Skip to main content

Merry Bobbins

Within the Kenmore family of sewing machines you'll find a few different types of bobbins with their case and shuttle. I don't know much about the early ones with their sizes, but I will talk about the importance of clearance in the bobbin case.

If you want to look up different bobbins this link is a google search for bobbin sizes.

In general the sizes we see nowadays are A, L and M. A is also known as Class 15. This little guy is what has been on most of the machines I have owned for my life time.

And it is the same size that is in the Kenmores I have been working on. Something that one may not know from their history with sewing machines is that the little slit in the side of the bobbin case is actually quite important when using a zig zag machine.

The needle goes down into that slit when the lock stitch is in progress. In older straight stitch machines, this wasn't so much of a concern, and the needle could be set aside from the bobbin case. But in the vertical bobbin machines with the bobbin case adapter for the shuttle, this hole is the difference between a good needle and a bad. This advice is not necessary when working with horizontal bobbin machines that no longer utilize the bobbin case.

They largely look identical and will function identically
In general you want the slit to be at least as wide as the largest stitch width you have on your machine. Check your machine. If you are hearing a thunking sound with each stitch and your needles seem to be going back or pulling your fabric after only a little sewing, it may very well be your bobbin case.

The proof is in the slit width. The one on the left works best with the machines I'm using

The last little bit of advice I want to talk about with bobbins and bobbins cases is the tension you can set on the bobbin case for a vertical bobbin machine. There is a little piece of metal attached to the bobbin case with a screw. That is the tensioner for the bobbin thread. You can adjust the screw to adjust the tension. It is important to adjust the tension once in a while, and whenever you change bobbin thread types.

Thankfully adjusting the screw is really simple, tighter is more tension, looser is less. And a handy way of knowing if you have the right tension is to load your bobbin and thread it through the bobbin case, and then hold it by the thread and let gravity do the work. It should drop only about an inch to an inch and a half before stopping. And tada! you have the right tension.

Really check out this blog by Martha for more examples and information. Or this website Enchinda Club! really good references.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Kenmore Ensemble: An Introduction

In this adventure there are 9 machines that will be tested. An important thing to note about the models for Kenmores of this era is the context of the naming scheme. "XXX.MM(MM)Y" The XXX being the general design numbers such as 117, 158, or 148. These often correlate with the manufacturer of the machine and the region of sale. MM(MM) mean while is the model. I have seen model numbers that are from two digits to four digits. All the models I'll be writing on in this series are four digits. Model Number and Serial Plate The last number is the Y, and is always the Y no matter how many M's precede it. It is often casually implied as the manufacturing year, 0 being the first year of manufacture. From what I've actually seen, it's more like revision number just like in modern computing when they go from 2.0 to 2.1. A major revision has been made, but it isn't different enough to be a new machine. With this, sometimes multiple revisions can happen in
Post a Comment
Read more

To Helen Black: An introduction to 1601s

I'm working with the machines now, not in chronological order, but in complexity order. So the first machine I have worked with is Helen. This bird is a 158.16010. She has a slightly green, maybe mint, enamel casing. Quick things you'll note about her and what basically drew me to these generations of machines is the simplicity of the design. Proof Helen is indeed a machine Basic features that are identical across the 1601/1701/1802 line are the side opening door to get to the light bulb, the easy to remove top (it is just held on with a tension clip around), and the order of the knobs. From left to right up to down, Stitch Width, Reverse Stitch Modifier, Stitch length (with reverse button), and Stitch Selector.  Everything is upfront and easy to access. All the machines I will be testing are flat bed, so to get to the bobbin casing there is either lifting up the machine and tilting it back, or popping out the access plate and hoping your hands are small enough to re
Post a Comment
Read more

Helen and Jane Adventures: Part 1

My previous entries covered the first impressions between the two machines. And with both of them I have a bit of exploration to go through before I can say definitively anything about the design. Helen (16010) & Jane (16011) One thing I can say for both of these machines, they are strong. You can feel the power when working with them. And neither of them are particularly loud for their strength. Working on these vintage machines, you feel like you are unstoppable in comparison to the computerized machines I have worked with (Bernina Bernette 25 is my go to dearest). They have the same feeling as I get with my mechanical near industrial serger (Juki MO-735). They go through the material like there is nothing there. This was even the case when on Helen, I hadn't quite corrected the bobbin issue and I was destroying my needle points. I also know that Jane is more than capable on hemming jeans. She's the machine that got me into this mess in the first place. I that serger
Post a Comment
Read more