Needle hit hoop

[Mr. Sew & Sew]

Yup, in my hurry to get something done last night, I didn't run the trace and about 500 stitches in, my needle hit the hoop and snapped. I stopped the machine right away but then noticed that the offending needle bar (#12) now sits a smidge higher than the others. When I try to sew on that needle bar, it goes up and down normally but clearly isn't getting "deep enough" to catch the bobbin thread so it results in a thread break about 6-8 stitches in.

Can someone tell me how major this is and if its something I can try to fix myself? You don't need to yell at me for my stupidity, the wife took care of that yesterday.

I ran the machine for 175,000 stitches afterwards without using that needle and didn't get a single thread break.

thanks
Tom

[The Embroidery Authority - OLD]

Oh Tom, what are we gonna' do with you???
Remove the front needle access cover.
Move the needle case to needle # 12.
Remove the bobbin case from the rotary hook.
Install a new needle.
On the computer screen,
Click on "Maintenance"
Click on "Head Timing"
Click on "Bottom Center"
Now use a 2.5mm allen wrench to loosen the needle bar stud screw on the right hand side of the needle bar in the needle case.
Without rotating left or right, lower your needlebar slightly so that you only can see approximately 1/3 of your needle's eye inside the upper most portion of the bobbin basket (rotary hook area).
Tighten the needle bar stud screw snug but not over tight.
Replace the needle case access cover.
Try sewing on this needle.
Merry Christmas,
Ed Orantes

[Mr. Sew & Sew]

Ed - I knew I could count on you. I will try this when I get home from my day job(s).

"snug but not overtight" reminds me of when I took an auto mechanics class in 1978 and we were trying to judge how tight to go with the oil filter wrench. Now Jiffy Lube handles that for me.

BTW - my wife doesn't know what to do with me either....

thanks pal
Tom

[The Embroidery Authority - OLD]

Hey,
What are friends for?...


They're for writing out the check to "CASH".

Just kidding. But man, don't forget to trace!!!!

Ed

[signman]

He's right about tracing...and I'm one that preaches it!
But.......yup, I forgot in the middle of a batch of sweat pants (for another shop! no replacements!)
and ran into 'hoop limit' after it stitched the soccer ball in the middle...starting the letter and 'ding'....fortunately I was using the speed frame and I reset design, moved the frame forward and cut off the part of the first letter-then carefully pulled the sweatpants down a half inch.
Went into design, 'moved' to 3rd needle, and did lettering over. If you didn't notice the curved lettering was a little 'low' around the ball then it's fine and no ruined job. But...it could have been worse! After that...no matter how centered I thought each pair was...I traced!

[Juli in Kona]

"snug but not overtight" = "girl tight" That's what our trainer called it.

Juli in Kona

[The Embroidery Authority - OLD]

Juli,
That's great! Can I use that term??

The needle bars are hollow and the needlebar stud is made out of aluminum so for those two reasons, "girl tight" is all that's necessary here.
If you try to play "HE-MAN", you may wind up with further troubles down the line.

Ed

[Juli in Kona]

After that...no matter how centered I thought each pair was...I traced!

Why would you have to center each pair of pants? I don't understand! After I initially center a design, no matter how many pieces I sew, they are all centered exactly the same. Do you have your designs "return to origin"? If you don't, then I suppose you'd have to center each and every time. But I'm not sure about that since I have always had my designs return to origin. And maybe it's not the design but a setting on the machine.

Juli in Kona

[Juli in Kona]

Ed, You'll have to ask Cynthia at the Torrance CA training center. She reads this list, I think.

Everytime I tighten the screws on the hoop holder, I think of her. I tighten just "girl tight"

Juli in Kona

[The Embroidery Authority - OLD]

I heard thru the grapevine that Cynthia is a sweetheart and an angel. I'm sure she won't mind.

[The Embroidery Authority - OLD]

Remember Tom,
We not only trace our designs to insure the design fits within the hoop but also to make sure the garment clears the parts of the machine, such as the grabber trap, sewing arm, etc...
In some rare cases, it also lends itself to letting you know if the garment will tend to pop itself out of the hoop with movement. This, of course, depending on what it is that you are sewing.

Ed

[signman]

'tracing each pair'...reason being-each 'sewout' of the soccerball and school initials had to balance with iron on 'numbers' on the left front of the pants...and sweat pants with the 'elastic' band waist do NOT have any 'straight line' to align on a square hoop...so we lay each pair down and use calipers to find the center of the 'number' in relation to the crotch seam and top hem...flip the
caliper over and mark the right side -there's the center of our sewout. If I didn't do this-OUR sewing looks bad even though THEIR iron-on is way off. The'center' on numbers moved up to an inch or even more up or down, side to side...so I know the other shop did not use a jig for the iron'ons.
And this was this morning...! I slipped up in 'always trace' But with hoodies-after sewing right through a couple hoods that flipped up in the back...I ALWAYS and I mean it-always-trace for hoodies with my hand INSIDE the sweatshirt. Caught a couple 'almost' mistakes that way.
Just have never done sweat pants before so I wasn't thinking. Next time...I'll do it without thinking!