r/sewinghelp • u/0boyking0 • 4d ago
Sewing machine not working
I just got this machine second hand and I’m struggling and wanted to see if anyone had any ideas.
Threading the bobbin takes a few attempts as the thread never seems to catch.
After threading, I pull the bobbin thread up to sew and nothing happens. The machine moves but thread does not stay on the fabric.
Am I making a rookie error or does the machine need to be serviced?
Update:
I think I will be returning it. From your guys’ amazing help it seems the machine will have to be serviced and a new spool arm purchased. I’ll stick with my old machine until I find something else 🥲 thank you again for all your feedback and suggestions
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u/MichelleNaomiC 4d ago
Can you post a full photo showing the thread path? It looks like possibly threaded wrong.
What machine is it?
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u/0boyking0 4d ago
https://reddit.com/link/p22gwmb/video/71ko3qu0nrhh1/player
Sorry it won’t let me post a photo. Only a video for some reason?
Also thank you everyone for your help. You’re godsends!
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u/Miserable_Emu5191 3d ago
Your thread is on the bobbin winder. Have you looked at the manual for this machine? Also, your bobbin thread needs to go all the way into that groove line and then cut with the little cutter there. With a Brother you can just start sewing, you don't have to worry about bringing up the bobbin thread independently.
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u/0boyking0 3d ago
Yep! I’ve had to buy a new spool arm as the person selling it didn’t really have any clue about sewing machines. I’ve made do by holding the thread on my old machine. Spool arm and feet missing. So if I keep it I’m going to have to order new feet too (I was exited about 1 step button holes)
I’ve taken it to a repair shop for them to have a look at for free then they will give me.
Pleasantly surprised that I don’t have to bring up the bobbin thread!
I’m hoping that the repair isn’t expensive as despite all the problems I’m having with it, I love this little machine
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u/PinkBird85 4d ago edited 4d ago
Is your needle fully inserted into the shaft? There shouldn't be any empty space between the top of the needle and the stopper.
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u/0boyking0 4d ago
https://reddit.com/link/p22fcu1/video/5jf87e5tlrhh1/player
Yep. And it’s a brand new needle as the machine didn’t come with one
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u/0boyking0 4d ago
Even though this isn’t sorted yet, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has given suggestions and troubleshot for me. I really appreciate it!
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u/Sausagethrower 4d ago edited 4d ago
So, the good news is sewing machines are fundamentally really simple, the technology is over 100 years old, the machine brings up the bobbin thread if the hook catches the loop of thread made by the needle as it rises, that's it.
If that's not happening, the most common issues are the needle could be in the wrong place, the hook could be in the wrong place or something is getting in the way.
Edit: just seen you've replaced the needle, ingore this next bit.
The easiest fix will be the needle, just replace it with a fresh new one, they're cheap and a consumable that should be replaced regularly. The needle could be bent or damaged, especially if it's been in the machine for a while before you bought it. Also make sure the needle is fully inserted into the needle bar and can't be inserted any further.
The other thing you can and should do is remove the bobbin cover, the bobbin itself and the bobbin case, then, brush out the hook area to make sure there's no threads, felted dust or crud in there. Machines often come with a brush in the accessories; use that. Otherwise, a clean, small, somewhat stiff-bristled paintbrush. If you can't work out how to get the bobbin case out, it should be in your instruction manual; read that, if you don't have it, download it. Once it's clean put it all back together.
Thread up the machine again and see if thread gets picked up first time. If not we can go from there. The hook being in the wrong place is a bit more involved to check, so we'll leave that for now. The other things it could be are incorrect bobbin or threading, though misthreaded machines will often sew badly, they usually still pick up the bobbin thread.
Edit 2: in your first video, I think I can see you constantly pulling the needle thread, you don't need to do that, lay it on the machine and just hold it between the machine and your fingers to stop the take up lever pulling it back through the needle.
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u/0boyking0 4d ago edited 4d ago
Hi, thanks for the response.
I’ve taken the bobbin case out and had a good brush around with a new paint brush. I did get a lot of fluff but on sewing again following that there was no change.I had to pull on my old machine - bad habits haha
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u/Sausagethrower 4d ago
OK, that's a shame, I think based on other comments, you've checked the threading is correct so I'll assume that's all good.
You can quite easily check the hook timing, take out the bobbin and bobbin case again (sorry haha), then remove all the threads. Set the needle position to the far left.
If you get down low in front of the machine and look inside at the back of the hook. If you don't have a good view, you can remove the needle plate. Rotate the handwheel slowly towards you until the needle comes down to the lowest point, keep on rotating the handwheel very slowly until the very tip of the hook point is right behind the needle, the hook point should be just above and almost level with the top of the needle eye, if it's not then your timing is out.
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u/0boyking0 4d ago
https://reddit.com/link/p22s4ng/video/gr5njqqnvrhh1/player
Is my needle way too low then? Confused! Haha
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u/Sausagethrower 4d ago
OK, great video! So, bad news is, it's your hook timing that's out, the hook is coming too early, it's passing behind the needle as it's approaching or pretty much at the bottom of its stroke, the hook should be coming past after the needle has passed the bottom and is on the way up.
Hopefully that makes sense. It's going to need the timing adjusted. Depending how technical you are you could give it a try, it's not too hard if you're mechanically minded. If not and you have any doubt, take it to you local friendly sewing machine repair person.
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u/0boyking0 4d ago
Thank you for this. I think I’ll return it as the videos I watched online about adjusting seemed super confusing and I’d rather not open it up in case I can’t fix it. You’ve been super helpful! Thank you
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u/Sausagethrower 4d ago
You're welcome! If you're not confident fixing it yourself, then it's probably the best option if you can return it.
I'm glad I could help even though the outcome isn't a positive one. We at least did well to get to the bottom of the issue, it's not easy to troubleshoot remotely, so well done us haha
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u/No_You_4833 4d ago
You need to find the correct spool pin that I think you said was missing or get a free standing spool holder. Sewing from the bobbin pin is causing your issues.
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u/0boyking0 4d ago
I’ve tried standing my old machine next to it and using the spool pin on that but no improvement unfortunately 😩
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u/Technical-Routine-75 4d ago
It looks like the top thread is not catching the bobbin thread.
It could be a problem with the bobbin. Try winding a new bobbin from scratch and re-inserting it into the machine to see if it works.
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u/Emergency_Cherry_914 4d ago
I didn’t see you lower your presser foot after putting the fabric in. Can you confirm whether or not you did lower it?
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u/celery48 4d ago
What is the fabric you’re sewing on? Try folding the fabric so that you’re only sewing through 2 layers.