What happened here? (injector question)

[The Old Boot]

In addition to the top thread not being threaded properly, I've seen that kind of mess from
- one of my students forgetting to put the presser foot back down after she checked something
- the last few winds of thread on the bobbin being used.
- the bobbin not being wound properly. Some machines are more adept at winding bobbins than others. I've always had the habit of 'helping' the bobbin winder by guiding the thread with my fingers as it's wound on the bobbin.

Check all other things that 'could' be wrong before playing with the tension. It was okay up until then, it won't just adjust itself!

[JLeephoto]

In addition to the above, clean out the are around you feed dogs, shuttle, and bobbin case. Just a little bit of lint and clutter in there can cause the thread to foul up.

I ended up with a birdnest once only to find that I had some little pieces of thread and lint in the bobbin area and underneath the needle tray after having fabric jammed in the feed dogs.
Had to use the instructions to figure out how it came apart, then used a mini-vacuum to clean out that area. You comment that it sounded different leads me to believe you could have the same issue.

[Knoxes]

I finished this up with another seam after tightened the tension from 3 to 4. I had taken all of the tension inner workings apart a week or two ago. Partly because it was acting a bit weird and also because I wanted to see how it works. I don't know what dirty looks like, but it looked fairly clean and lint free in there. Using Guttermann thread on this project, but I don't know what went through this machine prior to this. The tension had been set at 5, but I think it was getting stuck in those plates occassionally. That's when I eased the tension to 3. I ran several seams around the UQ like that before running into the problem that launched this thread. But the last seam came out fine, so I guess it's "fixed".

End result is pretty good, I think. From 5 feet away, it looks just like my JRB. But I don't like the way it fits around the bottom entry Hennessey with the tie-outs. It's 46x60, which interferes too much with the bottom entry and is just too short to be a good TQ. Kind of wish I had gone with 72" to use as a TQ, or 52", like the JRB UQ.

I need to send that HH out for the zipper mod. At least that way I can adjust it in place, rather than having to get out to deal with it.

[Knoxes]

Done.

[Dos]

Where did that picture of the stitches and tension problems go?

I just got me a brother 651 - quite old, but it is still very shiny and only for $15.

But....the thread keeps bunching on the underside.
I tried to find a manual on-line but it is $10. Is this normal?

Something seems amiss with the needle as well.
How do I know what size they take?

[pen25]

Where did that picture of the stitches and tension problems go?

I just got me a brother 651 - quite old, but it is still very shiny and only for $15.

But....the thread keeps bunching on the underside.
I tried to find a manual on-line but it is $10. Is this normal?

Something seems amiss with the needle as well.
How do I know what size they take?

if you check out yahoogroups. search for vintage sewing machines. you might find someone who has one in pdf form. sometimes a call to brother will get you a manual as well. you might have to pay for a service manual though. brother-usa has great customer service. call them dont send them an email.

7777 North Brother Blvd.
Bartlett, Tennessee 38133
1-877-BROTHER (877-276-8437)
901-379-1210 (fax)
M-F, 9:00am to 5:45pm Eastern Time

[gmcttr]

Pen25's advice is good. I'm not finding the manual.

It will take the standard 15x1 (130/705) needles.

Start by giving it a good cleaning in the bobbin and feed dog areas and "Floss" between the upper tension disks.

Here's a threading diagram if this actually looks like your machine. Make sure it is threaded correctly and that the needle is turned in the correct direction. The groove in the needle will go on the side the thread enters. To the left in the above threading diagram.

Post a photo and let us know how it goes.

[IRONFISH45]

Where did that picture of the stitches and tension problems go?

I just got me a brother 651 - quite old, but it is still very shiny and only for $15.

But....the thread keeps bunching on the underside.
I tried to find a manual on-line but it is $10. Is this normal?

Something seems amiss with the needle as well.
How do I know what size they take?

Just for what it is worth, I bought a Brother thread injector, looked everywhere for a model number I could use to gain more information. Guess what it was built and marketed to the Japanese market. I never did find an exact manual, however, all the machines work basically the same way. Threading is the key. The second key is keeping everything clean and dry.

When my machine gets cranky I stop, rethread, check how the bobbin thread looks, get my can of air out, give everything a quick blast of air. Clean everything with a lint free cloth. Then I haul out the alcohol (not the drinking sort), I then clean the feed dogs and plates. Normally there is a tiny bit of thread or lint interfering with the function of the machine. Sometimes with silnylon the silicon leaves a residue that gums things up, the alcohol cuts that film, allowing everything to work freely again.