle, . . . then took a straight pin, . . . stuck it in the "eye", . . . and played with it until I got it to sew, . . . by moving the needle back and forth. When the pin, . . . stuck in the eye, . . . was pointing to about 3:30 or almost 4:00, . . . it finally decided that It would sew. I was able to completely sew my niece's belt up with it, . . . did not skip a stitch or catch even once. May God bless, Dwight Edited March 13, 2016 by Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted March 14, 2016 Glockanator, . . . OK, . . . got mine fixed, . . . it would sew 20 or so stitches then somehow catch the thread, . . . next time, . . . 2 stitches. I took out the needle, . . . then took a straight pin, . . . stuck it in the "eye", . . . and played with it until I got it to sew, . . . by moving the needle back and forth. When the pin, . . . stuck in the eye, . . . was pointing to about 3:30 or almost 4:00, . . . it finally decided that It would sew. I was able to completely sew my niece's belt up with it, . . . did not skip a stitch or catch even once. May God bless, Dwight This suggests that there is a problem with the size and or duration of the loop that's formed by the ascending needle. Perhaps your check spring needs to be adjusted to get a better loop. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Howard696 Report post Posted March 14, 2016 sorry dumb question 3.30 or 4.00 what do you mean?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted March 14, 2016 sorry dumb question 3.30 or 4.00 what do you mean?? If you look down on the top of the needle, . . . like you were standing up in front of the machine, . . . it's 3:30 or three-thirty on the clock, . . . or 4:00 or four o'clock. It indicates where the pin would be pointing. AND, . . . thanks Wizcrafts, . . . gives me something else to look at. I've actually gotten a bit lax in my "maintenance" schedule here in the last few years, . . . need to just toss a dart onto the calendar and whatever day that hits, . . . got to take some stuff down, . . . PM and clean it, . . . put it back in operation. I used to be really good at doing that stuff, . . . gotten lazy in my old age, . . . kinda got to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" routine. May God bless, Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Howard696 Report post Posted March 15, 2016 Thanks for the explanation, I'll try that with mine, the skipping stitches is an on going frustration and any solution is worth a try :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted March 15, 2016 Thanks for the explanation, I'll try that with mine, the skipping stitches is an on going frustration and any solution is worth a try :-) Actually, . . . this is an old trick I learned years ago, . . . and while I've never kept a log sheet, . . . the different needles seem for some reason to like different positions. All I'm doing is making sure that when I lock it down this time, . . . it is not where it was when I loosened it up. I had taken the needle out to check the size on it, . . . and when I put it back in, . . . it all went south, . . . seems OK for now. I've got a pancake holster to do for an order, . . . I'll find out for sure then if all is well. May God bless, Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
