20 Most Recent Janome 1600P-DB Mechanical Sewing Machine - Page 2 Questions & Answers

Hi Leann: Think about how a sewing machine works. Now think about what kind of difference an 1/8th of an inch distance would make. Yes. You will need to adjust your top tension when you do free motion work. Keep in mind that plate is not just stopping your feed dogs from working... it's holding your materials that far away from the bed of the machine... so when the thread makes a loop and tightens for the stitch it has the extra 1/8th of an inch to make up for... if the tension isn't right... you got loops. There are no "specific" settings for tensions... you learn by doing you stitch a few stitches on like materials and tighten until you see a good stitch.

Check the needle to see if it is bent. If not then check the needle to hook timing. Turn the hand wheel until the needle is at it's lowest position. Start to bring the needle upward. As the needle gets to the edge of the hook/bobbin race the point of the hook should pass slightly above and behind the needle. If it isn't the timing is out. I would suggest bringing it to a trusted sewing machine repair person to reset the hook timing and check for any other damage.

First ensure that it is not going to invalidate any warranty or guarantee by doing so ...and at the risk of repeating myself as per previous posts get in touch with http://www.janome.co.uk/index.php?option=com_chronocontact&Itemid=14

then it would be a good idea to have the machine servicedto find out if the lever is broken or stuck.

try adjusting the top thread tension for the loops try changing the needle and see if that help any if not then take the machine back and tell them what the machine is doingif the machine was adjusted, then they should have checked the stitches to make sure that the stitches were normal both forwardand backwards.

So no stitch. First make sure your bobbin is unspooling correctly from your machine. This means that when in the machine the bobbin thread when pulled should make the bobbin spin a certain direction. If that is ok... check that the bobbin thread is under the bobbin tension spring. If that all looks right... time to check the timing. Take off the foot, needle plate, and bobbin cover plate, so you can see. Locate the shuttle point. Turn the hand wheel until the needle has reached it's lowest position. Note where the shuttle point is in relation to the needle. The point should be close to the needle but not past the needle scarf. If it the shuttle is more than 1 or 2 mm away from the needle it is said that the timing is "********" or "delayed" At this point... you can either attempt timing yourself. But it best to have it done professionally.

Rule of thumb: Fast needle, slow hands. This should help. GiGi

have you checked to see if the needle is inserted correctly intothe needle clamp,,all the way up into the needle clamp& that the needle is turned the right wayalso check to make sure the bobbin is inserted correctly into thebobbin case.if you have checked for this then the following is possibleit's very possible that when you broke the needle that it causedthe machine to jump time, & it would have to be taken to a sewingmachine shop to be retimed.

am I right that the feed dogs do not drop on this machine?

Yes, this is correct....but you have to change the needle plate to a thicker one, so the feed dogs will be below the needle plate.

Tough one! Did the machine ever work when it left the shop? if the shop said its working and its been in 4 times there could be a communication issue. I use schmetz brand quilting needles and have found some threaedds are so poor quality they cause this problem. Try a BEST quality thread, size 40 or 50....no bigger to start. Some folks buy big cones of thread and by the time they are used up the thread is brittle and weak. Work slowly...set the speed controller on the front of the machine at 1/2 to 2/3 speed and hold the pedal down to get a even speed. Dont move the fabric to fast, a slow smooth movement is whats needed. Practice on the same fabric and backing as you are trying to sew on. Bring it back to the dealer and ask them to try it. then you will have a better idea of whats what.

Derek

try loosening the top thread tension one number at a time until the stitch becomes regularalso try changing the needle--flat side goes to the back of the machineif this doesn't help then you should consider having the machine serviced

Try a different thread. It may be old or dry. Even some new threads seem to be finicky.

You should not need to adjust the tension on the bobbin case for this model at all. The problem is more likely to come from your top thread being insufficiently tensioned if you are getting threads looping on the underside of the fabric.Here is my trouble shooting suggestions and the general things on threading up apply to most sewing machines. Check the top threading up, you need the thread to go through all the thread guides but in particular, the thread take up lever and the top tension discs are critical. Always thread up with the pressure foot raised as this opens up the tension discs so the thread can seat in fully. Set top tension dial on 4. Once youve got the thread down to just before the needle, lower the pressure foot and pull the thread, it should be really firm and hard to pull. If it isn't then recheck the threading into the tension device again. If you can't get tension at all, then this device is faulty and will need to be serviced. Also, if you have never cleaned your tension discs, its a good idea to give them a clean every month or so. To do this, turn tension dial to zero, then "floss" between the discs using the selvage edge of a clean piece of cotton fabric offcut, sometimes you can get build up there of dye particles or thread fibres, especially if you use some cheaper cottons that are very "hairy". Remember to reset tension to 4 when you are done cleaning.Next, remove your bobbin from the bobbin case and make sure there are no threads looped around the hook or caught in this area. If you can see a stray thread, then unscrew the needle plate (two screws) and take it off. Lift out the bobbin holder, it will come up and and out towards you. Using your little brush that came with your machine, brush out the hook carefully, removing any lint or thread bits. Also check the bobbin case itself and brush it out everywhere and check that no thread piece is caught into the tension spring on the case. Also check the case itself for any damage or piercings from your needle (if the case dislodges during a jam up it may swing and the needle strike it). If there is damage, you can file it out with an emery board. Replace the case back into the machine, it has a flat side that goes to the back of the machine and a mark which should match up with the stopper in the machine, two red arrows to match.Now, look at your bobbin, is it wound smoothly and evenly or a bit of a birds nest itself. If it is not an even wind, then pull the thread off, and do it again. The thread needs to come from the thread spool, across to the tension disc on top, then back to the bobbin spindle so it is tensioned as it winds onto the bobbin. Please read my bobbin winding tip here http://www.fixya.com/support/r10598580-winding_bobbin_correctly for more on this, it is important.You can now replace your needle plate and screw it down and drop in your bobbin making sure it turns anticlockwise when you pull the thread tail. You always want the thread to come off the bobbin, then reverse direction in a "V'as it comes out of the case. Now take the thread tail around the outside of the bobbin case moving it clockwise until it does into the little groove on the side, then press down on it until it clicks into the tension spring. Pull upwards to check it is into tension. If it comes out again, it wasn't in fully; repeat until it is fully into the spring.Use your needle up down function while holding the top thread to draw the bottom one to the top, then put the clear cover back in position covering the bobbin.Try stitching again; please always hold the two threads firmly at the start of a new seam, to ensure the threads don't get pulled down into the hook as this will cause a thread jam.Hopefully one of the above will resolve the birdsnesting problem, that does really sound like no top tension happening. Feel free to post again if its still not resolved.Happy stitching

Don't pull your fabric as you seam as this is a sure fire way to break needles.Also, make sure you have got the right foot on it for the stitch sequence it is sewing. For example, don't use a foot with a little hole in it when doing a zig zag as the needle will strike the foot. The general purpose clear plastic foot is usually a good one for most stitching. If you are trying to sew something pretty heavy then this can cause breakages too as the machine may struggle to pierce through 6 layers of denim when you cross another seam. For example, hemming jeans, when you stitch over the side seams, your machine is trying to pierce probably 7 layers, the leg, plus the felled seam turned twice. It will struggle. You can help it by using a "Jeans-a-jig" a little plastic device you hold in front to get the foot up over the lump and give it grip. But take it really slow and sew one stitch at a time.

Are you sure that the threading up is correct? If the thread is not into the take up lever, the top thread is likely to break during stitching as the takeup lever pulls the threadf off the top spool during its downward stroke. I'd suggest that you check that the threading up is correct by following the threading path in the manual, double check that the thread is in all the eyelets correctly, through the take up lever and tension dial fully and not catching on anything enroute. Check your top tension is set to 4, normal setting. Check needle is in correctly, all the way up into the housing and flat shank to the back. I'm sure you know this but needles are 130/705H system. If all the above still fails to solve the problem, then take off the needle plate remove the foot, and take out the bobbin. Then manually turn the machine through a stitch sequence and watch the timing of the rotary hook vs the needle, it is possible that the timing has been knocked out during the needle breakage incident. If you suspect that this is the case, you'll need to get it serviced and the timing reset. It's a good practice to never pull the fabric as you sew as this is a common cause of needle breakages.