Monday, February 7, 2011

My New Baby

If you're expecting pictures of a precious newborn, you may be excused now. If a serger can make your heart go pitter-pat, read on.

Isn't she lovely?
Its an older model: Singer Ultralock 14U234

I found this on Craigslist for $30! It turned out not to be such a great deal when I found that the cord sent home with me was the wrong one. I sent the seller an email hoping that it was just a simple mix-up. Nope.
I did find a used cord at a shop so I'm out a little more, but still a good deal.
If you've acquired one of these too, the owner's manual is available for free download here.

So. Now armed with the proper cord and the manual I sat down to play. Aaargh! With the tension set to the manufacturer's recommendations it looked great on the front but all wonky and loopy on the back. All of my tinkering with the dials just made it wonkier.

A few Googles later I found a random comment in a post about someone having trouble with the tension on their identical machine. This saint recommended the following combination for the tension dials:

Success! It works fantastic. Now what should I sew?

8 comments:

  1. thanks for posting this you totally saved me. i was about to throw it out the window.

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  2. Hi, I found one of these on the side of the road yesterday and have got it working - at the moment the cutting blades are blunt - but I think it will go really well. I took all the plates off and gave it a good oiling and it works well. Your post was really helpful and I have printed a copy of the manual.

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  3. I am glad I came across your blog, I just inherited this same serger (or one very similar)and it didn't have a manual so thanks for the link so I can get one :)

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  4. Have you mastered the rolled hem feature yet. Mine just jams up in the throat plate and dislodges the needle. I must be doing somthing wrong but can't see what. Help!

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  5. I believe these require you to change the plate to one specifically for rolled hem. Not sure if you need to change the presser foot as well. If you've done that, check to make sure you're holding onto your starting chain with a bit of tension until you get going. If it's still bunching up, look for any burrs or nicks on the plate that night be catching. Good luck!

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  6. Wow, I needed to believe I could get some help. You are such a blessing. I now have hope

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  7. So glad I found this thread. There's one for $50 on Craigslist and wanted thoughts on whether I should buy it. It will be my first serger. Owner says it was just serviced.

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  8. Hi, I havee one of these and it works superb. Are you able to snap the foot off to change it to a gathering foot. And if you can how do you do it? Thanks

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