Bobbin Problem

I have a problem with my bobbin that I wonder if anyone else has experienced. If so, what did you do to resolve it. The problem is this:

As long as the bobbin is full the thread works fine but when it gets down about halfway the thread starts slipping out of the bobbin case and winds around the bobbin pole. This causes the stitches to skip or go wonky and sometimes the thread even breaks.

I have tightened the bobbin case to see if that helps but I have to be really careful about that because that sets the bobbin tension for the stitches. I don't know what else to do so if anyone has any suggestions I'm open to them all. It's on my Brother machine.

Hugs, Mika

Reply to
Mika
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I have also had this recurring problem while sewing both with a pfaff and a brother sewing machine. It doesn't come down to any one reason though - sometimes I have been using an extra fine bobbin thread or sewing 'really' fast so that the bobbin thread is speeding along until it suddenly has to slow down or stop. When this happens, a loop forms inside the bobbin case that can get tangled around the spool.

My suggestion is to come to a gradual stop or decrease in sewing speed which isn't always possible and not always remembered.

Also, when you load the bobbin and pull the thread out to the hook - hold the bobbin in the case steady with your thumb while putting tension on the thread before loading it into your machine.

Another thought is that the age of your bobbins and wear and tear against the spindle of the case could have shaved inside the bobbin so that it is not a snug fit. I know that some of my newer plastic pfaff bobbins have been very tight fitting.

jennellh

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Reply to
jennellh

Ah, yes, our precious friend. Answering you gently because all of us are hurting with you and holding you close - but it could easily be that your bobbin or your bobbin case is having a case of Cranky Pants. My Bernina guy, who is not known for charm or kindness simply has his hair catch on fire if he catches me with an ' equal' but not Bernina bobbin. And, another thought - my older SM gets really grumpy if I wind a bobbin too quickly. I won't bore you with technical things I don't bother to understand, but running a bobbin too fast somehow maybe puts a serious tension on the thread and can cause kersploofs. God bless those of you who are trying to translate 'kersploof' from a dictionary, I think it's a thing you have to actually see to understand. Polly

Reply to
polly esther

Mika: The problem might have roots in how you WIND the bobbin. When I wind one, I always thread the start through the little hole, let it hang for a couple inches, wind the thread around the bobbin center a few times, and place it on the spindle.

***Then, while w> I have a problem with my bobbin ...cut...
Reply to
Pat in Virginia

Might be static, especially with synthetic threads. No idea what to do about it though. Roberta in D

"Mika" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:kJjOg.310$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe11.lga...

Reply to
Roberta Zollner

I had that problem and found out that on my machine I have to use the flat bobbins. The generic ones I had been purchasing were slightly rounded. I now only use the flat ones and that solved my problem. Perhaps it will solve yours too.

Reply to
Boca Jan

Ah ha! That might be my problem. I always load my bobbins at full speed. I never had a problem with my old machine which had a drop in bobbin, but my new machine has a side loading bobbin case which might be a tad more persnickety. I'll try loading bobbins more slowly and see if that helps. Debra in VA See my quilts at

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Reply to
Debra

So glad you asked this question. I was having the same problem with my new machine. Debra in VA See my quilts at

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Reply to
Debra

The bobbin case doesn't come apart that I can see. If I took it apart it would never go back together correctly. I do clean the thing inside the machine that the bobbin case fits into. It comes apart for cleaning and I clean it regularly and oil it. The bobbins I use are ummm I think Singer bobbins but also fit the Brother machines.

It's a front loading. I have to take a case thingy off the front to get to the bobbin. I'll have to take a closer look at the bobbin case to see if it is worn down or anything. Thanks for the suggestion.

Hugs, Mika

Reply to
Mika

Mika,

My Pfaff was doing the same thing to me this summer, only the symptoms were that if I sewed fast, then when I let up on the speed, the "backlash" at the bobbin would cause the thread to wrap around the bobbin pole and SNAP.... After about the fifth time in one seam _I_ went SNAP and went to find chocolate. When I came back in a calmer frame of mind I tried several things.

  • How the bobbin was wound did make a difference. Not so tight, and not so full. I agree with the other advise you have been given, wind at a slower speed.
  • A touch of sewing machine oil between the bobbin side and the back of the bobbin case. Use a cotton swab to clean off the oil every new bobbin full of thread, then renew the tiny amount of oil.
  • The thread was a problem too. I discovered I had a spool of Gutermann thread that was of inconsistent diameter. It had extreme thick and thin spots. :-( So as I sewed along, minding my own businesses, when a thick spot would come, the bobbin tension would increase, and then when released, would give me the "sprong" effect that would cause the wrapped thread and the snapped serenity. I have since marked that spool to be used as the top thread only.

Good luck, and remember, chocolate is our friend,

Peggy in flammable SW Washington State

Reply to
Steve and Peggy Hartsell

Most of them are Singer bobbing but some are generic. I've never seen any made specifically by or for Brother. I've had the machine for four years and it has never been a problem before. I have a lot of bobbins so they get rotated around a lot. Never thought about bobbins wearing out but I'll check them all over real good for wear or damage.

Hugs, Mika

Reply to
Mika

Hmmm you know the speed of my sewing, starting and stopping could very well be the problem. Sometimes I speed along and then suddenly I'm at the end of the seam. The only thing is, it doesn't happen when the bobbin is full. When the bobbin is near the halfway mark I can hear it slip in the case. Several times I have thought it was empty because it makes the same sound when it is getting ready to make the last few stitches. I've taken it apart to check how much thread was on the bobbin to find that it is half full. It gets frustrating after awhile. I'll pay closer attention to my sewing speed though and see if that may be the problem.

Hugs, Mika

Reply to
Mika

Thank you for your gentle response Polly. I do so appreciate it, as I do all the replies. As far as the bobbin or bobbin case having a case of cranky pants, I think it must have rubbed off from my 11 m/o grandson. He has had a horrible case of them this week but he's cutting a jaw tooth too so he has an excuse. Anyway, I do have a tendency to wind my bobbins at warp speed so I'll slow things down a bit and see if that helps. I'm just so tired of bobbin thread kersploofs that cause me to have to re-sew my seams cause the bobbin decided to get cranky and loose. I haven't found any bobbins made specifically for Brother machines so I use Singer bobbins that are compatible with Brother. At least the package says they are. I guess I'll have to look at a Brother dealer sometime and see.

Hugs, Mika

Reply to
Mika

Great minds think alike. That's how I wind my bobbins. I have to clip the starter thread off before using it though. It was getting tangled on the spindle inside the machine and causing my upper thread to break. It didn't matter how long or short I left it, if it was sticking out of that little hole on the bobbin, it somehow found a way to make the upper thread break. So I got a pair of scissors with a really sharp points on the end so that I can get them just barely inside the hole to clip the thread. Now I don't have problems with the upper thread breaking. At least not because of the bobbin thread.

Hugs, Mika

Reply to
Mika

Mika - this type of problem is usually caused by back spin of the bobbin. Does your bobbin case come with a small metal piece inside? This piece is easy to lose when changing bobbins and if it's gone, it could be the cause of your problems.

Linda PATCHogue, NY

Reply to
Witchy Stitcher

I've tried some of the flat ones and they are so tight in the bobbin case that they don't spin well enough and the thread breaks. I'll dig them out and give them another try though and see what happens. If the bobbin case is getting worn down the might fit now. It's worth trying again though.

Hugs, Mika

Reply to
Mika

Glad to be of help. Maybe we'll get the problem solved for both of us by trying out the suggestions everyone has given us here. Thank you ALL so much for your help and suggestions.

Hugs, Mika

Reply to
Mika

Singer Type 15 or 'universal' bobbins... Buy Singer or Bernina brand ones, and don't use the plastic ones!

Reply to
Kate Dicey

Ooohhhh. Be careful Kate.

It might depend on the age of the machine I think. I was told by the Janome factory service guy here that most of the newer machines SHOULD use the plastic brand bobbins because the bobbin mechanism was "balanced for the lighter weight of the plastic ones". One dealer even told one of my sewers that if she used metal bobbins in her new machine she would have difficulty if she claimed related damage/problems under warranty.

To be safe, I tell my sewers to stick with what came with the original machine (plastic or metal) and use brand bobbins.

My Janome is nearly 30yo and I ONLY use metal bobbins because (a) I prefer them, and (b) that's what came with it. I hate the thought of miniscule plastic filings floating round in my machine, which is the last all metal model made by Janome. Back then I doubt there was any other kind anyway LOL.

So should we use metal or plastic? Does anyone know the "official" truth?

Have I been told another furfie?

Reply to
Cats

Reply to
Pat in Virginia

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