Threading my Singer 111w155

[Sewtoo]

Hi

I am hoping that someone out there has experience with threading up the Singer 111 w 155 ! And that person would be willing to explain to me how to do it. Years ago I hired a mechanic to come to my home to look at my machine and he said that it was fine, I just had it threaded incorrectly. He threaded well, and it was fine. I always changed thread by lifting the foot and pulling new thread through. Couple of years later, I broke the thread, pulling it through and had to rethread. Couldn't get it right. I bought a reprint of the manual and couldn't figure out the threading. I have tried many times to rethread and it always breaks when I sew.  The mechanic was quite old and has since passed away.  I really want to use the machine again! Can someone help?

[Wizcrafts]

 

[SARK9]

A page from a Singer manual for most of the 111W models-

I've noticed several instructions which suggest you need to run your thread under the pin in the tension discs...as far as I know, that is NOT part of the recommended thread path. That pin is there simply to prevent the tension discs and the other components from rotating.

 

-DC

[Uwe]

I cringed almost through the entire video. I wonder if that video is where that whole wrap-it-around-the-tension-disc-pin nonsense started. According to Youtube statistics, over 29,000 people may now believe that's the proper way to thread that class of machine. I've yet to find any evidence that manufacturers ever recommended this practice. That tension disc pin is indeed only there to keep the tensions discs from rotating, as @SARK9 said. 

And then Mr. Levy pulls the bobbin thread up through the presser foot hole, just to add to the confusion and to untangle the mess a few stitches later. 

 

Edited March 11, 2018 by Uwe

[gottaknow]

1 hour ago, Uwe said:

I cringed almost through the entire video. I wonder if that video is where that whole wrap-it-around-the-tension-disc-pin nonsense started. According to Youtube statistics, over 29,000 people may now believe that's the proper way to thread that class of machine. I've yet to find any evidence that manufacturers ever recommended this practice. That tension disc pin is indeed only there to keep the tensions discs from rotating, as @SARK9 said. 

And then Mr. Levy pulls the bobbin thread up through the presser foot hole, just to add to the confusion and to untangle the mess a few stitches later. 

 

Keep in mind Uwe that manufacturers also don’t say to turn the needle towards the hook slightly, advance or retard hook timing, raise or lower needle bars slightly, put Teflon tape on presser feet, bevel the edges of feed dogs, wrap the thread twice around the tension disc, use a drop of oil in the bobbin case to control backlash, or even use that little pin at times for certain threads for thread control. The reason they don’t say all those things is because they’re not sitting in a factory where the variables change every day and you either solve problems creatively with logic and critical thinking, or production stops.

You don’t want to limit your skill set just because it’s not in a book. I’ve used that little pin plenty of times to solve a thread issue. I’ve also removed those pins, cut out the center bar on the discs so they spin and converted the tension unit to roller discs. None of that’s in any book. I’ve worked with some amazing mechanics In my 38 years in the business. They all had one thing in common. “A manual is simply a starting point to help understand the machine. It won’t think for you, but can stop you from thinking.”

Regards, Eric 

[RockyAussie]

1 hour ago, gottaknow said:

cut out the center bar on the discs so they spin and converted the tension unit to roller discs

That'll stop a single wearing thread track.

[RockyAussie]

10 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

 

Love the bobbin -thread inspection hole.

[Uwe]

If reading a manual stops somebody from thinking, then they weren't doing a whole lot of thinking to begin with. But in reality the unthinking and uncurious masses just want to be told what to do.

An original manufacturer's manual is one of the very few shared truths left out there. Most people would agree that the manual describes how the manufactured intended the machine to be used. Once you understand how things work then you can add variations and improvements to suit a specific situation. You'll know exactly what your are doing differently, and you'll know why you are doing it differently. If you don't (want to) understand how things work, then simply sticking with the manual is a workable approach.

It sure sounds like the very same needle has been in that machine since the dearly departed mechanic's last visit years ago. The machine may be threaded perfectly. The thread breaking issue may have nothing to do with the threading path. A few close-up pictures sure would help diagnose the problem.

 

 

[Wizcrafts]

Okay already; youse guys have had your laughs at me for sharing that video, trying to show the OP the correct thread path. If I get time tomorrow, I will film my own damn video on my Singer 111w103 and show the approved thread path.

[SARK9]

7 hours ago, gottaknow said:

[...] “A manual is simply a starting point to help understand the machine. It won’t think for you, but can stop you from thinking.”

Regards, Eric 

I think its pretty advisable to stick to the initial baseline starting points when assisting someone who has had to have a "mechanic" thread the machine for them. By the time you are attempting to get a repeatable balanced stitch in sandwich of 6 layers of 1000D Cordura around an .065 layer of ABS plastic crossing over a layer of 4088 webbing in two places while using glazed T-120 Kevlar thread top and bottom, you have probably figured out you have to *wing it* sometimes! My hat is off to the production process specialists like yourself who have to make this stuff happen quickly!

-DC