The bobbin thread keeps snagging - White Sewing 1418 Mechanical Sewing Machine

Not sure what the root of the problem is but I can help you through some fundamentals.

With bobbin thread unspooling from wrong direction the bobbin thread will eventually escape from the bobbin tension spring and will loop on top side of fabric. The bobbin thread must unwind CCW.

Not sure why bobbin tension seems high when loaded the correct way. Suggest a couple tests, top thread first.

To test top thread feed and tension, place presser foot up and needle up. Select a tension setting of approximately four (4). Make a long slow steady pull of top thread. The thread should advance easily through the needle eye with out hesitation or snagging. This is "no tension" of top thread as foot is up. Any snagging would imply uneven feed from top spool or miss-threading.


Now place foot down and make another long slow steady pull of top thread. Note the difference in no tension (foot up) and selected tension (foot down). Again the thread should advance through the eye of the needle without snagging or abrupt change in tension.


Now with the bobbin loaded, bottom thread brought to top, needle up, make a long steady pull of the bottom thread. It should advance smoothly without snagging or abrupt change in tension. It should have a similar tension to top thread foot down in previous top thread test.

When loading the bobbing, as you draw the thread into the notch with left hand, and prevent the bobbing from moving with right hand, you should feel the thread slip into place behind the tension spring. It should still move easily, just under tension similar to top thread foot down.

I believe this model has a transparent bobbin cover. After bottom thread is brought to top, when ever the needle is up, the bobbin thread should be visible crossing over the top of the bobbin spool so long as there's sufficient tension on top thread.

Comment below with your findings and I'll assist further if need be.

Make sure needle is not bent and fully inserted. Top thread is not binding (over tension) or snagging on the spool.

This has a transparent bobbin cover? If yes manually advance machine with the hand wheel, keep an eye on the bobbin case, do you see the bobbin case (hook) rotate?

As the needle starts upward, there should be a loop of top thread form. The bobbin case hook captures this loop and wraps it around the bobbin case.

increase the needle thread tension up a bit as it is too loose to pull the bobbin thread up properly
keep adjusting until both threads are at the middle of the materials being sewn

1. Take your throat plate off.
2. Turn your hand wheel towards you while you look at the needle go before the plate and begins to rise again.
3. The thread should slide across the bobbin carrier/bobbin without getting snagged. If it gets snagged the brackets that hold the carrier in place are pushed against the carrier too tight. They have to allow the thread to flow.
4. Check the bobbin pressure. The bobbin tension should be equal to the top tension. Attempt to equal the tension of four if possible.
5. Put your pressure foot up.
6. While you thread the machine give little nudges to check for snags along the way. The thread has got to go through the tension disc without error.
7 Once threaded put your foot down. Pull a little bit on the thread. It should have some resistance. Lower and raise the tension to check if the resistance changes any.
8. Sometimes the tension disc has to be blown out. This is also true about the tension spring on the bobbin case. You might want to put something thin between the tension disc to ensure there is no lint stuck.
9. Make sure the needle is the right one for the thread being used.

You can use either 16 or 16J. If your threads are loopy on the bottom side of fabric, the problem is either your needle thread tension is too loose or you have a snag in your needle plate where you have broken a needle. Check needle plate and clear snag if any. Then tighten up your needle thread tension until both needle and bobbin threads are in middle of fabric.

Remove your bobbin case and inspect it for any damage. Scratches, holes, snags. Sometimes you can Dremmel the snags.

Bobbin case problems are common, and usually bobbin race parts are easy to find and not too expensive if you need to completely replace them. Otherwise I have successfully sanded down burrs on cases and races if that is what the thread is snagging on... ? Without having someone look at how it is snagging, it is hard to diagnose. Hope you figure it out!

try changing the needle
make sure the top thread has not come off the thread take up lever
make sure there is not lint under the needle plate or in the bobbin
area

Are you sure you have got the top thread threaded correctly including the take up lever? Start at the thread spool and follow the thread all the way through the thread path checking that it is not snagging on anything enroute and that the thread is correctly through the tension device. Also tension dial should be on 4-5, if its higher this could be breaking the thread. YOu should not need to adjust top thread tension more than a half increment at any time.

Other possibility is that the bobbin holder under the needle plate has moved out of alignment and then the top thread is catching there as it goes around the hook.

If you check your manual it should give you instructions on removing the needle plate (2 screws need to come out), then you can lift the bobbin case out towards you, clean underneath with your little brush, then reinsert it. There are two little red marks on the right side of the bobbin case and a stopper, these need to be lined up. Then put in bobbin and rethread into tension spring, replace needle plate, bobbin cover, and test stitch.

Hopefully one of the above is causing the thread to break.

Could be acouple of things. The tension on the thread or the bobbin. The needle not in all the way. Wrong type of needle for the thickness of the material. My problem was always trying to pull or push the fabric with the needle in the material - cause a bend, then the tip snags the side of the bobbin hole. Snap it's gone.

As your friend suggested, check the threading of the bobbin, the click she/he might be talking about it the first rotation of the bobbin, then being snagged by the needle thread. Good luck!