Help with a Singer Touch and Sew 630: chainstich (images included)

Hello, I'm having so much trouble getting the chain stitch to work and honestly I have no idea what I'm doing wrong as I'm following the manual 100% exactly. The instructions manual pages on the subject are here:

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've taken pictures to show what I've been doing.http://kansaigal.net/sewinghelp/sewinghelp01.jpgThroat plate is put in, flush with the operating surface. Set to the"regular" position.
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case cover is put in, little knobly bit is facing right.http://kansaigal.net/sewinghelp/sewinghelp03.jpgMachine is threaded with chain stitch thread guide.http://kansaigal.net/sewinghelp/sewinghelp04.jpgstitch pattern is AK, stitch width is 3, stitch length is 8, presser footis general purposeIn this case, the presser foot pressure is set to 4, the needle-threadtension is 6. Needle size is 90/14, thread is "50" mercerized cotton. Sewing is started on the very edge of the fabric, and nothing is visibly wrong yet.

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is bunching horribly, in fact, fabric is no longer moving at all.http://kansaigal.net/sewinghelp/sewinghelp06.jpgWhen removed from the machine, the loops are much too large.http://kansaigal.net/sewinghelp/sewinghelp07.jpgExcess thread is stuck beneath the throat plate.I've attempted adjusting the needle-thread tension at various settings; 0,2, 4, 6, 8 (thread snaps immediately) but the basic problem is that thereis excess thread accumulating under the throat plates no matter what thetension settings are. (I've also tried changing the presser foot settingsas well, no change.) I have no idea what is going wrong here. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

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Reply to
Mina Prefect
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One thing, not the total problem, but that needle is way too heavy for the fabric you're using. You only want a 90 for things like denim, or other heavy weight fabrics. I know the directions tell you a 14 needle, but that needle is too heavy for the fabric you are using. You want maybe a 70 for the fabric in the pictures.

You are threading with the presser foot raised until it's threaded past the tension disks right? You need the presser foot raised to open the tension disks so the thread can pass between them. You'd be amazed how many tension problems are caused by that alone.

Have you cleaned the machine lately? There could be dust or lint in between the tension disks. (another frequent culprit) If you have emery cloth around a thin strip of that is great for "flossing" (just like your teeth) between the tension disks. But any non-linty fabric strip will do.

Oh too, since it's a Singer, what brand of needle are you using? Some of them are Very particular and only like Singer brand needles. And I have heard of some that only get finicky about the needle with certain stitches. My industrial Singer doesn't care so long as they are industrial machine needles. My Singer home machine however, is very picky and won't use anything but Singer needles.

I don't know this machine, and I don't have anything in my collection that's similar. So my answers are pretty general. The pictures were great though. Someone here will either have the machine or know more about it than I do. And I'm sure the pictures will make a huge difference in diagnosing the problem.

HTH Sharon

Reply to
Sharon Hays

Another thing that Sharon didn't mention is: Are you certain you have the needle in the machine correctly? I know it is so easy for it to turn when inserting it.

My suggestion is completely unthread the machine, remove the bobbin and give the machine a thorough cleaning, the tension disks and around the bobbin area to get all the pieces of thread and dust. Oil it and wipe away the extra oil. Then re-thread with the correct needle, as Sharon suggested, and thread. If the fabric is thin/fine, I'd suggest using a poly or silk thread Make certain the needle and bobbin are inserted in the machine correctly and neither are bent. Over time, I've had bobbins get tiny dings in them.

HTH, Emily

Reply to
Emily Bengston

singersewingshoppe had written this in response to

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:Chainstitching with a Touch & Sew requires:

  1. A bobbin insert that replaces the bobbin. A flat metal plate that goes inside the bobbin case.

  1. A chain stitching needle plate. A new needle plate that has a special finger on the underside that interrupts the thread for chaining to occur.

  2. A chain stitching thread guide. This lengthens the needle thread on each stitch so that a chain can be formed.

It doesn't sound like you have all the parts needed for chainstitching. There is a seperate "Chainstitching Manual" for the complete process. It is a FREE download.

Singer Sewing Shoppe

M> Hello,

------------------------------------- Bob

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Reply to
singersewingshoppe

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:> Chainstitching with a Touch & Sew requires:>

that

thread on

chainstitching.

process. It

The OP's pictures and description show that the OP has all those parts ?

The *extra* "Chainstitching Manual" does not have anymore useful information for setup of chainstitch than the manual pages shown by OP, though it does have useful hints/tips on how to use chainstitching for sewing projects once it is working.

and

100%

needle-thread

is

is that

matter what

foot

GREATLY

Reply to
robb

Mina Prefect had written this in response to

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:Sorry for the late response, I didn't have a chance to try out thesuggestions until yesterday. As suggested, I cleaned the bobbin case and tension disks. I also oiled the machine as per the instructions in the guidebook. (I have no idea when this was done last, it was a good thing to do anyway!) Unfortunately, I'm still having the same results. The needle was a singer brand needle straight from the package the first time I attempted the chain stitch. (I also was threading with the presser foot up.) I changed the presser foot to the general purpose foot (as suggested in the duplicate thread I accidentally posted.) I thought it would be worth sacrificing a needle to figure out what was going on, and sewed a bit of a paper folder to make sure that the fabric wasn't going under the thread plate. The thread dogs are moving fine, but after the

4th stitch the mass of thread gathering under the plate keeps it from moving. From using the paper at the highest tension possible (9), I could keep the paper moving long enough to see what was going on. It seems that the first loop (and second loop and third loop) is (are) never unhooking before going to the next stitch so it's not so much a chain stitch as a bunch of links on one loop- if that analogy makes sense.

Is this the point where I just give up on getting it to work ever?

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Reply to
Mina Prefect

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:[trim]

it from

(9), I could

seems that

unhooking

stitch as a

ever?

there are a few more minor things you can do before considering major surgery/servicing.

I think you have hit the diagnosis right on top of the head. The chainstitch loop forming piece is not releasing the chaining loops and why not ?

Examine the chainstitch pieces for snags like rust/gunk/niks/etc. and for proper function

My personal experience with T&S chainstitching has been that it is very sensitive to tension and any thing in the path of the thread (gunk/burs/rust/niks/bends/etc) that interferes with the thread and tension throws the chanistitch off.

hope this helps some

robb

Reply to
robb

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