Thread shredding just above needle

[Debbie1]

Help! This is a reoccurring problem. My design is well digitized. I have sewn it many times before with exactly the same specifications without problems. Now a reorder and trouble is here. Same type and size needles, garment, stabilizer, etc. The thread shreads just above the needle. I am getting false bobbin warnings too in case that ties in. Thanks in advance!

[gcannon]

I would first check to see if the needle plate was centered with a brand new needle.

[Sewfly]

Have you checked the presser/pressure foot height?

[signman]

when I see the shredding it is 90% certain the needle has a 'burr' on it...run the tip of scissors 'down' the needle tip around it, if you feel a 'click' then your needle is toast. Usually we get that after doing 6 panel hats-the center seam 'pulls' the needle sideways as the needle goes into the needle plate and it just bends it a bit. After that-burr city! And every once in awhile do a 'head down' and double check the needle plate-seems the screws don't hold it in perfect alignment forever and it can shift just enough so the needle with thread 'rubs' on the way through, more shredding.

[YPOI-Jason]

I have noticed that if my bobbin case gets excessively dirty, the shredding of the upper thread is more frequent. Not sure why this is. I always re-clean my bobbin case when I get an upper thread shredding issue and the problem usually subsides, unless I have a needle burr as signman posted above.

[gcannon]

Yup- six panels are rough on a needle. Be sure to check thread feed settings- might be too tight.

[Chris & Cindy]

Clean the bobbin case. Change the needle and turn the needle slightly more to the right of center.

I had a tech show me this trick and it works great.

The specs say no more than 5% turn. This is only true when the machine is properly adjusted. I have turned as much as 15% to stop shredding. The shredding may be coming from the hook hitting the thread dead center. Turning the needle can stop this most of the time. Turn it a little bit several times or until the shredding stops.

Good Luck

[Chris & Cindy]

I need to add that my tech Vince Putnam out of Charlotte NC all but eliminated my thread break and shredding problems by doing a needle bar swap around. He located the closest needle and the farthest needles and swapped them around to get a closer tolerance for all 16. Since his visit I can sew a design with 120K+ stitches and only have to change the bobbin. Thread breaks went from often to almost non-existent.

[gcannon]

Vince is great- he did the same thing for me on 2 of mine, and, you are right, he KNOWS what he is doing.

[Debbie1]

I need help doing the needle bar swap. No help in the Melco manual. Please!!!!

[Rod or Sharon]

Debbie,

That Geico insurance thing.....It's so easy even a caveman can do it.....does not apply here and don't get me wrong, I am not insinuating that you are a cave person. Without proper training in this area, someone trying to instruct you how to do this and what to do and not do as it is being done would be assuming some liability. I would not bite on this one personally.

An expensive guage that the tech's have to buy is used to determine what is the closest and fartherest needle ( hope I spelled those right ) and then we paid a lot of bucks to learn how to use them.

Sorry, but my advice is to call on a tech to mess around with this type of thing on the needle case or you could wind up much worse off than you seem to be now!

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

[gcannon]

Definitely not for me- technician time! Don't try it Debbie- bite the bullet, call your tech, and watch & learn from him or her-ask questions. It'll cost you, but will pay for itself (the tech visit).

[Rod or Sharon]

One more thing, this chatter about "swapping" needle bars around may not mean that the actual needle bars were physically taken out and swapped around into different positions. A guage and fixture($$$$$) just for this purpose may have been used to check the needle case and because of "wear" the closest and fartherest positions may have changed. We are talking "thousands of an inch". The hook timing would then be changed in relation to the "new" closest needle position. If you can physically wobble the needlebar, then it is time for a needlecase rebuild.

If, for instance, just a few of the needle bars are used consistantly more than others and the operator has been a bit stingy with the lubrication, more wear will be the result in the needlebar bushings. Before everyone goes ripping their needlecases apart, better know all the facts. It might be wise to know "exactly" what took place and why and have the proper tools, guages, micrometers, etc, before you start.

There, there is my 2 cents worth on the subject.

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

[Chris & Cindy]

I watched my tech do it on two machines and I still would not try it myself. I can testify to the fact that paying Vince Putnam (my tech) to do this procedure to my machines has payed off tremendously! My shops productivity has increased by more than 33%. He also told me that even new machines may need this done. I will agree because my newest machine now sews with no or very few thread breaks and at higher speeds than ever before. CALL YOUR TECH! It's worth the investment times 10!!!!

[Lisa@BYH]

I'd say Vince Putnam out of Charlotte NC is going to be a very busy man!