Sewing machine dilemma

My sewing machine is a Singer 5050C. Less than a week ago, it was humming along with nary a problem, and this morning, all heck has broken loose. The top thread looks perfect, but the bobbin thread is in hundreds of large loops.

There is no repair shop in my small town. Can anyone suggest a fix for this problem which I might be able to handle on my own?

Betty in Georgia

Reply to
Betty Vereen Hill
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If you are getting loops UNDER the work, it's a TOP thread tension issue. Before doing ANYTHING expensive, try this:

unthread the machine

Take a length of smooth thick thread (perl cotton is perfect). Floss the tensions disks as if they were your teeth! be firm but not brutal!

Check the disks for rust spots and the post in the middle for fossilized grunge: remove and clean if need be (you may need help if the manual doesn't have an exploded tension diagram). Reassemble...

Make sure there are no snags in the thread path

Clean and oil the rest of the machine: check the manual for oiling points

Put in a new needle of the correct type and size for the work you are sewing. test.

If this doesn't work, get back to us. :)

Reply to
Kate Dicey

Thanks to you, Kate, I'm back in business. The only cost was a bottle of Singer machine oil. I didn't detect any rust on any metal parts, thank goodness, and I was able to follow the manual for the oiling points. I am ever so grateful for your expertise and kind advice.

Betty in Georgia

Reply to
Betty Vereen Hill

You are very welcome. Glad you got the old treasure back to work. This is the same technique I use on all my older machines, and, to a certain extent (oiling being something to be VERY careful about with some machines!) the new whizzy electronic madly computerised things. :)

Reply to
Kate Dicey

The thread on the underside of the work is loopy? If so, that says there's little or no tension on the upper thread.

Try the quick fix of unthreading the upper thread completely. Raise the presser foot completely and thread the machine (the tension opens so the thread can enter it when the presser foot is up) -- you can lower the presser foot after the thread's in the tension in order to make the needle easier to thread, if you like. And a new needle is often a good idea.

If that doesn't work, then a good cleaning is in order... floss the tension with heavy thread, get everything nicely cleaned up and oiled properly, make sure the little felt doily's under the spool of thread on older machines with upright spool pins, put in a new needle, and rethread.

Cheapie thread that sheds fuzz is a good way to get grunge into the tension and cause this problem.

Kay

Reply to
Kay Lancaster
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Reply to
Betty Vereen Hill

Just had the same problem with my Pfaff 2046. Check for thread caught in bobbin area. Oil it wherever the instructions tell you to. Carelfully rethread and put in a new needle. That did it for me. I clean and oil frequently but was sewing more than I realized and the above steps cured it.

Alice in Arizona

Reply to
Alice

Gutterman or Mettler are good quality threads. If your machine is a bit picky about thread, either may suit it better than C&C.

Sally Holmes Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England "Memes are a hoax! Pass it on!"

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Reply to
Sally Holmes

Thanks for the tip, Sally. Do you know of an accessible source with these threads for someone in the USA?

Betty

Reply to
Betty Vereen Hill

Gutterman is all over the place. Joann's has it for one.

Reply to
duh

They both are also available on line http://www.uncommonthread and www.atlantathread are just 2 suppliers that carry them. HTH Juno

Reply to
Juno

Thanks for the links. As I live over 90 miles from the nearest Jo-Ann's, Michael's, etc., the ability to purchase on-line will be a blessing.

Betty

Reply to
Betty Vereen Hill

Betty,

Do you have a Hancock's close by? Ours carries both Mettler and Gutterman.

For black, white, cream, navy, red, and other colors I use a lot, I order 1,064-yard spools of Mettler's Metrosene (polyester) from Newark Dressmaker Supply. They have a very good price on 5 spools that size ordered at the same time, and their catalog often has a coupon for free shipping during a certain time period.

Doreen in Alabama

Reply to
Doreen

Thanks so much, Doreen. The nearest Hancock Fabrics is 85 miles away. I've just signed up for a catalog from Newark Dressmaker Supply. I love being able to order a free catalog. Do you by chance use the Deelybob II thread cone adapter, which is a featured product on their site? I'd like to know if it would fit my pitiful Singer 5050. The photos showing the adapter attached to two machines are not large enough for me to discern just how the adapter is connected.

Betty

Reply to
Betty Vereen Hill

Betty,

I don't have any experience with that adapter, but someone else in this group most likely does, so keep checking back!

NDS's catalogs aren't very artistically composed, but they have many interesting items and their service is prompt and dependable. Once I ordered an assortment of Sulky rayon threads...when it arrived, it included three (I think) spools of Sulky Sliver, a flat metallic that I hadn't had good experience with previously and which I hadn't expected. A pleasant telephone call resulted in a generous partial refund.

Doreen in Alabama

Doreen in Alabama

Reply to
Doreen

I note again that some (not all) of the Gutermann I've purchased in the last few years (mostly at Joanns) has been distinctly linty. The difference between the good and bad spools is noticeable. However, the difference between the Gutermann and Mettler or So Fine are significant enough for me to have stopped buying Gutermann. It's hard to tell at the store but after handling it a bit at home, many of the spools start to look like a linty Q-tip after its been handled a bit. It's really shocking since it's allegedly made in Germany. Has anyone else had this problem? I've even wondered if it was counterfeit thread.

Phae

Reply to
Phaedrine

Newark has had a decent price on the large Mettler tubes for years.... relatively speaking of course. Combine a thread purchase with one of the free shipping deals and it's even better.

Phae

Reply to
Phaedrine

Oh, yes, and LOTS of Gutterman is made all over the place: Spain, Brazil... For cotton thread these days I prefer Aurofil and YLI, which are usually more readily available in quilt shops here in the UK. YLI also do some very lovely silk filament thread, though that may be harder to track down. I can find some on-line suppliers in the USA if you want them.

Reply to
Kate Dicey

I was talking about Gutermann poly. I like Aurofil cotton, too. They make some really nice thread for quilting. But I'm starting to use more thread from Superior--- especially Masterpiece, So FIne, Bottom Line, and King Tut. And I will definitely check out YLI, thanks. It's readily available here; I just didn't know if it was any good or not.

Phae

Reply to
Phaedrine

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