Tension Problems Due to “Fuzz” Behind Bobbin Case
The police are your friend. The “fuzz”… not so much…
Installed a ProStitcher Premium on a roughly decade-old HQ Sixteen recently - while getting the machine ready for its first computerized quilting the install crew had a "tension" headache...top tension looked good, bottom was a mess - railroading, loops, and other non-desirable effects. I had two very experienced longarmers with me, and after nearly an hour of tension-testing and adjusting both top and bottom tension were looking good...but...the top thread tension was so tight if you plucked it like a guitar string it would strum F#.
The "plucky" longarm machine powered through a couple of rows of computer-guided quilting, and the bobbin ran out. New one installed, and tension issues on the top now. Pulled the bobbin out and its tension was good. Needle thread tension was about as tight as it could go - had to be something else....
Pulled the bobbin out, got out the flashlight, and lo-and-behold there was a ~10mm wide by 0.5mm thick "fuzzy-wuzzy" wrapped around the hook shaft (see picture). This served to put additional pressure on the bobbin making the thread on it harder for the needle scarf to pull up.
The "fuzzy-wuzzy" was removed, top tension set back to normal levels (no more guitar string effect), and the automated HQ Sixteen banged out the rest of the Halloween quilt.
Key point - if tension settings have to be set significantly lower or higher than normal - there is a reason for it. Find it and fix it, and as found in this case, say Hi! to the Cops, and ByeBye!!! to the Fuzz.....
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