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Singer 211 issue, bobbin case?

21K views 30 replies 4 participants last post by  adamvaughn 
#1 ·
Hey guys, so the issues never end. I finally got my servo motor installed etc and I'm having issues with my machine. It worked fine for about 30 minutes, then I got some thread caught under the bobbin case and the issues have persisted since then. I had some thread caught under the bobbin case so I took it apart to pull it out, and now I suppose I'm not 100% sure everything is in its proper place. Essentially I'm having issues with the bobbin thread being fed properly. It seems like something is catching.

I took a picture of how I have it installed. Does this look correct? Is that C arm along the bottom supposed to prevent the bobbin case from fully rotating 360 or should I move it back to the right a bit? Basically seems like depending on where i screw it down it either blocks the bobbin case from spinning 360 or it doesn't. Also, I removed the piece of metal under the foot temporarily as that also seems to be causing things to catch. When it is attached I can't get the bobbin thread to be pulled up. When I remove it, the thread comes up and then I'm able to screw it back on.

Any ideas?

 
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#3 · (Edited)
First of all, you got the bobbin case back in correctly, with the tang from the bobbin case trapped under the notch in the throat plate.

Secondly, the thread has to go through the thread guide at the bottom of the needle bar just above the needle so that the thread goes straight up and down.

If the thread is not pulling out of the bobbin case smoothly with just a little resistance, you have something wrong, like the bobbin is in upside down. The thread should come off the bobbin on the top side and unwind as you pull it to the left.

Look at these pictures, and you will see how it should be, including how to pick up the bobbin thread after changing a bobbin.

How are you starting to sew? You either need to hold both the top and bottom thread as you start, or plunge the needle down from the needle up position through the work before you start to sew.

The last thing that could be wrong is that the needle is installed wrong. The groove on the side of the needle faces to the left, and the scarf on the needle faces to the right. "You'd be surprised", my sewing machine repairman told me, "how many machines I get in here that have the needle turned the wrong way."

If any or all of those things aren't correct, you will get a mess like in your pictures.
 

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#4 · (Edited)
more pictures: The correct sequence goes from right to left. Starting at the second picture from the right, you are holding the top thread down to the table as you turn the hand wheel pulling back toward you. Once the hook picks up the bobbin thread and the top thread pulls it up through the hole in the throat plate, put anything in the loop of bobbin thread (in this case my small scissors) and pull the bobbin thread out completely.
 

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#6 ·
Wow thanks for the incredibly detailed response.

So as far as I can tell that is how I'm doing it. I'm loading the bobbin, pulling it through the slot on the bobbin case, and then placing it under the support and towards the back of the machine. I'm turning the machine by hand to get it to feed up and then pulling it through with the scissor as you demonstrate. Then when I start to sew I'm doing 2-3 stitches just turning the machine by hand without the motor, and then I'm starting it up. Now though I can feel it start to catch and not run smoothly after the first stitch or two by hand. It's getting caught on something in or around the bobbin case. I took another video showing the actual bobbin case getting jammed up and you can see how the thread is getting tangled. I also took another video below that of how I threaded the top needle if that makes any difference.

Thanks again Dan, truly appreciate it.

Dan

Video 1 of Bobbin Mess



http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l171/Danios7/?action=view&current=IMG_0777.mp4

Video 2 of Threading of top needle



http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l171/Danios7/?action=view&current=IMG_0778.mp4
 
#7 ·
Dude: Do I see the end of the bobbin thread going up out of the hole in your metal bobbin, or is that my imagination? The thread does not go up through that hole after the thread is wound on the bobbin, it simply unspools off the side of the bobbin.
 
#8 ·
DanTwoLakes said:
Dude: Do I see the end of the bobbin thread going up out of the hole in your metal bobbin, or is that my imagination? The thread does not go up through that hole after the thread is wound on the bobbin, it simply unspools off the side of the bobbin.
No it's not going up through the hole. That's a small bit left over from when I wound the thread on the bobbin bobbin. I just didn't cut it all the way to the hole. It's going the other way.
 
#9 ·
Did you take the bobbin case completely out of the hook assembly? You would have had to take out two small screws on a retainer on the right side of the hook assembly that holds the bobbin case in place. If you didn't take the bobbin case completely out there could still be thread trapped under the case.

Look at this thread: CLICK HERE
 
#10 ·
Yes I did do that. In fact I dropped one of the screws which made for a fun half an hour :(

I figured out part of the problem. I didn't have the bobbin case in the right position (the tab which goes under the throat plate was out of the throat plate). I fixed that, and now the threading feeds much better, and it is easier to get the bobbin thread out, but now as I sew the bottom thread is incredibly loose (see picture below)

I took 3 videos showing basically my entire procedure of loading the bobbin and then starting to sew. Sorry for the quality, it was hard to hold my camera and sew, but hopefully this explains the issue and maybe shows what I'm doing wrong. I had trouble getting out the bobbin thread in the video just because it was one handed but it is much smoother now. However, my sewing is still coming out like the picture below. Do I maybe need to adjust the bobbin case tension spring by that screw on the side of the case?

Video 1: Loading the bobbin

http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l171/Danios7/?action=view&current=2.mp4

Video 2: Bobbin thread

http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l171/Danios7/?action=view&current=1.mp4


Video 3: Sewing

http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l171/Danios7/?action=view&current=3-1.mp4


Picture, underside of stitch
 
#11 · (Edited)
O.K. When the stitches are that loose on the bottom,it means the top thread is incredibly loose, or the bottom tension is incredibly tight. The bottom tension can't be that tight, so I don't think you have the machine threaded correctly. Look at this thread for how to thread the machine: CLICK HERE

After looking at your video, the thread guide above the top tension disc assembly is in the wrong place. It needs to be over to the right and down until it is about level with the top of the tension discs. The top thread needs to be firmly seated in between the two upper discs, or you have no top tension.
 
#13 ·
danios said:
Yes I did do that. In fact I dropped one of the screws which made for a fun half an hour :(

I figured out part of the problem. I didn't have the bobbin case in the right position (the tab which goes under the throat plate was out of the throat plate). I fixed that, and now the threading feeds much better, and it is easier to get the bobbin thread out, but now as I sew the bottom thread is incredibly loose (see picture below)

I took 3 videos showing basically my entire procedure of loading the bobbin and then starting to sew. Sorry for the quality, it was hard to hold my camera and sew, but hopefully this explains the issue and maybe shows what I'm doing wrong. I had trouble getting out the bobbin thread in the video just because it was one handed but it is much smoother now. However, my sewing is still coming out like the picture below. Do I maybe need to adjust the bobbin case tension spring by that screw on the side of the case?

Video 1: Loading the bobbin

http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l171/Danios7/?action=view&current=2.mp4

Video 2: Bobbin thread

http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l171/Danios7/?action=view&current=1.mp4


Video 3: Sewing

http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l171/Danios7/?action=view&current=3-1.mp4


Picture, underside of stitch
First thing I noticed was that the tab for the bobbin case was not in the correct location.
 
#14 ·
Fairly skilled newbie here. Ive read the two threads ("singer 211 issue w bobbin" &" picked up a singer 111w153") about 20 times. I just got a singer 211 U567b and am having the same issue w bunching of the thread underneath.
Can someone help me get the basics down like...
*whats a good way of feeling the correct tension on the top side....being able to pull the thread through with needle bending a bit?
*bobbin tension...should it feel as taught as if i could dangle it with a little give like the bobbins from a smaller machine?
*my needle is in w the groove on the left side..ive had slightly better luck threading this from the left though i believe i read dantwolakes saying all the 211s thread from the right?

This 211 is probably way different from my dressmaker class 15 but i had fun playing with the tension on that and got it just right using 128 thread.
Sorry but i feel a bit desperate now that i havent found any good forums, youtube videos or a manual on this model until i came here.
 
#15 ·
There is no good way to feel the top thread tension. The bobbin tension is very slight. There should only be mild resistance when you pull the thread out. The machine threads from left to right, all industrial machines are threaded this way. The needle goes as far up into the needle bar as it will go, the groove should be on the left and the scarf of the needle on the right.
 
#16 ·
Made progress

:D I kept messin after my last post and got a very nice stitch after turning the machine manually and adjusting both top and bottom as i saw how the stitch slowly getting better.
Now that i see i didnt knock anything out in transport, I need to get my 92 size thread and 18 size leather needle in it and adjusted so i can continue on my pontoon seats.
I was told for sewing through four layers of vinyl that i should use a needle with a larger eyelet and it would prevent as many hangups... I havent found anything like this in a leather style needle. Is this true?
 
#17 ·
I never use leather needles at all. I also use a size 21 or 22 needle for almost all my sewing, and those will easily go through as many layers of vinyl as will go under the foot of your machine.
 
#18 ·
preference of thread?

Im not having much luck now with the thicker thread. I was using v128 thread and an 18 leather needle on my household dressmaker and i almost finished a whole seat besides where it became four or more layers. The thread is "dabond" polyester i found on ebay...it worked well so i bought some v92 but it unravels very easily. Im having trouble with both threads in the Singer 211. (unraveling and getting hung up just above the needle eye; im making sure i hold the start of the thread to the "one o' clock" direction when i start.
 
#19 ·
You need to take it to a pro to have it timed, have the tensions set, and have the machine checked for worn or broken parts. It's impossible to troubleshoot without running the machine myself, or seeing what it looks like.
 
#20 ·
Thanks Dan

I greatly appreciate all your help Dan. The machine was tuned just before i got it and runs great with the thinner thread it came with. I threw away the ebay crap i bought and just got a "sunguard" brand (92) from a local store and have had great success with a few tension adjustments. :)
One more question: when i stitch at a lower speed the top thread goes down the hole and gets hung up in the bobbin area. Is the take up/check spring an adjustment?:confused:
 
#21 ·
Sungard is what I use for everything. No, there is no adjustment for the take-up spring on the upper tension. Are you sure you have the machine threaded correctly?
 

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#24 ·
Two Issues

First Issue: These first two pics show the thread stay on the top side of the bobbin and then gets a little snagged just before the stitch is tightened up.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/po1v6xru3v86g3b/Photo May 11, 12 41 30 PM.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ro5ht5881d0nkrl/Photo May 11, 12 43 52 PM.jpg
(you can see my screwdriver pointing where is snags....just a little.)

Second Issue: The next two pics show the thread pass smoothly past the part that it hung up on before but when it does, the thread puller sometimes catches the thread and splits it before it has time to tighten the stitch up and then it either gets hung up in the bobbin and skips a stitch on top of the vinyl.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jz954beko7g06lu/Photo May 11, 12 46 53 PM.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7rqjtj2zp8ukgku/Photo May 11, 12 50 55 PM.jpg
Other than this occasional hangup, its sewing pretty good.
 
#25 ·
Your threading looks fine except for the thread guide right before the two tension disks. Use the middle hole, don't loop the thread over the guide.
 
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