A while back, a lady asked me to look at her 3/4 size Riccar R619. She was frustrated because her thread kept breaking. I checked it out and saw that the upper thread was catching in the bobbin area.
I inspected all the parts in that area looking for a groove or burr that could be preventing the thread from sliding smoothly.
Not finding any obvious problem, I began changing parts. I changed the bobbin, bobbin case and shuttle but the upper thread was still jamming around the hook.
I was forced to admit failure and returned the machine to her. That was about a month ago. This week, the lady brought the machine to the shop, said she has bought a new Janome and gave me the Riccar to use for parts.
Now I am on a mission to figure out the cause of the problem, just for my own education. I haven't had time to fiddle with it yet, someday I will drag it out and see if I can redeem myself.
16 comments:
Check the needle....(yeah I know....)recently had similar problems on an old Singer...the needle was installed incorrectly.
You're right. I always tell people before they bring me a machine to fix, re-thread top and bottom in accordance with the instruction manual and if that doesn't fix the problem, change the needle. I know I re-threaded, but can't honestly remember whether I changed the needle or not! I'll try that next time I get the machine out. -Ed
Hi Ed,
I've been perusing the web looking for some help on how to thread a lovely Mint green White sewing machine I bought. It has model number I can see nor does it sound like any I've been reading about on-line. Could I send you a photo of the threading bits for some tips? I'm guessing its a 70 's model?
Thanks
Durafemina
Hi,
I have a Necchi Supernova Ultra with a fold down extension, sort of like the Singer Featherweight. Weighs a ton tho.
I bought this machine several years ago, with no manual or accessories. It did have the bobbin and foot pedal.
When the foot pedal is depressed the machine runs very well, but it keeps running slowly when you take your foot off the pedal. Would a cleaning of the pedal possibly help, in your opinion, or is it likely an electrical problem?
Thanks,
Diane in Alabama
I recently acquired a Necchi BF Mira machine with over 20 bobbins and a lot of presser feet. It also has the original manual as well as a manual for some of the feet. It was mounted in a cabinet along with the knee control unit (I wanted the cabinet). The cord for the knee control was very rotten though. I plugged the machine in and the light works. Other than that, I can't tell you for sure that it works, but given what I know of the person I got it from and the condition of another machine I got from her, I would be very surprised if it didn't work. It is in great condition from what I can see. The machine is definitely olive/green, but your link to Necchi models says this only came in gray.
Diane, I think your electrical problem is in the foot control. Disassemble it, clean it out, remove any rust and exercise it a few dozen times to see if the problem goes away. Not knowing what type of controller you have (resistance, carbon pile, electronic, etc.), I can't offer any more advice on that.
-Ed
Crafty, As for the color of the Mira, I have never seen them in any color other than olive green. I would have to find the model list you mention and determine where it came from. -Ed
Durafemina, Check out the threading charts on the sewusa.com website. Look at the White models and the older Kenmore models for a similar machine. I think after you look at several, you will find that they all thread pretty much the same. If none of them work, you can email me a photograph of the front of your machine and I will draw in the thread path. -Ed
Hi Ed,
Enjoy reading your blog! I recently acquired a Riccar 888. On the very same day, I found a set of cams for 888 on ebay and purchased it. After cleaning and oiling, it stitches straight stitch just fine - though a bit noisy. However, when I put any cam in it, it begins to sew reverse! It doesn't try to sew any decorative stitch or zig-zag or anything. Just a 'bad' reverse straight stitch. Any idea what may be wrong? --Micki
I'm not familiar with Riccars, the Super Lite is the first one I ever had my hands on. But general guidance would be: get a copy of the owner's manual from http://www.riccar.com/ftp/whitepapers/888-Owners-Manual.pdf to be sure you are inserting the cam properly and have all the dials in the correct position. If that doesn't produce the desired results, I would manually activate the cam follower that rides on the lobes of the cams and follow the mechanism back in hope of finding a sticky point that needs lubrication. -Ed
Thank you for the suggestion, Ed. And the pdf manual link. I do have the manual that came with the machine, but this pdf looks slightly different with more info on the decorative stitches. I'll try what you suggested here, and hope to come back with a good report. Thank you!
I dealt with a mid-70s Sears Kenmore Ultra Stitch 12 that had this issue, and it turned out to be a timing problem. I didn't know how to fix it myself, and the repair shop quoted me $150 to fix it, which was way more than the machine was worth, so I ended up just getting rid of it.
"Timing" can cover a host of different adjustments from a simple needle bar height adjustment to more complicated camstack timing. Repair shops are quite sure the average owner knows nothing about the dozens of adjustments in even the simplest sewing machines, so "Timing" sounds like a good term to throw out to charge a hefty fee and divert any questions. My experience has been that more problems are caused by other things - lack of lubrication, corrosion, cracked gears, etc. -Ed
Hi, thanks for blogging about this machine. I have a machine that looks exactly like this, except that the needle homes left, and it has no auto buttonholer. I really need to get a hand on a manual, been looking online without any luck. The name of my machine is Jc General 222B, with only basic straight and zig zag stitches, without buttonhole maker. Do you by any chance know other names for this model so that I can look up for the manual? Thanks again.
I have never heard of a JC General, it's possibly a badge for some other make and model. I would suggest going to www.usasew.com and look over their list of manuals. Many have pictures on the covers and you might find one that looks like yours. -Ed
Hi Ed, thanks for the suggestion. I finally found the manual in the Singer site. It's the same model as the Quilters Friend sewing machine model, W221N. Just thought I should post an update in case someone needs a manual. :)
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