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When the hook timing is set at a distance away from the back of the needle scarf, the retainer spacing is also established. If the hook is too close to the needle or the retainer is bent, the basket and retainer won't allow the thread to pass in between. Needle Problems Wrong Size Thread. If the needle's eye is too small for thread to pass through smoothly, use a larger needle size. Burr In The Eye Of The Needle. Even a slight burr in the eye can wear the thread to a breaking point. Replace the needle. Using The Wrong Needle Point. Using a sharp-point when a light ball-point would have sufficed can sometimes cause breaks. A sharp-point will rupture the previous stitch, causing the needle to become unthreaded. This appears as a thread break, when in fact, it was a shearing of a previous stitch. Look for a right angle bend at the broken end of the thread. This is a telltale sign for either this phenomenon or a knot trying to pass through the needle eye. Bent Needle Tip. This can happen to either a ball or sharp point needle. The causes are too numerous to mention in this space but the bent tip acts like a fishhook barb and either tears up the garment or cuts the thread as it withdraws from the fabric. Check for a barb by gliding the needle point along one index finger with your other hand, rotating it slightly as you pull the needle in the opposite direction of the point. Replace the needle. Technique Problems Thread Tensions. Probably the greatest cause of thread breakage is incorrect thread tension. A bobbin that is too tight or binding when inserted into the machine will cause upper thread breakage. An upper thread that is too loose will leave loops through the fabric at a rate of ten per second! This will give the appearance of the garment being sucked through the hole in the needle plate. An upper thread that is too tight will obviously cause unnecessary stress on the thread, and breaks will result. Excessive Backing On Designs. When machines have this feature, make sure that the back-ups do not draw large amounts of thread on the other heads, such as long www.hsi.us care@hsi.us 217

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