Having problems with sewing machine

15 years ago

I got an old Singer Merritt 2404 through Freecycle and it didn't come with a manual and I'm not sure I'd be able to understand a manual anyways.

The machine is pretty simple and straight forward but I'm having a problem with it. When I've been sewing for about 30 seconds in, the thread coming from the top, from the spool, wears out and shreds. This is happening around the needle, I guess. My mom mentioned that the tension may be too tight but I don't know how to fix this or how to tell if that's the source of the problem.

I know next to nothing about sewing so please use simple and easy to understand directions and terms.

Thanks for any help.

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Comments (8)

ms_minnamouse
Original Author
15 years ago
Sorry, I made a mistake. I am having problems when I sew in reverse. This when the thread bunches up and shreds at the needle. It's sewing fine when I sew forwards but not backwards. Any ideas?
kathi_mdgd
15 years ago
Did you try changing the needle?? It may have a burr on it.
Kathi
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evaf555
15 years ago
Is the thread old? Thread gets old and dries up and becomes brittle.
brownthumbia
15 years ago
sounds like the needle to me too. Also, did you try going online to the Singer company to see if they could steer you to where you could get a manual? Sometimes they have them online and you could print it out from there. It would be nice in case there are other problems you may come across
ms_minnamouse
Original Author
15 years ago
They suggested it may be a bur on the needle too. So I changed the needle and am still getting the same problem. Then I encountered the same problem on another sewing machine! So either I am encountering 3 burs in a row or it's me.

I never did get the manual. I don't feel like spending $10+ for it. Ridiculous!
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
15 years ago
Well if the machine was free, a $10 expenditure for a manual would still make the overall cost pretty darn cheap = J

I did exactly that w/ a machine I rescued from the curb - & I'm glad because I wouldn't have known how to thread it properly if I hadn't!
blitzyblond_protege
15 years ago
I found a machine by a trash dumpster a few years ago. When I first saw it, I thought it was just a case. When I went to pick it up, I knew it was a full machine. Got it home and cleaned it up and it works beautifully.

I tried to get a book for it, but no one had heard of a Golden Stitch sewing machine. Hunted around farther away and found an old repair guy that recognized it. He said they were made in 1958 & 1959 before the patent was bought out by Singer. The book he sent off for cost $25 and I am so grateful to have it. That book showed me tricks that were not obvious that the machine would do.
lynfromontario
15 years ago
Your Mom is right....the problem is with the tension. It would be well worth the money to take it in to a shop and have it cleaned, oiled and set up for you. I'm sure the person doing it would give you a quick course on how to set up the tension so you can do it on your own in the future and the machine will have to be oiled by you on a regular basis if you want it to sew properly for you in the future. It's a small price to pay for a free machine really and I'd be ordering the manual for it as well.