Sew What’s Up Presents
The Sew What’s New Archive
This archived content is from Mary Wilkins’ sewing and
quilting message board “Sew What’s New,” which was
retired in August 2007. It is being provided by
“Sew What’s Up,”
which serves as the new home for many members of “Sew What’s New.”
From: barbeelady
Date: 10-25-2005, 02:43 PM (1 of 9)
|
I can't believe how long it's been since I was in here last. The "welcome barbeelady" is telling me it was 4/14! I guess my doll clothes have really been selling! Anyway over the summer I added a 2nd serger. I thought it would be nice to have one for my daughter to goof around with or have threaded in one color for one type of doll clothes while I have the other one (which won't cut now since I changed its blades, but that's another issue, LOL) threaded to go for my Barbie clothes. The serger is a White Superlock 634DE. I was wondering if anyone had one and what you guys thought of it. So far I like the feel of it, hard to explain, just a sturdy feel. It's a bigger serger than my Janome 204D and it has a heavier, metal feel to it. I love using it, plus it cuts! I had it working great, threaded, tension was good. I changed thread colors, did a rolled hem for awhile, then went back to my blue thread and switched to 4-thread and I can't get the tension right to save my life!  I keep getting loopies underneath when I finish a seam. The top looks great. All the books I've got and the manual have told me to loosen the lower, tighten the upper or the other way around. Or tighten one of the needle threads. I have tried combinations of needle tension and upper/lower looper tensions. I just can't figure out why I had it going so well once, did something different and now I can't get it back to the way it was. I even tried unthreading and rethreading several times. When I was a serger beginner about 10 years ago, that's what everyone said to do  I have another thing that's going on with this machine but I think I should start another topic for it so people won't get confused. I was going to name this one the serger name but added "tension" to it. I'll call the other one "thread breaking." Back in a few! Tari in Ohio Tari in Ohio
|
User: barbeelady
Member since: 10-08-2004 Total posts: 21 
|
From: DorothyL
Date: 10-25-2005, 04:44 PM (2 of 9)
|
Tari -- I was getting loops on the underside from my serger too -- it's not a White. It was always where it says in the books to tighten the left needle tension. I would change the tension and it made no difference at all. Then I would just keep threading it and sooner or later it would be right. I think I wasn't getting the thread between the disks on the left needle tension. Now I am more careful about that and it is alright. Knock wood. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: barbeelady
Date: 10-25-2005, 04:55 PM (3 of 9)
Thanks, Dorothy. The disc thing is a possibility. This serger has a lever that loosens all the discs at once so you can pull the thread through but sometimes I wonder if that's such a good thing after all. This is the first machine I've had that does it that way. With my Janome, you turn the dials to 0 while you're threading. But I'll keep trying anything I can--even if it means rethreading a few more times! Thanks again!  Tari Tari in Ohio
|
User: barbeelady
Member since: 10-08-2004 Total posts: 21
|
From: plrlegal
Date: 10-25-2005, 06:20 PM (4 of 9)
|
Tari you said that had done a rolled hem for a while. Do you need to take it out of the rolled hem mode to go back to regular serging. On my serger, you have a flip a little slide switch from S to R to do rolled hems and adjust the stitch width then when you go back to a 3 or 4 thread overlock you have to flip the switch back to S and readjust the stitch width back to 4.5 Patsy Patsy
|
User: plrlegal
Member since: 05-19-2001 Total posts: 318 |
From: barbeelady
Date: 10-25-2005, 06:28 PM (5 of 9)
|
Hi Patsy, Yes, I have to push a tiny little switch forward on this White. Yours sounds like my Janome which has an S or an R and is more of a sliding motion. I think I tried this several times on the White to be sure I was in the right mode but it's definitely on 4 thread and using the stitch finger. I've left it sit quite awhile since I tried using it last--maybe that's all it took and I need to go try it again, LOL maybe it feels like playing nicely now. I should make a little check list of all the different things we've mentioned, try those and see if I can't get it going. It makes a beautiful 4-thread stitch when it works right! Thanks for your reply!Tari Tari in Ohio
|
User: barbeelady
Member since: 10-08-2004 Total posts: 21
|
From: Kylnne2
Date: 10-26-2005, 04:32 AM (6 of 9)
| Tari, Yes, if you get loops it is correct to tighten the tension of that thread. You might want to check to see if your needles are up into the needle bar all the way and that they haven't slipped. Did you change needles since you got a good stitch and using the proper needles for that serger? |
User: Kylnne2
Member since: 07-10-2004 Total posts: 629 |
From: barbeelady
Date: 10-26-2005, 10:14 AM (7 of 9)
  You know what, Kylnne, that's one thing I never thought to do, put in new needles--or at least check the ones already in there! You're right, maybe they're just not in there all the way. Great idea, I'm ready to try anything at this point. I guess it never occurred to me since my neighbor told me she bought it practically new. The girl who sold it was getting divorced and just wanted rid of anything her ex bought her so my neighbor got it for $40. She turned around and bought a bunch of thread for it and the extra manual so she sold it to me for $75, still a steal in my book, LOL. It was really clean inside but you never know what people have sewn over with the needles.That's something I can try before I ask the next thing that was on my brain for this serger. It's very possible that changing the needles or checking to see if they're in right will take care of the thread breaking I have happen when I serge over seams and anything heavy. Those needles could have burrs on them or anything! I know that breaking shouldn't happen since my little Janome can handle thick seams with no problems at all. Thanks again for a great idea! Tari Tari in Ohio
|
User: barbeelady
Member since: 10-08-2004 Total posts: 21
|
From: bridesmom
Date: 10-29-2005, 06:01 AM (8 of 9)
|
I was sewing with my serger the other day and it was fine until I changed the thread and same problem you had. I figured it had been a while since I cleaned it so as I was blowing out the tension disc area, I happened to see a little white thread stuck in the tension disc, pulled it out, started her up and voila - sews perfectly again.
Laura
Tickled pink with my Innovis 4000D |
User: bridesmom
Member since: 01-21-2004 Total posts: 2026 |
From: barbeelady
Date: 10-29-2005, 11:00 AM (9 of 9)
|
Thanks Laura, another great idea and something I hadn't even thought of. My friend once mentioned that she has trouble when going from one color to another since color dyes vary and make the thread weighted differently. I never even thought about possibly a little piece of thread in the discs. To be honest, I haven't even had a chance lately to get this serger back onto the table and play with it but I promise you guys I am keeping all these suggestions and ideas in a Word file and will be trying all of them to get it working right again. If I can get it working better, I might lend it to my Mom since she's starting to help me with my doll clothes biz a little more now. I hate to send her something that is going to give her fits when she doesn't know the first thing about a serger, LOL. Thanks again! Tari Tari in Ohio
|
User: barbeelady
Member since: 10-08-2004 Total posts: 21
|
Visit Sew What’s Up for the latest sewing and quilting tips and discussions.
This page was originally located on Sew What’s New (www.sew-whats-new.com) at http://www.sew-whats-new.com/vb/archive/index.php/t-17188.html
Sew What’s Up is hosted by ZenSoft