Help with False Bobbin Breaks and Needle Unthreading!!

[mikeiarocci22]

I'm stitching a small left chest on T-Shirts and it started fine. Today when I started to work on more of them, I continue to get false bobbin breaks. So I adjusted all the settings that I know how to adjust based on the tips and info given on other threads, now I am not getting the false bobbin breaks as much as my needle keeps unthreading after trims. I am using an XT. Someone got any info?

[Mike Doe]

I'm stitching a small left chest on T-Shirts and it started fine. Today when I started to work on more of them, I continue to get false bobbin breaks. So I adjusted all the settings that I know how to adjust based on the tips and info given on other threads, now I am not getting the false bobbin breaks as much as my needle keeps unthreading after trims. I am using an XT. Someone got any info?

what are you running actifeed at?
what is your bobbin tension like?
where is the pressure foot set at?
what type of backing are you using?
is the material tight (but not stretched) in the hoop?
is your needle in correctly?

[mikeiarocci22]

I am running the acti-feed on auto. I tried standard at 2 but this gave me a lot of thread breaks. My bobbin tension was pretty loose so I tightened it back to the 2-4 inch drop test. my presser foot is at the closest setting. The material is tight, I'm using the hoopmaster to hoop and it's been as tight as I can get it without stretching the material. i am using two layers of cut away backing to prevent the small letters in the design I am trying to stitch from puckering.

[mikeiarocci22]

oh sorry, the needle is in correctly, could it be the angle of the needle is too much?

[levelbest]

Needle should be either DEAD ON straight (I use a lit magnifying glass to verify - this one to be exact http://www.amazon.com/Magna-Lite-Ill...7S/intercotcom ) or just slightly to the right - and I mean ever so slightly. I don't have my tech training manual to pull the exact percentage that it should be turned but I do remember John Hanson stressing it was only a tiny bit and that most people had their needles turned excessively.

[levelbest]

Ok, found it - 5% to the right which isn't as much as you'd think.

Great handout from Melco U here: http://www.melcouniversity.com/pdfs/...10_handout.pdf

[mikeiarocci22]

i'm going to try that right now and I'll let you know if that changed things. thank you.

[mikeiarocci22]

i appreciate all the help and so quickly, i am new to machine embroidery (only been doing it around 2 months so finding the help i need immediately is great.

[Mike Doe]

when the machine is sewing, is the bottom of the backing (that is hooped with the t-shirt) riding on the needle plate, or is there a gap between the bottom of the backing and the needle plate.
if there is a gap, you are probably dealing with flagging. You may need to adjust your hoop arms, so that the backing is just touching the needle plate

[mikeiarocci22]

It is ever so slightly rubbing against the needle plate. I just put the needle at around a 5% angle, i had it much more turned to the right than that. I also adjusted my bobbin tension and I have now stitched two shirts with no problem. I have not had the needle unthread yet since I adjusted the angle like you said.

[levelbest]

It is ever so slightly rubbing against the needle plate. I just put the needle at around a 5% angle, i had it much more turned to the right than that. I also adjusted my bobbin tension and I have now stitched two shirts with no problem. I have not had the needle unthread yet since I adjusted the angle like you said.

Awesome! Great to hear!

[mikeiarocci22]

Well i started the day with this design again, endless threadbreaks. I've tried to adjust all my settings, changed my bobbin, needle size, angle. It has to be the digitizing. I am going to try it with a different color to see if it still gives me issues.

[John]

We learned a long, long time ago... Leave digitizing to the professionals. It takes years to get really good and a good digitizer will make you more productive. When you can pay $30 ish from the big guys and pass the cost along to your customer, why bother? We only digitize simple designs in house and use a pro for the rest.

Suggest you look into tex-inc or artwork source who both do great work.

[mikeiarocci22]

We learned a long, long time ago... Leave digitizing to the professionals. It takes years to get really good and a good digitizer will make you more productive. When you can pay $30 ish from the big guys and pass the cost along to your customer, why bother? We only digitize simple designs in house and use a pro for the rest.

Suggest you look into tex-inc or artwork source who both do great work.

Thank you John for the advice you're right. At this point I'm still learning more of the technical process behind machine embroidery. So for now we will stick with the pros. Do you know of any webinars or good textbook style literature that could help me out? Any knowledge is good.

[levelbest]

Not sure about webinars and such - what we did was attend the initial melco training on our machines and went from there. Asked a lot of questions on what was originally the mailing list and then I ended up running the list and creating the discussion boards. There is a lot of knowledge here.

Best thing you can do is play in your free time - sew, experiment, sew... and don't expect to become a master in a day. I know the sales guys talk about how you can hit the ground running but it really does take an investment of time and effort to figure out how embroidery really works. We're still learning here...