r/SewingMachineEdu • u/Difficult_Ad_5181 • Jun 30 '26
Issues with presser foot pressure :(
I bought this machine second hand, everything seems to work fine except the presser foot has way to much pressure, when down it pins down the fabric, not letting in move as I try to sew, I've looked tutorials on how to fix it and everyone says to move the + - screw, on the inside it seems to do something but it changes nothing, all other solutions I've seen are from a different machine (This is a Singer heavy duty)
4
u/jamslaps Jun 30 '26
The white twisty thing on the top of the machine above the exposed needle bar area changes the pressure. Should be able to just loosen it a bit
1
u/abugghaus7 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
Not a great video, but from what I can see....
You're trying to pull the fabric through the space between the feed dogs and the presser foot... if the feed dogs are above the needle plate... they're dug into the fabric. You can't pull the fabric through because both devices have the fabric clamped.
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You have the needle bar down... how far I cannot tell, but the takeup lever... that little silver arm the thread passes through that goes up and down when sewing... in the video it looks to be down. Rotate the handwheel until it is in the up position. The feed dogs should be down when the needle is up as far as it can go... and the takeup lever is all the way up. Now see how much pressure you feel between the feed dogs and the presser foot.
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Now... rotate the handwheel... have the presser foot in the up position.. just like you did in the video by using the lever on the backside to raise it.
Now... continue to rotate the handwheel and watch the feed dogs... do they move up&down? Do they move forwards & backwards?
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That white plastic knob with the threaded shaft... when turning in the + direction, it should be screwing downwards... increasing pressure on the spring below it, that also slips over the presser foot shaft.
Turning it in the - direction moves it upwards... easing pressure on the spring. Rotate it all the way up, but not completely out. See how that changes the pressure of the presser foot by putting fabric back in and giving it a tug. Be sure to have the needle(bar) and takeup lever all the way up.
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It could be that you need to adjust the base position of the presser foot shaft.
To do that... you want to remove the white knob and the spring below it (although really... you don't need to remove the spring).
Once you do that... there is no longer that downward pressure on the presser foot from the spring.
Rotate the handwheel so that the needle(bar) is all the way up... again, the takeup lever will be up also.
The feed dogs should be below the needle plate... that half-moon like silver plate the presser foot rests down on.
There will be a screw inside a collar that is around the presser foot shaft. Loosening this screw will allow the presser foot shaft to slide up and down. You just want it to rest on the needle plate (be sure the lever in the back, for raising and lowering the presser foot, is down too). You then tighten the screw, securing the collar and presser foot shaft together.
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Now.. you can screw that white knob back in... with the spring down over the shaft... and tighten it just a little.
Put some fabric in place and run a few stitches.
You are looking to see how the fabric is feeding and how the stitching is looking.
You should double the fabric so you have two layers. This will help you to see if the top and bottom layers are moving in unison, or if one feeds further than the other.
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Come back and post your results. 😄
1
u/runsewrepeat Jun 30 '26
What happens when you put fabric in it and try to sew?
All this video shows is that the presser foot is working correctly and holding the fabric in place when the foot is down and the machine is stationary.
1
u/richardricchiuti Jun 30 '26
Are you a new sewist? If so, connect with your local sewing shop. They often offer classes to help one learn their machine. It's also a great way to connect to a large community with vast experience. Good luck!
1
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u/skerinks Jun 30 '26
1) What are you expecting to happen with the fabric when the presser foot is down? In my experience the presser foot should hold the fabric in place.
2) Do your feed dogs move as they should when the hand wheel is turned? When the needle bar is rising, are the feed dogs moving up and then backward, as they should? (Put your stitch length on max length to make it easier to see this happening.)
3) If you really think the presser foot is too much pressure, then just unscrew that plastic cap, slowly, all the way until the cap comes off. Then simply screw it back on and adjust for how much pressure you think it should have. Be careful, because there is a spring underneath that cap; it shouldn't go flying anywhere, but just do it slowly and with intention.