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Thread feed too loose when stitching

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  • Thread feed too loose when stitching

    Hi Folks - I'm new to the board, and new to the embroidery field. I just purchased an older "big red" Amaya 16 needle machine. Status was unknown at the time of purchase, so I gambled and picked up the Amaya software. Got it up and working, and I have to say it's pretty surprising how well it's doing.

    The only real issue I'm encountering is that with certain needle bars, I'm noticing the thread really bouncing around loosely on the upstroke. Sometimes it even causes the thread to twist, tangle, and break. It almost seems like the feed rollers at the top are moving faster and supplying more thread than the needle needs.

    If anybody can shed some light on this issue I'd greatly appreciate it. There are so many variables it would be awesome if I could narrow it down with your help!

  • #2
    Lots of questions, but first take a look at these posts:



    What to use and how to use it. Includes... Digitizing, Needles, Hooping, Backings, Threads, Bobbins & more.


    Then give us more info on what you've tried, such as changing needles, cleaning thread feed rollers, trying the same thread on another needle, etc...

    Comment


    • #3
      Thanks for your reply, Mama Kass - I'll look through those other posts you sent along.

      As I said, the status of the machine when I picked it up was unknown. It had been sitting around unused for a while, by the looks of it. So when I brought it home, I went through it and cleaned the needle case and rotary hook case with compressed air, and I lubricated the upper and lower needle bar points and the rotary hook per Melco instructions. I also replaced all 16 needles with Groz Beckert 75/11 round tips. Took me a little bit to realize they had a front and a back ;-)

      I don't have a bobbin tension gauge, but I did replace the thread with a brand new Madeira polyester paper-sided pre-wound spool. Tension on the bobbin is pretty stiff - I tried the bounce test, but every time I did the spool would pop out of the case. I do occasionally get "bobbin thread break" messages, when in fact it's not broken.

      I also had to completely rethread the entire machine, through the tubes. So I chose Madeira Poly Neon thread. Tubes stick out the tops of the spools about 3/8" - 1/2". I have not cleaned any of the thread feed rollers, but in most cases it really looks like too much thread is being pulled through the rollers, as if they are going too fast and the rotary hook can't keep up. One would think that if the rollers were damaged or dirty, that they would be slipping on the thread and not pulling enough through.

      That's about all I've done, and as I said before, the machine is running fairly well. Just needs some adjusting.

      Comment


      • #4
        A few other things to check -- what is your thread feed set at in OS? Is your presser foot all of the way down and then two clicks up?

        Comment


        • #5
          Hi Judy - Thread Column feed is 40, Run/Fill feed 100; Material thickness 4; Autofeed lower limit 1.

          Looks like the presser foot was four clicks up, so I changed to 2.

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          • #6
            The default setting for my machine on material thickness is 3.

            Have you cleaned the bobbin case, and/or have you swapped out bobbin cases?

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            • #7
              I have cleaned the case, but I did order a new one - should be here any day now. Just since we've been chatting I adjusted the presser foot to the fabric I'm using. It's a thin 50/50 t-shirt material, and the presser foot is just touching it at one click above zero. I also loosened the tension on the bobbin case a hair. So far it seems to be stitching better, and there's less play on the upper part of the thread feed. I'll keep you posted.

              Thanks so much for your time and help.

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              • #8
                The bounce for testing the bobbin tension is very slight; you shouldn't have to do it so hard that it jerks the bobbin out of the case. A very gentle bounce should cause the bobbin to drop 3-4 inches.

                As far as the thread feeders "moving too fast," they are all controlled by the main thread drive gear. If you take out one of your thread feed rollers (these are the smooth rollers, mine are yellow, behind the black tabs), you can see a white gear behind it. Each needle position has one of these gears which is, in turn, controlled by the main thread drive gear (which I won't explain how to look at right now). Unless there is something that I am not thinking of, all of the thread feed rollers should turn at the same rate because they are all controlled by this single gear. ...therefore, you might try looking at each of the gears behind your problem thread feed rollers. Make sure that none of these have a nest of tangled thread around their shafts, that none have broken teeth, etc.

                The presser foot should always be at the lowest possible setting that doesn't damage the fabric.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Thanks, Mama Kass. Understanding how this thing actually works is the best way for me to troubleshoot. Regarding the bobbin coming out of the case: it is very loose and just falls out when I do the bounce test. It's the same scenario with the brand new bobbin cases I purchased. Let me know if the bobbin is supposed to be snug on the center spindle, or if it should have the kind of play mine has.

                  I've been messing around with the bobbin tension, presser foot setting, and needle eye position and I'm happy to report that it's sewing pretty good now. Very few thread breaks.

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                  • #10
                    Good to hear that things are improving. Most of what I have learned has come from the folks on this site. I spend time doing searches on various combinations of words whenever I have a problem, but in order to focus these searches, it does help to know something about how the machine works.

                    As far as the bobbin goes, it shouldn't be snug. If you have plastic bobbin cores, I suppose this could make them slippery. I've not had this problem; maybe someone else will jump in here with some advice.

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                    • #11
                      i have a Amaya XT --with the same settings on every needle,-Acti-feed (standard)-column feed 40, run/fill at 100, thickness 2, lower limit 2,----13 needles sew great, but 3 sew with loose threads. All needles tested on a 1inch x 1inch fill w/2 underlays--the 3 needles had red rollers and thread feeder roller cleaned and thread feeder gear inspected and cleaned. Speed 700---i am not sure what i am missing?

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