Why does my needle keep breaking !?!?!

[stratford1970]

I have turned my new pfaff machine on for the first time today. I have never used a embroidery machine before and in the space of 20 mins have gone through 4 needles !!!!!
I have tried not having the fabric too tight, I have made sure its put in properly............any ideas?
The final needle did manage to do 3/4 of the design before it broke !!! It was a single colour design, I didnt want to try anything too hard on the first go !!!!


ANY IDEAS ?????

[ScreenBags]

Usually, the first thing to check is threading.

Cut the thread at the top of the machine.
Make sure the presser foot is up.
Put that thread tail all the way out, and throw away.
Thread again, following the manual and making sure to pull the thread snugly through each tension disk, so it's 'seated' properly.

That solves most threading/needle breaking problems for me.

[stratford1970]

Thanx for that, Im just on my way to bed, but I will give it a try 2morro, when I have been for some new needles !!!! I think I will buy a good supply..........................just incase !!!!!!

[superfache]

I was having trouble with this too. Make sure you are turning the knob down tight. I have a different machine- but I mine you need to use a little screwdriver to tighten the screw that hold the needle in tight enough.

[Stacylynn]

make sure you have the right needle for the job. if it's a heavy material you need a strong needle, just like reg. sewing. in embroidery the needle is under a lot more stress, when you do a dense design, the thread just adds to the material's thickness. try doing an outline type design.
Stacylynn

[wissewer]

I have a Pfaff machine, too -- 2170. When I first started, nothing seemed to work and I was very discouraged. I considered investing in the needle companies!! My dealer insisted that the tension is almost always correct on the machine's original settings and to try other options.

For me, when a needle breaks, I, too, always rethread the entire upper part making sure that the needle is in the "up" position. It also seems to help if the bobbin is taken out, any loose threads removed from the bobbin area, and then the bobbin replaced. When thread breaks, I ALWAYS rethread both the upper part and the bobbin.

When you clear out the bobbin area, do NOT blow it out. That makes thread snippets stick in irretrievable places. Instead, keep an old brow brush handy and brush the area out. I also keep a tweezers to pull the threads out and a flashlight to help see any debris.

Sometimes, when needles keep breaking, you might want to stop mid-stitch and clip the carry-over stitching. Those lengths of thread can grab the needle, or even foot and cause the needle to get bent or broken.

On terry cloth and thick fabrics, JoAnn fabrics sells a really nice "plastic" that you put on top of the hooped fabric which seems to help the needle pass through without sticking. After finishing the project, you iron the plastic away!

Other options include trying a different needle manufacturer. I have just started metallic threads and bought needles specific to this type of embroidery. Check your brand of thread. My machine seems to "prefer" Sulky or Robison/Anton threads. Others in my class said their machines "like" Madeira or Brother threads. I have found, however, that even within the brand chosen, you might find a given spool that tends to break. If the thread is shredded between the needle eye (where the thread passes through the needle) and the spot where the needle is attached, that, too, can create too much tension on the needle and it breaks. That can come from a bad set of needles or bad thread.

In the beginning, you might also try a design that is an outline or redwork style just to get used to the machine. A design that is very dense with stitches is always problematic due to the machine having to pass through the same spot so many times. Sometimes, designs are too complex for some fabrics.

Be sure to keep trying Eventually, you will coordinate the design to the appropriate fabric.

[shellbug]

check your bobbin AND your thread spool for "burrs" that may be catching the top or bobbin thread and causing the tension to get too tight as well. I went through an entire pack of needles once that way!

-Michelle

[thestitchwitch]

Never hurts to have a good supply of plenty of each type of needle on hand anyways, just in case. You never know if you would be in the middle of an important project, late at night--and WHAMMEE!! You need a new needle. LOL

I hope you get it worked out. I feel your pain.

Good luck.

[Simpleuser2000]

Lots of things can cause needles to break. What are you embroidering on? Is the thread set tightly between the discs? Is the thread getting caught somewhere along the line where it is not running through the machine smoothly? Is the area in the bobbin area cleaned out well from the needle breaking? Is the needle pushed up all the way when you inserted it? Is the needle in tight. Not wobbly at all? Get your handbook and follow threading instructions to make sure the machine is threaded the right way.

Congrats on your new machine. What kind did you get?
Elaine

[Sue Foster]

OK this may sound crazy, but there is a special embroidery foot that you need to use when embroidering, not the usual one for regular sewing. DON'T ask me how I know. It quits getting funny after you've invested a bunch of money into needles. Hugs to all of you great gals! Sue

[horse_rescue]

but there is a special embroidery foot that you need to use when embroidering, not the usual one for regular sewing. DON'T ask me how I know.

ummmmmmm, totally agree and don't ask me how I know.

okay, so one day I sat for over an hour at my machine breaking needles and material in the hoop kept bunching up. Kept going through every step to try and figure out why why why..... well after an hour or so the light bulb finally went off - it was my foot all along - never switched it over to the embroidery foot. ugh!

[sewingdad]

I think I have to consider myself lucky. The only time I have broken a needle is because of my own fault. I did not seat the needle all the way up to the needle stop before clamping down with the screw. Ended up putting the needle in crooked and it hit the thread plate while stitching.

[gartner]

For embroidery use a size 75/11 or 80/12 Embroidery needle.
Make sure your needle is in the right way and all the way up before tightening the screw.
Make sure when you thread the machine your pressure foot is in the up position.

After any thread breaks re thread your machine right from the start at the thread spool, & pressure foot up.
Also take your bobbin out and then put it back in and make sure it clicks into the bobbin tension.

Once your top thread is threaded through the machine pull it a little to see how easily it moves through the tensions and the needle.
It should move fairly smoothly and easily.

Is it getting caught on the thread spool or between the spool, spool cap and the thread pin on the machine?
If the thread is caught up on something then it will cause your needle to break.

Is your thread spool in a vertical or horizontal position?

Check the spool for rough spots as that can snag the thread and it will eventually break or stop the thread from moving and snap the needle.

You don't say what fabric you are using or stabilizer.
Different fabrics require different stabilizers.
The number of stitches in your design can also determine what type of stabilizer and how many layers you may need.

Let us know what fabric and stabilizer you are using and how many stitches in the design you are trying to stitch and what thread you are using in the bobbin..

If you can slow your machine down and try the design again and watch what is happening to you top thread at the spool and at the needle eye you may be able to see what is happening and what is causing the needle to break.

Also check the needle plate, the plate that the needle goes through to the bobbin area.
When your needle broke it could have nicked the plate or the hole. Nicks will cause the thread to break.
If there is a nick you can smooth it out with crocus cloth which is a very fine sand paper. You can buy it at a hardware store.

When you emboider it is good to slow your machine down abit if you can.

If you are using a tear away stabilizer when the needle breaks you may have to add another layer of stabilizer when you start to embroider again at the point where the needle broke in the design. The needle has already punched a hole through the stabilizer and it may need a new layer so the stitches hold and form right.
This may even happen with cut away stabilizers too.

Back your design up about 10 stitches before the point where the thread broke and sew over those 10 stitches again when you start to embroider this will ensure your thread in the design does not come apart.

Let us know what size needle you are using and the type of fabric and stabilizer and bobbin thread.
Look at the back side of your embroidery and let us know if you have thread nests on the back of the design.
This will help us help you solve the needle problem.

Denise in Calgary