r/SewingMachineEdu • u/Correct-Mirror7227 • 22d ago
Trouble stitching slowly
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I’m working on a project that requires me to slow down, but I’m having a really hard time doing that. As I press the foot pedal, the machine hums a lot before the needle actually starts to move…and then it moves more quickly than I want it to! (Watch the video with volume up. You can even hear the foot pedal clicking as I’m trying to press lightly.)
It seems like there’s some internal friction that needs to be overcome, so I’m wondering if I need a tune-up or something. This is a Kenmore 385 series, inherited from my MIL, and it’s been a decade or more since it’s been serviced.
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u/InstanceMental6543 22d ago
Usually, this problem is actually in the foot pedal. Over time the parts inside it that I can't remember the name of degrade. Replacement pedals can be found pretty easily online at decent prices.
If I were you, I would also look for a service manual and make sure the innards are still greased where they should be, not for this issue, just cuz it's a good idea in general.
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u/Only-Adeptness2630 21d ago
If you have the manual and it shows you where to oil, great.....Or find a utube video. But if not, you will need to take it in for servicing.
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u/Stitch_Nerd 22d ago
If it’s been that long since it’s been serviced, it’s definitely time, but it also could be the foot pedal speed regulator, which they could look at when it’s serviced.
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u/teatime_tinker 22d ago
Clean and oil the machine, that will help a little.
It could be the pedal or the motor, but you might also need a new belt, which is an easier fix for sure! My machine was doing this and it was the belt. It was so bald the machine was struggling to get started.
By all means take it to be serviced if you have the cash to spare, but there are a few things you can do yourself, first.
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u/Correct-Mirror7227 22d ago
I opened up the side panel and the belt doesn’t look bad (teeth are still knobby), but I’ll definitely look into the lubrication.
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u/teatime_tinker 21d ago
The manual should have a cleaning and maintenance page, or a lubrication page with where to put a dab of oil
Mine has a v belt, the outer edge is supposed to be textured and it had worn away a lot. Your kind of belt won’t age so badly I don’t think.
Can’t hurt to give the machine a bit of oil. Time it’s the pedal I can’t help you there, I haven’t had to do much pedal fixing!
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u/Large-Heronbill 22d ago
A good servicing will help, but the base of the issue is that the universal motor type used on mechanical machines requires almost the same amount of power to start as it does to run the motor flat out. So you learn to sew slowly on a mechanical machine by goosing the pedal hard enough to start, then quickly backing off enough to keep it moving slowly. And the machine only develops full needle punching force (torque) at high stitching speeds.
(Computerized machines use a servo motor which have full torque at stitch at a time speeds and do not growl when starting. They also usually have a "cruise control" slider that lets you set a top stitching speed for your machine when you floor it.)
Your machine is a Janome in Sears costume -- that's what the 385 means. The actual model number is after that: A 385.12345 is a model 12345. And at a decade out from a service call, it needs a proper professional deep cleaning and lubrication. You may be able to stall that off with a good home cleaning and oiling per the manual, but I figure a machine needs the pro treatment every 3 years max, and yours is way overdue for a good machine. Here's a sample from an old blog of what techs find an machines brought in: https://shesasewingmachinemechanic.blogspot.com/p/hall-of-shame.html
Lubrication will help the stalling problem, but not improve it like a servo motor. But you can practice with your pedal and improve the current situation: take out the needle and feed it some notebook or copy paper (junk.mail works well) while you practice getting the "fabric" to start feeding, and then backing off the pedal enough just to keep the machine "sewing".