Quincunx

Aw no, there is another kind of tension that can explode? I already got thumped by a regular front facing upper tension that I was not putting together well.

costumegirl

Sooo good to know! With my luck, I can just see myself fiddling with a machine in a thrift store, pushing a button and "wham" there she blows!!!... LOL!! you break it, you bought it!

miriam

ha ha - SPRING is in the air???
I decided to change the old tension on my 15-75 in the first pic to a quick release. It is very easy if 'spring isn't in the air'... I put the pressure foot down first. I don't need that thing cocked and ready to fire. Then I took off the nose plate - I wanted to clean in there anyway. Then I started to unscrew the old knob. Well I thought I did - it wouldn't budge. That machine had a lot of varnish on it (old dried oil) anyway I gave it a little oil and tried again to turn it. Finally I got a pair of pliers and got it off. Hard part. Then I cleaned old dried oil off everything and put the new one in. No big deal. Then I adjusted how tight I want the pressure. TADA.
You wouldn't think these match:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]511472[/ATTACH]
Here is the machine with the new knob:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]511473[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]511474[/ATTACH]

miriam

Now I can drop the feed dogs and release the pressure foot tension! I always like how the Japanese 15 machines do that, now I have a Singer than can, too.

oldtnquiltinglady

You better watch, Isaac's ghost might be " watchin' " you......

miriam

When to make adjustment to the Amount of Pressure:

If you find that the fabric will slip when the presser foot is down,
you need to increase the pressure on the presser foot.

If the fabric is held so tightly that the feed dog is unable to move the fabric,
decrease the amount of pressure on the presser foot.

If it is too tight you will see fabric puckering. I had a machine recently that suddenly puckered fabric. I knew that machine worked. I had put on a new foot - made in China - I compared that foot to an original. It was a hair or two higher so putting on more pressure. I don't know if you can wear out feet that way or not but the new one was puckering and the original was not. The original had cosmetic issues.

miriam

I shot a pic of one I pulled off a refurb machine - this one seems to be frozen in one position or another. I was wrong that other old one was one I like. This was the one I didn't like because it doesn't work very well as described earlier.
In the picture below it is the one with the release - the other one is the original from my 15-75. Maybe you are lucky and have one that works just fine.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]511888[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]511889[/ATTACH]

J Miller

I have one like the one with the release tab. It is worn out. As you sew with it you can watch the tension knob slide upward and the tension go away. I had to replace it.

Joe

miriam

I'm thinking some of them have a plastic sleeve. You may have to clean oil off your pressure release to keep it from slipping.

miriam

Spring is in the air...