i am trying to sew through 1/8" amsteel that has been spliced... even when i just manually turn the wheel, the wheel turns easily, but the thread under bunches up after only 1 or 2 stitched... on the third stitch, there is such a mess that it won't turn any further. i've tried various thread tensions and various stitch lengths... not sure what might be the problem here.
any suggestions are much appreciated.
thanks,
john
Everybody I know that does any sewing through amsteel does it by hand.
Is there something unsafe about sewing it by machine or is it just hard to do?
What may be happening is: 1/8" Amsteel spliced is pretty thick. It may be holding the presser foot up high enough to loosen your top tension, causing the bobbin thread to loop or bunch. Also, it's probably not feeding uniformly with each stitch like it would with fabric. That can cause problems with stitch quality too. I would hand stitch it.Originally Posted by johne
If you are stitching the bury to "lock" it in place, don't use the machine. Hand stitch it the correct way....http://www.samsonrope.com/Documents/...PT2012_WEB.pdf
I spent about two minutes trying to stitch Amsteel with my machine, then just hand stitched it.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
I guess my name is Nobody (points if you get the reference)
To the OP. This is a thread tension issue. Basically the amsteel is providing too much resistance to pulling the bottom thread back through. I suggest trying a bigger needle, and adjusting top thread tension as needed.
What thread and needle are you using?
Last edited by Boston; 01-11-2016 at 09:22.
It is not the bobbin thread that is looping. That's the top thread that is not being pulled up tight because the loose tension allows thread to strip off the spool instead of pulling the loop up. The bobbin thread contributes virtually nothing to the formation of that loop.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
ok... i think i got it (though, i guess i'm still not sure if it is a good idea to sew the lock or not)... it seems squidbilly was on the right track: if i first press the rope with my fingers to sort of flatten it on the side i'm going to stitch, it goes through no problem. then i take it out and turn it 90 degrees and press it the other direction.
boston: i'm using an 80/12 universal needle and mara 70 thread (i got free from a RSBTR promotion). but things seem to work if i flatten the length of rope a bit before sewing. as for the "nobody" reference... i see what looks like a spaghetti western which i haven't seen. but i have seen the movie "mr. nobody" which is one of those cool obscure sci-fi films available on netflix streaming.
Perhaps a ball point needle would help? That would be my next step.
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