My Janome 3018 will not wind a nice tight bobbin. They are loose and spongy. This machine is brand new. I have double checked that it is threaded properly and the thread is in the correct place and

BRAND new Janome 1420qdc. New needle, doesn’t need oil. Will NOT wind a bobbin. Used almost an entire spook of thread doing this. At my wits end. HELP!

Upper thread breaks
1.needle may be in backwards
Correct needle insertion
Correct needle insertion is mandatory for proper use of sewing machine.
Raise the needle bar to the highest point, then loosen the clamp screw to remove the old needle, place the new needle in the clamp with the flat side to the back of the machine or if using a round needle--the groove in the needle should face away from the shaft.
Push the needle all the way up to the stop or as far as it will go, then tighten the needle clamp screw
2.upper tension may be to tight--try 3 to 5
3.the needle may be bent or damaged--try rolling the needle on a flat surface to see if it's bent or not
4.thread may be hanging up in bobbin case--check area for loose threads or lint
???
Lower thread breaks
The most probable cause of lower thread breaking is improperly wound bobbin
1.always start with a empty bobbin
Never wind one color over the other
2.choose thread that is identical in color & type as the one to be used for upper threading
3.wind the bobbin evenly across & in layers
4.don't wind the bobbin so full that it would be tight & hard to insert into bobbin case
5.bent bobbin--replace
6.lint built up in the bobbin case--frequent cleanings will eliminate this problem, the more often you use the sewing machine the more often it needs to be cleaned
7.thread catching on the bobbin spring or latch on bobbin case, check to see that the bobbin is inserted completely & correctly, & that you are using the right kind of bobbin

also check the thread take up lever to make sure the thread has not come off of it cause that can make the machine jam up also

Check that the thread is tight around the bobbin. Make sure that the bobbin is in the right way around - the bobbin thread should double back on itself coming out of the bobbin holder. The bobbin tension adjustment is the small screw in the plate on the bobbin case that the thread passes under as it comes off the bobbin and goes out.

You need to keep tension on the thread spool as you wind the bobbin to avoid this from happening. Also, is there a little tension device to take the thread around between the spool and the bobbin winder? Some machines have a little silver button tensioner purely for bobbin winding to keep the thread flowing smoothly.

But I always do the following anyway just to ensure a smooth bobbin. Take the thread from your spool, through the eyelet or tensioner, then back to the bobbin and put the tail end up through a hole in the top of the bobbin. Now put the bobbin onto the winder and click it against the stop. Place the curved handle of a pair of scissors onto the top of the thread spool and apply some gentle pressure to stop the spool from bouncing and jumping while winding off. Keep doing this through the winding process.

Start the bobbin winding mechanisim, its a button on my Janome 6500, yours might be a little different. HOLD the thread tail until you've got coverage over the whole bobbin area catching the starting point. Stop, trim the thread tail off top of the bobbin with scissors, then restart winding again. Watch as the thread winds and give it a nudge with your finger tip to the top or bottom so the bobbin winds evenly across the whole spool's width.

Best analogy here is when you wind the garden hose onto the reel, if it goes on all over the place you never get the whole length on neatly, but if you wind it on neatly in an even tight coil across the spool, then back again, then repeat, you get a tidy hose. But just wind madly, it all builds up in the middle, you can't get it all onto the reel, and it won't pull out nicely next time you need it. Same thing with your SM thread.

Polyester and silky embroidery threads will be worse too as they are silky, so if the thread hasn't been wound on smoothly and under tension, then it will "collapse" with gravity, then when you use the bobbin, the thread is going to be caught on itself, will feed unevenly and be stretched, then loose, giving you less than perfect stitch tension.

My other bobbin tip is store the bobbins in a plastic bobbin tray so they are lying on their edges and under a cover. Keeps them neater and they are less likely to unwind stray threads around your sewing cabinet if you store them on the spool pins build onto the cabinet door - and it keeps the thread dust free. But I do not keep thread on bobbins for long, prefer to wind a fresh one off a new spool when I start a project and can usually complete a garment with a 3/4 filled bobbin, use the remaining few metres for handsewing, then junk the rest. Then I put the thread spool that is left back into a sealed takeway container to keep it away from UV, dust and moisture.

I hope this assists you with your machine and certainly if this doesn't resolve the bobbin issues, then I'd suggest you visit your dealer and ask them to demonstrate the technique on your machine to see if there is a technical issue with it.

Check the bobbin tension and that the thread is tight around the bobbin. Make sure that the bobbin is in the right way around - the bobbin thread should double back on itself coming out of the bobbin holder.

Check the bobbin tension and that the thread is tight around the bobbin. Make sure that the bobbin is in the right way around - the bobbin thread should double back on itself coming out of the bobbin holder.

Check the bobbin tension and that the thread is tight around the bobbin. Make sure that the bobbin is in the right way around - the bobbin thread should double back on itself coming out of the bobbin holder.

Double check the threading of the machine when winding the bobbin. Or as a last hope measure when winding tensiojn the thread thru you fingers just before its at the winder.

Derek

Double check you are threading correctly for bobbin winding. It should wind neatly till it can't turn, and then you stop winding; at least this is how it works on the 8000. Perhaps there is some thread blocking the thread guide for the bobbin winding

You should always use proper Bobbin Thread for embroidery - not a bobbin wound from regular dressmaking thread. You are right, the special bobbin thread is thinner so that the embroidery thread will be pulled to the underside and you get a nice shiny embroidery on top with no bobbin showing through. Wind yourself 6 or more bobbins at a time of bobbin thread to always have some on hand, or buy the pre-wound L size ones.
All embroidery machines - no matter what brand - recommend using bobbin thread for embroidery. It is readily available at all sewing stores, probably even Spotlight would carry some. If you get stuck for a supply, try overlocker thread.