Threading a Serger

[Mojo]

If you have never threaded an industrial serger you have no idea what your missing. I changed out the needles yesterday to go to larger ones and we are running Sunguard 92 so had to change out the thread, all 5 spools.

After changing the needles and running 5 new spools of thread I can honestly say I would rather have a root canal then thread one of these machines again. What a royal PITA. The guy in this video makes it sound so simple but he doesn't show you that this all has to be done with tweezers because there is no room to work. Changing the needles was not fun either and required tweezers in order to set the needles in place. There is no room whatsoever to work in.

Here is the video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4vFcCHJ_qs&t=29s&list=FLG3OXEujJdv-HtrrRVel21w&index=3

I called Bob Kovar and told him what I was doing and he laughed his butt off. I haven't heard him laugh like that in a while. After his laughter he did have a great idea which worked well - tie the old thread to the new thread and pull it through. Now why didn't I think of that. :)

It was a great test of patience, eye sight, coordination and perseverance. I thought twin needles were bad to thread...... I tried the machine and it still is not sewing correctly. I walked out of the shop and will go back and see what little tiny guide or hole I missed. I was completely out of patience for the day.

Chris

[kodydog]

A friend gave us a table top Bernina serger. She said it was "all locked up". All it needed was a good oiling. So once I got it running I had to thread it. I kept thinking,  an industrial machine must be sooo much easier to thread. Took me about 45 minutes and yes tweezers. Then Rose decided she wanted a different color thread. Gaah!

[baileyuph]

Yes, similar experience here with threading a serger.  I have a 3-spool Baby Loc and at first there was some struggles.  Just think as the number of spools increase!!

I use mine for things like arm covers or when working with the thin fabrics customers bring me to do something for them. 

They (at least Baby Loc) are tough machines, a small machine but heavy.  Glad I have it
and use the tie thread technique sometimes. 

My machine came with a good users manual but had to read & read to get the drift of things.

Tough little machine, for some marine or canvas work, they can be the ticket!  These newer ones are very expensive but not as tough as my BLoc.

Might add, be sure to get it threaded correctly because if thread knots up due to mis-threading it can break a part or two and they are expensive to replace.

Doyle

[gene]

I have a serger. When I saw the topic "Threading a Serger" my first thought was tweezers.

When you tie the new thread to the old thread and pull it through the machine, pull it slowly. When the knot gets to the eye of the needle, it may be too big to go through. If it is, cut the thread at the knot and you then only need to run the thread through the eye of the needle.

Keep an eye on the spools of thread when they start getting low.

gene

[sofadoc]

I'm always looking for the right deal on a used serger to fall into my lap. I've come close to pulling the trigger a couple times, but no deal so far.

It's difficult for me to justify the cost of a brand new one, since I'd probably only use it for arm covers, skirt flaps, and the occasional loose weave fabrics that ravel easily.
Plus, I'm not looking forward to the learning curve in operating one.

So you're running 92 thread through it? I thought you had to use lightweight threads for sergers. Maybe I've just been looking at the wrong models. If yours will handle 92, it sounds like the model that I would want. I'm not interested in any of those little "Suzy Homemaker" sergers.

I understand that lightweight serger thread cones are fairly inexpensive (compared to 69, 92,etc.). I'm not sure if I want to invest the money to run 5 spools of 69 through one when I would only get limited use out of it.

Chris: I know you gave the model # in another thread, But I'm too lazy to go looking for it. What model is yours again?

[Mojo]

Unfortunately we have a 5 spool machine. But I did find out that we only need to use 4. The bad part of it is that we will have to use white and black so will have to alternate between the two. Thankfully most jobs will call for white only.

My eye sight has failed and I wear a jewelers magnifying hood when working on machines. You can get them at Harbor Freight for less then $ 10 bucks. They work great and it is like wearing a magnifying glass on your head.

Years of chemo treatments have about destroyed the nerves in my fingers so holding small pieces of anything makes it difficult. I dropped one of those needles 3 times because I could not feel it on my fingers. ( People wince when I shake their hands thinking I will crush them ).  lol

Ingrid has been sewing on a serger since she was a kid and will be using that machine. She will be taking over the threading duties as she seen yesterday I was frustrated beyond words. I actually invented a few new curse words yesterday. :)

Chris

[65Buick]

Too funny! "A root canal.."

I have a home serger which is actually really easy to thread. A local upholsterer here posted a vid of them serging with an industrial machine the other day and I thought, wow, that's wayyyy faster, and insane. No idea how it is to thread the big ones.

[Grebo]

Oh yeah never run out of thread, always tie the knot & pull it through.

Suzi