Skipped Stitches

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   Have the LS-1 for 2-years. Been working great. Had a needle strike last week and ever since, I'm having a major problem. Skipped stitches. I thought at first it was the seam tape and I still think it comes into play. I  reviewed you video and timed everything in like you specify.
I thought I had it. Sewing through two layers of Sunbrella, 1-layer of .040 vinyl, 18-ga. needle and Sunguard thread. No issues. As soon as I try to add the binding to the edges....skipped stitches galore. No seam tape in this area. 

Need your hep quickly.

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regalman190 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 26 June 2007 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 66	Quote Reply Topic: Skipped Stitches Posted: 17 May 2009 at 11:11am
	Have the LS-1 for 2-years. Been working great. Had a needle strike last week and ever since, I'm having a major problem. Skipped stitches. I thought at first it was the seam tape and I still think it comes into play. I reviewed you video and timed everything in like you specify. I thought I had it. Sewing through two layers of Sunbrella, 1-layer of .040 vinyl, 18-ga. needle and Sunguard thread. No issues. As soon as I try to add the binding to the edges....skipped stitches galore. No seam tape in this area. Need your hep quickly.

regalman190 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 26 June 2007 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 66	Quote Reply Posted: 17 May 2009 at 9:06pm
	Experimented more. Tried soap on the needle.....no change. Adjusted tensions.....no change. Tried same set up only with .030 ga.....no difference. It's no problem when sewing through Sunbrella and vinyl...no skipped stitches. The skipped stitches start when I try to sew the binding on. Was not a problem until a week ago. Timing is there per the book. Any ideas. If I can't solve this tomorrow, I'll be taking it in to a service shop. This is delaying the jobs I am working on. Hope my customers don't get too angry.

MattGrant Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group Sailrite Employee - Expert Joined: 21 April 2005 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 859	Quote Reply Posted: 17 May 2009 at 10:09pm
	Straight stitch machines are very simple. What did you adjust when you had the trouble? Left and right timing should not have slipped so I hope you did not adjust that. This would be either a needle bar height issue or the maybe the needle plate got damaged and bent down near the needle entry hole. If so this would change loop size. Here are the other areas to check: 1. retaining ring cap spring 2. rotational timing 3. Is there any play up and down in the needle bar? Let me know what you find. Thanks, Matt Sailrite
	Best Regards, Matt Grant Sailrite

regalman190 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 26 June 2007 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 66	Quote Reply Posted: 18 May 2009 at 7:35am
	Hi Matt. Did not adjust the left to right timing. Adjusted the rotational timing. And the needle bar height. The score on the bar was even with the needle bar guide as your video shows. However, it still would not catch. So, I lowered it until the score mark was just below the bar guide. It worked fine. The needle plate is damaged badly, I have one on order. But I filed and sanded the hole and the surrounding areas. I replaced the spring cap and the gib hook is sharp and no burrs. There is no play in the needle bar, up or down. As I said it seems to only happen when I try to add binding. With or without the binding attachment. Edited by regalman190 - 18 May 2009 at 7:38am

MattGrant Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group Sailrite Employee - Expert Joined: 21 April 2005 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 859	Quote Reply Posted: 18 May 2009 at 7:51am
	This could very easily be just a simple needle plate problem. If you like you can send me a photo of the hook timing with the needle at the extreme bottom of its stroke. I will verify if everything looks good. Send to matt@sailrite.com. If possible, send me a second photo showing the hook point just peeking out in front of the needle as well. Thanks, Matt Sailrite
	Best Regards, Matt Grant Sailrite

regalman190 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 26 June 2007 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 66	Quote Reply Posted: 18 May 2009 at 8:01am
	OK Matt. Unfortunately I cannot take the pictures until later. Can you explain more about why the needle plate? Does the added thickness or vinyl have something to do with it?

MattGrant Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group Sailrite Employee - Expert Joined: 21 April 2005 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 859	Quote Reply Posted: 18 May 2009 at 8:12am
	If a needle plate is damaged or bent down at the needle hole it will contribute to a diminished loop size at the bobbin which can result in skipped stitches. Added thickness just contributes to the difficulty for the machine to create stitches in general. The two issues together can lead to failure to stitch. Just a theory at this point but the pictures will also be helpful to see if anything else is wrong. I will be on email tonight so get them to me as soon as you can for a quick answer back. matt@sailrite.com
	Best Regards, Matt Grant Sailrite

regalman190 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 26 June 2007 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 66	Quote Reply Posted: 18 May 2009 at 9:08am
	Thanks Matt. You've been a big help. I'll try what we discussed on the phone. So, to confirm. I'll turn the needle plate over, and on an anvil tap the needle down (towards the face of the plate). Then place a piece of duct tape over the hole on the front of the plate (where the needle enters) and puncture a hole through with the needle only. Correct? Thanks for your help.

MattGrant Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group Sailrite Employee - Expert Joined: 21 April 2005 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 859	Quote Reply Posted: 18 May 2009 at 9:16am
	You've got it :) Also make sure you check the hook rotation and the needle bar height as we discussed by phone. Thanks, Matt Sailrite
	Best Regards, Matt Grant Sailrite