Forlornvanity Report post Posted April 18, 2018 Hi! I've tried searching other threads for answers first (MANY times), but I seem to continue to have issues with my thread tension and I'm dying for some insight. As you'll see in the photos (just a trial run so let's not even talk about how terrible it is haha) one side of the thread seems to be fine, and the back side is always appearing to pull through. It doesn't matter the thickness of material I'm using, and the issue still occurs when I change thread size. I've attempted to bring the tension all the way up/down and adjust a little at a time, but this issue never goes away. I'm threading right, the bobbin is facing the right way, the needle size is correct.. I'm just at a loss. The machine is less than a year old. I'm new to the industrial machine so it's certainly been a learning curve and it could totally be something I'm just overlooking. Any suggestions? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Uwe Report post Posted April 18, 2018 The backside seam actually looks like I would expect it to look. It may not be the way you want it to look, but to a degree this is just how this class of sewing machines work. The side where the needle enters the material generally looks nicer and neater than the side where the needle exits the material, especially with leather. Factors like material, thread size, needle size and the shape of the needle point (regular point or various leather cutting edges) all influence how this looks. There is no absolute "correct needle", there is only "suitable needle for one particular application and combination of thread and materials." The knot does actually get pulled to the middle of the material, so that's technically correct and what you want. The pucker or flattened mound you see on the backside is a result of the material getting torn and pushed outward as the needle exits. When the needle retracts again, that exit wound closes up to some degree but often leaves a little mound behind, depending on material. How bad that "exit wound" looks depends on many factors. The type of leather makes a big difference, too. Some leathers are supple and stretchy, other are hard, dry and brittle, depending on leather quality (whole grain vs. bonded leather), age and tanning method. Using synthetic Vinyl material, this seam would would look very different on the backside since that material is much more elastic. Making leather seams look as nice and pretty as vinyl seams is not easy. If you're expecting a leather seam that looks perfect from both sides like a hand-stitched saddle stitch, then you will likely be disappointed, depending on the materials involved. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted April 18, 2018 If you use a leather point needle, you will get less blow out on the back side. You can also try hammering the back side to flatten it out somewhat. A touch of moisture may help. Keep experimenting to find what works best for you. Note that leather point needles are not good for textiles as they cut the threads instead of passing through or between the textile threads. Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Forlornvanity Report post Posted April 18, 2018 Ah, thank you guys! That makes much more sense and it's actually making me more sane knowing it's not the tension. It really seemed like the thread is crossing in the center of the material so I've been going nuts wondering why the backside looks the way it does. Lately I've been thinking maybe if I sized up to a 138 thread that would be less of an issue for me. I didn't realize there were actually different needle types for this specific machine, as stupid as that sounds. I just have the 135x17. Do you have a better suggestion? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted April 18, 2018 10 minutes ago, Forlornvanity said: Ah, thank you guys! That makes much more sense and it's actually making me more sane knowing it's not the tension. It really seemed like the thread is crossing in the center of the material so I've been going nuts wondering why the backside looks the way it does. Lately I've been thinking maybe if I sized up to a 138 thread that would be less of an issue for me. I didn't realize there were actually different needle types for this specific machine, as stupid as that sounds. I just have the 135x17. Do you have a better suggestion? You should start buying 135x16 leather point needles. They are made with different shapes of points. I have slicing tapered chisel and diamond/triangle point leather needles. The slicing points cut a longer hole that is oval in shape with very sharp ends. This causes the ends of the thread to be submerged slightly and gives the appearance of shorter stitches than are actually being sewn. Diamond point needles let the thread lay on the surfaces and make the stitches appear longer, just like round point needles do. Then there are the right and left twist angled chisel points that can cause an offset of the stitches one way or the other (like hand sewing). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CowboyBob Report post Posted April 18, 2018 Some leathers do this more than others & a smaller needle & thread would make it look better since it will slice through with less force. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Brosowski Report post Posted April 21, 2018 Holes look way too big for the thread Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
