A new needle may help. Be sure the needle is compatible with the thread & fabric.
All About Needles
Remove the fabric from the machine. RAISE the presser foot and rethread from the beginning making sure the thread path is correct. (Sometimes the thread is not seated properly in the tension disk or the thread has "jumped" out of a thread guide or the take-up lever.)
Set the top tension to the factory standard (midway between high & low numbers).
Before beginning to stitch, bring the bobbin thread up to the top of the fabric and lightly hold both thread tails in your left hand as you begin to slowly take the first couple of stitches.
Readjust tension as needed.
Sewing Machine Thread Bunching Up Here Why
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100303212248AAnRUQA
5 Common Causes of Birdnests
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Try another needle-- one for the fabric being sewed
make sure the top thread has not come off the thread take up lever
clean under the needle plate and in the bobbin area for lint
make sure the bobbin is inserted into the bobbin case correctly
make sure the bobbin is turned the correct way in the bobbin case
SOURCE: Thread breaking.
Rethread the machine following these directions:
all machines thread the same. TTN tension, take up,
needle.
Beginning with the spool, guide the
thread through the thread guides to the tension assembly. Pull the thread
through the tension assembly and test it to make sure the tension is working
correctly.
(To do this test, adjust your tension setting to normal or medium or 5 or
something in the middle. Raise the presser foot and pull the thread through the
tension. It should pull easily!! Lower the presser foot and pull the thread. It
should pull noticeably harder.) If it passes this test, continue up through the
take up lever,then down through the thread guides to the needle. Make sure your
needle is fully inserted and turned the correct way.( If you load your bobbin
case from the left side,the needle rule is normally FLAT to the RIGHT is RIGHT.
There are some exceptions. If you have a newer style drop in bobbin or your
bobbin case loads in the front then the rule is FLAT to the BACK.
Remove the bobbin case and bobbin. Pull on the bobbin thread to make sure it doesn't pull too hard. It should have some tension on it but not a lot. Insert the bobbin and bobbin case into the hook assembly and pull on the bobbin thread again.The tension should still be about the same. If it is tight, you need to look at the bottom of the pin that the bobbin case sits on and see if there are any threads looped around it. If there are , you need to remove them.
Hold the top thread , turn the hand wheel and see if the thread is catching someplace around the hook assembly. If it pulls the thread up easily, put some fabric in it and see how it works.
Make sure the thread is through the take up lever.
sewman7
Sewman7
SOURCE: tangle in bobbin area, stuck needle
Please TRY the solution BEFORE giving your considered rating.
Ensure that all is clean and free of lint and jams, this is the most likely cause....now for tension troubleshooting .......
This solution is for tension problems...if you cannot form any sort of stitch, the issue is quite different, so please let me know if you need a different problem solved.....
It is quite long, but just work through each section in order.
The "knotting up" can reveal a lot. If you have loose threads on one side or the other, the tension on the opposite side will be the culprit.
QUICK SUMMARY FIRST:
Ensure sharp new needle,
Thread guides and Bobbin are Clean & Clear of lint
Set Top Tesion to 4 ....then....
Balance Bobbin to suit.
TOP THREAD TENSION:
If the looping threads are on the underside as you sew, it is the top tension. Top tension ought to be between 4 & 6 (this variation to allow for the different weights of fabric in your
projects).
IS YOUR NEEDLE SHARP ?
If you are using a needle that has seen quite a deal of work, or you suspect it may be blunt, change it for a new one !
TOP TENSION & GUIDES:
Make sure that when you thread the machine the presser foot is up so the thread goes between the discs and not to one side, top tension between 4 and 6, and that you have threaded through all the guides, including the last one, usually on the needle arm, just above the needle clamp.
It may be there is lint trapped between the discs, this will keep them slightly apart and reduce the actual tension, sometimes dramatically.
If tensions appear correct, and the thread is definitely in the channel between the discs, but still too loose and looping, try raising presser foot and remove your thread.
Now, with a 2" (50mm) wide strip piece of fabric 8 - 10" (20 - 25cm) moistened with methylated or denatured spirit, gently insert the fabric strip and clean between the discs with
a see saw / to and fro action.
In the worst cases, gentle use of a needle to pick & remove the jam may be necessary, but be very gentle and make sure the tension is set at Zero and the presser foot is raised, (to
disengage tension plates).... do not gouge or score the plates, they need a polished surface to work correctly.
BOBBIN TENSION:
Far less common, but if the loose threads are on the top, it is bobbin tension that is loose, it too may have lint in the spring and be giving a "false" tension.
I would not recommend fiddling with bobbin tension without good reason, it may end up with missing small screws and spring pieces, however, you can take the needle plate off to clean
the hook race area (where bobbin case sits)
...this is just good housekeeping, my wife does this every time she replaces the bobbin....
just take it out and clean the bobbin case and the fixed metal hook race with a small brush to remove lint. If there is a significant amount of lint, use a vacuum and small brush to get the worst.
Then wipe all this area with a cloth or cotton bud (Q tip) moistened (not soaked) with methylated spirit, especially if there appears to be fine dirty deposits....oil and lint combine to conspire against you.
If it seems likely that you ......really ....do .....actually .....need .....to adjust the bobbin case, first check there is no lint trapped in the metal spring where the thread is tensioned.
TOP LOADER:
Drop-in Bobbin case will look similar to this image with the tension screw in the middle of the metalwork....
...the other screw at one end is holding it all together, so beware....it is not a tragedy to undo the whole lot and clean it, but very gingerly and lay the bits out in sequence and orientation, or you risk tearing your hair out !
FRONT LOADER:
....this is a bobbin case from a front loading machine and works in a very similar fashion to the top loader with drop in bobbin, again, if you dismantle it, take care so you can put it all
back properly.
FINISHING UP
GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT:
When you are certain there's no trapped lint in top tension or bobbin, set the top tension to 4 and the bobbin tension to a point where you just begin to feel resistance.
Try using good quality thread of contrasting colours so you can more easily spot the changes.
Set your zigzag to one width less than maximum (eg. 5 of 6 ...or... 4 of 5 etc) and sew a sample for a few inches and check the result.... adjust the bobbin tension screw very little at
a time, perhaps 1/16 of a turn.
You may find you are playing with this balance for some little while and if you are putting the needleplate on and off each time begin to think it cannot be correct to do this.....BUT....it is,
and eventually, you do get a "feel" for the correct tension and then it happens quite quickly.....as a user you won't be doing it very often unless there is lint built up (or are there small hands at work around the house !?!?!)
OTHER ISSUES:
If you live near the ocean as we do, salt air can play havoc with metalwork inside and out, so to help minimise this, keep a few small packets of dessicant (silica gel) in your machine
case....no case ? then make some sort of cover !
Same applies in any damp or humid environment, keep your machine dry and dust free.
Budget for a proper full service every couple of years (more often if heavily used) and if you don't use your machine for a few years, be aware that old oil will dry out and combining with
dust and form a "clag" like glue (another reason for some sort of cover, even a teatowel !)
FINALLY, A WORD ON THREAD:
If it is worth spending the time, energy and money on making something that you would like to give lasting enjoyment......use quality thread, .......it may seem to cost a little more at the
time, but the results, ease of use and added longevity will be worth the extra, and as a bonus, your tension troubles may be fewer and further between, because there is a more consistent diameter with good thread, and less compensating to be done by your tension plates and less thread breaks !
www.bargainbox.com.au
SOURCE: What bobbins will work with a vintage Elna Lotus
Hi,
I did a search and found this post for you. I hope it will help.
The best-known Elna guru is Ray White, aka "Elnaman". He teaches
classes on sewing machine repair but his speciality is Elnas. You can
order parts or contact him at his website:
http://www.whitesewingcenter.com/index.p…
or you can contact him directly at:
Ray White
White Sewing Machine Center
PO Box 73
Bellview, MO 63623
Phone: 573-697-5841
[email protected]
You can also join the yahoo group "elnaheirloomsewingmachines" where
very knowledgeable Elna owners/collectors share information and answer
questions. Enjoy your Lotus!
SOURCE: Manual for Elna lotus sp model 35 m703163
http://www.scribd.com/doc/25386753/Elna-Lotus-Sewing-Instruction-Manual
SOURCE: How do I insert the bobbin into an Elna Lotus
Elna bobbins have holes on the top, so wind the bobbin with the holes on the top too. The Lotus bobbin winder doesn't have a tension device, thread just goes through an eyelet. So, place your scissors curved handle on top of your thread spool as it unwinds the thread to ensure the thread then winds onto your bobbin evenly. Also watch the bobbin fill and give the thread a nudge with your finger tip to fill top and bottom as well as the middle part, you want it to wind evenly across the full width of the bobbin. When full, pop bobbin winder back to left, cut thread and pull off the bobbin.
Then place the bobbin into the bobbin holder with the holes on top, and pull the loose thread tail around anti clockwise into the tension device and gently "click" it into the tension spring with the tip of your finger while holding the bobbin still with your other index finger.
You will be able to tell if it is in tension if you then pull the thread and it doesn't come out of the tension spring. It should feel firm with resistance but still release thread to a gentle pull.
Now thread the top down to the needle and holding the end of the needle thread, hand wind the fly wheel towards you to lower the needle and pull up the bobbin thread. Close the bobbin cover.
Always hold the two thread tails at the back of the sewing area as you start stitching a seam until you have stitched at least 4 or 5 stitches to avoid thread jams.
Lotus is a lovely vintage machine - there is a user group on Yahoo Elna heirlooms where you can find lots of info and pictures shared by members.
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