Serger has gone goofy

Humm Polly, the only thing I can think of to do is to serge a few scraps of whatever you were working on before to see if it continues to feed in a curve. If it does, then clean all the places that might have lint, and oil, and serge another scrap. Maybe it doesn't like the cloth you were using! If it STILL serges in a curve, then take all the thread off the serger and re-thread the whole thing from start with a completely neckid serger. Be sure to use your 6" tweezers to make re-threading easier!! And allow yourself plenty of time so you don't think you have to do a rush job! Good luck! Barbara in HOT 100 degree days in SC

Make sure none of your threads are caught on something between the spool and the thread path. If one of them is caught on something, that will put extra tension on that one thread. Causes all kinds of problems.

What is your differential feed set to? If that's set wrong, it could be an issue.

Are your tensions set properly? Have you tried adjusting them one at a time to see if that resolves it?

When was the last time you changed your needles? They need to be changed out just about as frequently as your SM's needles do. If I'm only finishing seams, I might go 2 possibly 3 garments without changing needles if they all require the same weight needle. But never more than that.

If all of that checks out, then it's time to start from scratch. Cut the threads and pull them off the machine. Open it up, clean EVERYWHERE. Between the tension disks, under the feeddogs, everywhere! Get out the vacuum and clean it out. There could be some serious lint build up under the feeddogs clogging up the works. Change the needles before you rethread. Oil where you're supposed to oil. Run some tests on scraps and see what you get.

HTH

Sharon

The serger is whistle clean, oiled and re-threaded. It still makes pretty stitches but it's like driving a car sitting on the passenger side. I just can't make her 'go' straight. Polly

"mamahays" an

My Viking serger has 3-4 critical oiling spots that need attention even if the serger has been sitting for a while unused. Pehaps a self-maintenance followed by oiling is in order before trying anything else....?

The only other things that come to mind is the differential feed or the foot pressure needs to be adjusted.

Good luck!

-Irene

I'd unthread it, take off the presser foot, and then handwalk the machine. I'm guessing one side of the feed has jammed or broken, but it could just be accumulating grunge. If that's not it, look at the underside of the presser foot.

Kay

I bet a new set of knives properly installed will solve your dilemma

We have tried everything many times. Nothing changed the mind of the serger to feed straight. We did find a serger tech over in Mobile and will take my precious machine there. Neighbor says, "What if it can't be fixed? Elna doesn't make a 945 anymore." Isn't she just a little ray of sunshine? I do thank you all for trying to help. Polly

We did replace the knife that moves and discovered that the old one had one heck of a chip in it. I did not/do not serge with pins anywhere nearby. Must be what phase the moon is in. It may be that the one we installed is not properly installed but we surely did try. And, of course, it may be that the other one needs replacing too. Oh how I hope you are right, Ron. I love this serger. Polly

"Ron Anderson" wrote >

Polly I sure hope you can get your serger going again. I don't like to "break in and get used to" a new machine of any type. Barbara in HOT SC

Sorry it has to go to the shop. I'm sure it can be fixed!! And I would have smacked my neighbor. lol

Sharon

I'd never bet against Ron. :)

The knives just wear out after a while. You know how kitchen knives lose their edge just from cutting up food for a long while. Serger knives are the same way. The groove you get in the knife is where it cuts the most. Once it starts to dull, you can then get chips out of it as the edge breaks off when it can't cut properly. The speed and the frequency of all those cuts adds up to some pretty serious wear and tear on the blades after a while.

Keep us posted. I'll keep a good thought that it's a minor repair!

Sharon

-who forgot to even think about the blades before.

Polly,

I know you said your machine is sparkling clean and kissed with oil. Did you take off the needle plate and scrub the feed dogs with your old toothbrush??? Just asking since it's the only thing I can think of that could possibly be wrong,

Judie