How to repair a sewing machine yourself: causes of breakage and DIY repair

A sewing machine is an indispensable device for any needlewoman. But in some cases, the machine begins to break the thread, a knock is heard during operation. In this case, it is necessary to adjust or repair the equipment. If complex repairs with the replacement of parts are required, then it is advisable to entrust this work to the master. But, as a rule, the machine is "capricious" due to non-observance of the adjustment rules - in this case, you can repair the sewing machine yourself.

Needle problems

The main part of the unit, surprisingly, is the needle. During operation, it produces thousands of tissue punctures of various densities. Over time, the needle becomes blunt, pressure increases on it, as a result, it breaks or bends.

If the needle accidentally strikes a hard surface, such as the body of a typewriter or a zipper, the tip will bend. The needle looks fine, but it is difficult to get a straight stitch while sewing. This is due to the fact that the thread, passing through the eye of the needle, begins to catch on the damaged tip. If this happens, then it starts to slow down with the appearance of an excess part of the upper thread passing through the line. Therefore, breaks occur regularly, and loops appear in the screed.

Quite often, equipment breaks down if a seamstress tries to use fabrics that are not intended for household machines, for example, a zipper on a sheepskin coat, a triple fold on trousers.

That is, the entire repair of sewing machines with your own hands can consist in the usual replacement of the needle. This element must be taken seriously and the needle must be replaced as often as possible, even if no obvious defects are found. Replaced needles do not need to be thrown away, they can help if a new needle breaks, but it is urgent to continue working.

An incorrectly fastened needle can also cause the "whims" of the sewing machine. Such a problem often occurs when repairing sewing devices such as Chaika, Singer is carried out. The blade must be turned towards the shuttle nose. If the machine starts to tangle the thread, you need to take out the needle and make sure it is fixed correctly.

There were cases when a home craftswoman bought consumables for industrial sewing machines instead of a needle for household needs, although it is difficult to confuse an industrial and a household needle. On the last one there is a slight cut. During fastening of industrial parts, the shuttle can be deformed, since certain types of needles are slightly larger than conventional ones. Even if the size is correct, there is still an incorrect gap between the needle blade and the hook nose, resulting in gaps in the tie.

Unstable screed

It is possible to repair a sewing machine yourself only during minor breakdowns that do not require replacement of parts in the units of this device. It must be remembered that preventive cleaning of the unit and regular lubrication of moving parts can help to avoid many problems.

If gaps began to appear in the screed, then the following factors can cause this problem:

1. The hook nose was bent or blunt during operation. You can use a magnifying glass to find out. When damage is found, replace this part with a new one.
2. The fastener that holds the needle in place is loose. To correct this defect, you need to clamp the part with pliers, a special key or a screwdriver (it will depend on the model of the machine).
3. A very thick thread is used for the small eyelet. Choose a thickness that matches the size of the ear.
4. A very thick needle is installed for the fabric. Read the instructions for your sewing machine, which details the criteria for choosing needles and materials.
5. Factory defect in the needle. Just change it to something else.
6. Needle inserted incorrectly. Reposition this part as described in the instructions. As a rule, the saw cut on the flask must be directed away from the seamstress.

Thread breaks

Sometimes malfunctions that can be corrected by hand are caused by broken threads (lower or upper), a defective needle, or poor tissue advancement. In other cases, you need to contact a master for services.

Self-repair of such units as Podolsk, Phoenix or Chaika-142, you must begin with cleaning the device from dirt and lubricating the moving elements.

The upper thread may break regularly if it is of poor quality or incorrectly threaded. In different models of sewing devices, the threading method may differ, therefore, you need to read the instructions and then correctly install the thread. If the wrong thread number is selected relative to the eye of the needle, you can use the instructions.

Also, the thread from above breaks off if the spring is pinched on the bobbin case. You need to slightly loosen the adjusting bolt with a screwdriver. This adjustment, as a rule, is performed if they work with Brother, Dragonfly, Podolsk and some other machines, since the bobbin cases in these models are similar in design. In addition, the thread may break if the needle is incorrectly attached.

On the bottom of the sewing device, the thread travels from the bobbin (small spool), through the bobbin case, and ends with the needle eye of the plate. The thread may break due to uneven or tight winding. You also need to make sure that the bobbin is properly attached. The quality of the thread plays an important role. in the operation of the unit. If the thread is wound with loops, then it will inevitably fall under the spring with a further break.

Thread breakage from the bottom does not happen often, and this defect is noted, as a rule, in devices with a vertical shuttle. Burrs can develop on steel elements near the needle when the needle is regularly deflected from the desired trajectory. Most often, it bends when the seamstress pulls on the hem to "help" the device to move it. If burrs have been identified, then they can be removed with fine sandpaper, then it is necessary to lubricate all the moving elements of the assembly and sew a small piece of fabric to get rid of excess grease.

Loop and poor tension

As a rule, looping is noted at the bottom due to a weak thread tension from above or improper threading. To avoid this problem, it is necessary to put the machine foot in the lower position, and only then thread through all threading points. While lowering the presser foot, the tension adjustment plates are connected:

1. The thread must be held with a stretch, which must be felt when pulling it, in order to bring the thread into the thread take-up.
2. If there is no clamping of the thread in the adjusting discs, then this indicates that there is a foreign object (for example, a piece of thread) in the space, which must be removed. If cleaning does not help, then it is necessary to disassemble the regulator. In older generation devices, it is located outside, on the outside of the unit. In modern models, you need to unscrew the cladding in order to repair it.

Weak fabric movement and regular breaks can occur due to misalignment of movement of the moving bar element and needle impacts. Since the adjustment of the rack and pinion unit is different for any model of sewing machine, it is impossible to recommend anything specifically. However, if you know the principle of operation of this unit, then you can adjust it on any machine.

Weak tissue movement

The needle moves simultaneously with the movable bar to the final lower position. The most important moment during adjustment is the moment when the needle point meets the teeth of the movable bar, which must be in a slightly lowered position in relation to the throat plate, but not completely (peeking out slightly). In this case, the position of the needle must be such that its end does not reach the notches by 1.7-2.3 mm. This position of the two parts in relation to each other is considered the main parameter when adjusting the lockstitch machines.

This can be achieved taking into account the implementation of the correctness of the remaining adjustments:

1. The moment of lifting the needle. After the needle reaches the bottom position, it begins to lift, with the bar moving forward to perform the next cycle of tissue advance. At this moment, a stitch is formed (with the help of the shuttle, the thread is removed from the needle), and there should be no obstacles to the advance of the thread. Often this is done in conjunction with the advancement of the fabric, resulting in excessive tension and breakage of the thread. Often the movement of the fabric will cause the needle to break.
2. The thread is tightened in the tie. If the bar moves up towards the plate, the thread guide will pull the upper thread abruptly. Such a movement of the yarn feeder must occur if the formation of the tie has already been completed, therefore an excessive amount of thread is pulled out. The quality of the stitching can be influenced not only by the tension force of the thread, but also by the correct functioning of the spring. compensation, the normal condition of the hook (without any defects), the tension of the thread at the bottom and others factors. During incorrect adjustment of the movable bar, the thread will begin to get tangled at the bottom, tear and pull out with difficulty.
3. Fabric promotion. At the final stage, the plank moves the fabric along the plate. From the step with which the bar moves, the stitch length will depend, which is set by a special regulator. It is necessary to pay attention to the protrusion of the notches above the level of the plate. Their output must be no more than their size. For thin materials, it is desirable to lower the teeth by half, along with a decrease in pressure on the fabric of the presser foot. The best option is to replace the bar with another one with small notches (this option is not available for all sewing devices).

Malfunction of the electric drive

Certain devices are equipped with an electric drive, it is used to rotate certain elements in the design of the machine. Electric actuators often break down due to overheating during extended operation. When the motor overheats, the wires begin to melt and the winding closes. In this case, repairing a burned-out electric drive is impractical. Its complete replacement is required.

In some cases, a broken pedal can be mistaken for an engine failure, therefore you need to disassemble it and carefully inspect it for a malfunction. If you cannot repair it, then you need to purchase and attach a new pedal.

The sewing machine is a rather complex mechanism. Because of this, there are many breakdowns that only an experienced master can fix. At the same time, the correct operation of sewing equipment is also affected by the setting of certain knots, which it is simply impossible to adjust with your own hands without certain knowledge.