NX400 feed forks seized

Lack of, or improper servicing.

That's strange as the machine is less than a year old and had already been back once to have the needle threader replaced. They checked it over then too but found nothing else wrong with it..

Or do you mean that I'm not cleaning it properly ?

Thanks

Susan

How much, and what, have you sewn this last year? The more you use it, the closer the service intervals...

This is a fairly light weight domestic machine, and if you have been using it for more than 10 hours per week actual stitching time, it may need a service and clean every six months.

Every time you start a project, do you clean out the bobbin case area (take out the bobbin case and clean round the feed dogs and shuttle), and oil where needed (see the manual)? Do you give it a new needle for every project, and after six-8 hours sewing - or when you notice the machine is taking more effort to get the needle through the fabric (as sign that it is worn and blunt)?

My Lily gets cleaned thoroughly every day during a big project. Sometimes I get through 2 or three needles a day, just stitching (more if I crash into a pin or a zip!). Every time I change the needle, I dust out the bobbin case area and check for caught threads. Every thorough clean it gets a drip of oil in one vital place. I get it serviced every six-twelve months, depending how much (and what sort) of work it has done for me.

I do the same with the sergers. The mechanical machines I tend to service myself unless they throw a real problem at me.

And like another interesting activity - suck, don't blow! Vacuum out the machine: you can get special attachments for the vacuum cleaner. Canned air can cause problems by chilling the machinery and attracting condensation, and by blowing lint into inaccessible but vital areas...

Also, never spit into your machine! You wouldn't think of doing that, would you? But if you blow, rather than using canned air, you are spitting into the machine whether you intend to or not. But, as Kate noted, canned air is likely to create more problems than it solves.

I have been using it quite a lot - usually in spurts of sewing every day for a few hours and then doing nothing for a week or two.

Really? I didn't realise it might need such frequent servicing

Um, no. But I do do that from time to time.

It says no oil needed anywhere.

Gulp, not always - depends on whether I need a different type of needle.

and after six-8 hours sewing - or when you notice the

Err, no..

Oh, I see.

But seriously though -

Thanks very much Kate - I'm very much a teach yourself sewer (although I did have lessons at school many moons ago) - and your advice is very useful.

I still don't know what seized feed forks are ! :))

Susan

Thanks - I suppose that's one up for the vacuum cleaner !

Susan

Not knowing anything about feed forks, (from a serger I guess) the first thing that came to mind was that you had taken the feed forks on an airplane and they had seized them as deadly weapons. LOL

You're welcome. Do as I told you (insert big friendly but teachery grin!) and you should get many years of happy sewing from this and all your future machines. Sometimes my poor Lily does 10 hours of sewing in a day!

Seized forks means a combination of too much lint build-up in the feed dog area and insufficient lubrication. If you let the lint build up, it cal wick the lubrication out of the moving parts. Then eventually it will jam! UGH! EXPENSIVE! ALL machines need oil or grease to help them. Many that say not to oil them get s squirt here and there when they get serviced. It's just that with some modern domestic machines the bits that need oiling or greasing are close to electronic bits that MUST NOT get oily, so it is generally safer for you to take it in annually (or more often if heavily used!) and get it cleaned and oiled.

Another lesson: NEVER put the machine away without cleaning it! That lint you leave in the machine will be busy wicking away the oil and soaking it up while you are off doing something else... When you get back to it a month later, it's completed its evil trick, and then the resulting crud has fossilised in place... NOT A GOOD SCENARIO! :(

Hit the URL below to see what I get up to in MY sewing time. And somewhere in the Learning Zone, there are pix of cleaning the serger: that attachment is readily available and will be a boon to your sewing pleasure.

Best of luck with the future sewing! Stay with us. We fix sewing problems here! :)

Less than a year old to you. It was made somewhere in China or some such far away place, sat in the hold of a cargo ship for 3 months then who knows how long in a warehouse until you got it. I service all new machine before they leave my shop, not everyone does this. it could also simply be defective.

I hope not - I had to return the first machine as there was a problem with the computer part of it, this is a replacement which was working well.

Thanks for replying.

Susan

Oh dear.

I get the message ! :))

Do you mean the sidecutter? I have one of those for the machine which I'm still trying to make friends with :)

Many thanks

Susan

No, no! The serger/overlocker is a whole 'nother machine! Mine uses

2/3/4 threads depending on the stitch. It makes the stitch you see in T shirts and swim wear. Hit the URL in my sig line and look in some of my projects to see it at work, and then in the Cleaning the Serger section in my Learning Zone.

Those little side cutter attachments that are supposed to work with some of your over-edge stitches are all very well, but no good for serious clothes making: far too slow and clunky, and nothing like robust enough.

I'm using mine to neaten the seams for some bridesmaid skirts at the moment, but I shall sew the lining seams in them.

Oh, I know what you mean now, it was the use of the word attachment which confused me.

I did try one of these about a year and a half ago - a fairly basic Janome - but it was very noisy and vibrated a lot so I took it back. I can't take too much vibration due to carpal tunnel syndrome. I also had a strange illness at the time which caused tingling in my feet and was worried that the overlocker had caused it or was making it worse.

As a result when I wanted to buy a new sewing machine which could do more than my 20 year old Toyota and do decent buttonholes I was able to use the money towards that instead.

I realise that but I don't have the money or space for one. Maybe one day ....

Thanks again

Susan

Ah... It was the vacuum cleaner attachment I was referring to.

Ugh! Sounds nasty! Hope you are all better now...

Makes a lot of sense to me! :) What did you get?

My second/back-up serger is a Toyota: very good value for money, and a nice sturdy little machine. It was used, and cost me £160, and came with a one year guarantee. Yes, sergers *do* vibrate more than ordinary machines, but that is partly the way they work, with the cutters.

I have never rated Janome sergers since one danced off a table onto my lap! The big Huskylock doesn't do that, and nor does my little Toyota. I also put all my machines on a rubber mat to help reduce the vibration and noise.

I see.

Yes - except that when I overdo it the tingling comes back - like after too many late or disturbed nights.

The NX400 I've been asking about :))

I really am pleased with it - it does so many things and came with lots of feet - including a walking one. And an extension table. And it has a knee lifter too.

I tried the Janome on a sqaure of carpet but it didn't help much. I wasn't too impressed with the quality of the stitching either.

Anyway, I can always dream that one day a van will draw up with a top of the range Babylock or Bernina overlocker for me!! :))

Thanks again

Susan

Duh! Silly me! I blame too many scarlet wimmin! (I'm in the throws of five really RED bridesmaid outfits, and my head is finding new ways to ache!)

I cannot use a knee lift: I have fibromyalgia and the pressure on the side of my knee is severely unpleasant.

The Berninas are really good, as good as the Huskylock, and quieter... But they don't have the free arm! Gotta love that free arm on the serger!