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FrogNog

What does a worn-out hook look like?

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Can any of you sewing machine gurus tell me how to spot a worn-out hook on a machine before I buy it?

Due to my general mechanical inclination, I feel like I could spot a number of bad things. But this one sounds like it's real bad, and might not show up during the test drive if the seller has tweaked the conditions just right. (E.g. using the one kind of thread the machine still likes.)

If there's some book I should get, I can do that. Or I can take instruction on what part, exactly, of the hook wears out, and look at how that's working on some real live machines.

Basically I would like to avoid paying the local commercial sewing machine store an extra $500 over private party sales just to make sure this part hasn't gone bad.

If the answer is "talk to your instructor" then I'll call up the local commercial store and see if they'll show me in person. :$

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I probably don't know what a wore out hook looks like, even though I've worn out a couple sewing e thread on home machines.;) Other than ones that have been hit.

But it may not make a lot difference. A lot of replacement hooks are between $25 and $50. Many more are less than a $100. Some are more but browsing through my catalog none were more than $200 and they would be for more expensive machines. A 20U is less than $40. An after market hook for a Pfaff 238 is $55.

I guess I've never worried about it because I knew in general I could replace it.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

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Quote

I probably don't know what a wore out hook looks like, even though I've worn out a couple sewing e thread on home machines.;) Other than ones that have been hit.



Interesting, A few years ago I got a home duty mechanical Phaff. Most of the stuff I do I use #69 upholstery thread, Which the sales girls said would be fine. At the first service inspection the repairman said the thread is way too thick for continued duty in a home machine and the tension was way too high, that I had bent some parts and would wear the thing real quick. He recommended mercurized thread and double stitching.

I'm not doing harness work, just some FF shorts, hook knife sheaths, jumpsuit repairs, replace velcro. None of the work is on rigs or wings and all of it is low volume.

What is the solution? Any other thread/ operating options? Ditch the home duty?

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The local viking mechanic said they could set it up for e thread and greatly decrease the wear. I've gotten $100 older Necchi and Viking machines and used them for several years before wearing them out. New hook installed was $100? Buy another machine.

But now I finally have commercial machines.
I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

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Yeah, I have been looking at slop as my biggest clue something is wrong. If something is loose in or on an integral part of the body, I assume that marks the machine for the recycling pile.

Today I looked at a Singer 111W115. Now I know what one kind of walking foot looks like and why I don't want to use one until I need to. Darn thing was a thread-cutter. :S Bigger than I want to start out, too.

I wish the guy who sold me that gorgeous other machine hadn't sold it to someone else for $200 more before I picked it up. >:(


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Hi Frog,

For people just wanting to get started into sewing with 'E' thread I can recommend Singer 401A & Singer 500 machines.

They were classified by Singer as 'heavy-duty' machines. They are home sewing machines. Put in a 'jeans' needle (as in bluejeans) and they should handle 'E' thread quite well.

They will do a straight stitch and a zigzag stitch.

These machines are VERY hard to find and are no longer being made.

I am currently using a Singer 500 for things like pilot chutes, some work on reserve bags, etc.

Hope this helps,

JerryBaumchen

PS) If anyone comes across one of these machines it would be worth it to buy it and resell to someone or post on here where to buy it.

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A few things to look for - one the hook should be smooth - no pits or grooves. A good hook should end at a point and not be rounded. I've seen several worn out hooks where the end was blunt. Thanks to Wayne Snyder, I now know how to fix that ;)

Scars remind us that the past is real

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Yes, hook wear usually starts from needle strikes.
Then hooks end up with blunt (square) tips or bent tips.
Bent or blunt tips chew thread.
The cure for too sharp tips involves sanding or grinding them smooth. If they are ground too much, then they start skipping stitches.
Sometimes that can be cured by re-timing the machine (i.e. hook touching thread slightly earlier) but when hooks get severely worn they must be replaced.

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