Brother Super Ace 3 Manual
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89 4 ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— MAINTENANCE Simple sewing machine maintenance operations are described below. Restrictions on oiling In order to prevent damaging this machine, it must not be oiled by the user. This machine was manufactured with the necessary amount of oil applied to ensure correct operation, making periodic oiling unnecessary. If problems occur, such as difficulty turning the handwheel or an unusual noise, immediately stop using the machine, and contact your authorized dealer or the nearest authorized service center. Precautions on storing the machine Do not store the machine in any of the locations described below, otherwise damage to the machine may result, for example, rust caused by condensation. Exposed to extremely high temperatures Exposed to extremely low temperatures Exposed to extreme temperature changes Exposed to high humidity or steam Near a flame, heater or air conditioner Outdoors or exposed to direct sunlight Exposed to extremely dusty or oily environments Note ●In order to extend the life of this machine, periodically turn it on and use it. Storing this machine for an extended period of time without using it may reduce its efficiency. Cleaning the machine surface If the surface of the machine is dirty, lightly soak a cloth in neutral detergent, squeeze it out firmly, and then wipe the surface of the machine. After cleaning it once with a wet cloth, wipe it again with a dry cloth. Cleaning the race Sewing performance will suffer if dust collects in the race therefore, it should be cleaned periodically. aSwitch the machine off and unplug it. bRaise the needle and the presser foot. cLoosen the presser-foot screw and the needle clamp screw to remove the presser-foot holder and the needle. dSlide the needle plate cover release toward you to remove the needle plate cover. aNeedle plate cover bNeedle plate cover release ●Unplug the power supply cord before cleaning the machine, otherwise injuries or an electric shock may occur. CAUTION ●Make sure you unplug the machine before you clean it. Otherwise, you may get an electric shock or be injured. CAUTION
90 APPENDIX ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— eRemove the bobbin case. Grasp the bobbin case, and then pull it out. aBobbin case f Use the cleaning brush or a vacuum cleaner to remove any dust from the race and its surrounding area. aCleaning brush bRace Note ●Do not put oil on the race. gInsert the bobbin case so that the S mark on the bobbin case aligns with the z mark on the machine. Align the S and z marks. aS mark bz mark cBobbin case Make sure that the indicated points are aligned before installing the bobbin case. ●Never use a bobbin case that is scratched, otherwise the upper thread may become tangled, the needle may break or sewing performance may suffer. For a new bobbin case (part code: XE7560-001), contact your nearest authorized service center. ●Make sure that you fit the bobbin case properly, otherwise the needle may break. CAUTION
91 4 ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— h As shown, insert the tab on the needle plate cover into the hole in the needle plate, and then correctly position of the needle plate cover. aNeedle plate cover bTab cHole Check that the needle plate cover is flush with the top surface of the machine. iFrom the front, slide the needle plate cover back into position. aNeedle plate cover ●If the needle plate cover is not flush with the surface of the machine as shown below, remove the needle plate cover (step d), and then install it again (steps h and i). Sewing while the needle plate cover is not flush with the surface of the machine may cause the needle plate cover to come off of the machine, resulting in injuries if your fingers touch the race. CAUTION
92 APPENDIX ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— TROUBLESHOOTING If the machine stops operating correctly, check the following possible problems before requesting service. You can solve most problems by yourself. If you need additional help, the Brother Solutions Center offers the latest FAQs and troubleshooting tips. Visit us at “ http://solutions.brother.com ” . If the problem persists, contact your dealer or the nearest authorized service center. Frequent troubleshooting topics Detailed causes and remedies for common troubleshooting topics are described below. Be sure to refer to this before contacting us. Upper thread tightened up ■Symptom The upper thread appears as a single continuous line. The lower thread is visible from the upper side of the fabric. (Refer to the illustration below.) The upper thread has tightened up, and comes out when pulled. The upper thread has tightened up, and wrinkles appear in the fabric. The upper thread tension is tight, and the results do not change even after the thread tension is adjusted. aLower side of fabric bLower thread visible from upper side of fabric cUpper thread dUpper side of fabric eLower thread ■Cause Incorrect lower threading If the lower thread is incorrectly threaded, instead of the appropriate tension being applied to the lower thread, it is pulled through the fabric when the upper thread is pulled up. For this reason, the thread is visible from the upper side of the fabric.■Remedy/check details Correctly install the lower thread. aTurn off the sewing machine. bRemove the bobbin from the bobbin case. cPlace the bobbin in the bobbin case so that the thread unwinds in the correct direction. Hold the bobbin with your right hand with the thread unwinding to the left, and hold the end of the thread with your left hand. Then, with your right hand, place the bobbin in the bobbin case. If the bobbin is inserted with the thread unwinding in the wrong direction, sewing will be done with an incorrect thread tension. ■Upper thread tightened uppage 92 ■Tangled thread on wrong side of fabricpage 93 ■Incorrect thread tensionpage 96 ■Fabric is caught in the machine and cannot be removedpage 97
93 4 ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— d While holding the bobbin in place with your finger, pass the thread through the slit in the needle plate. Hold down the bobbin with your right hand, and then pull the end of the thread around the tab with your left hand. aTab bHold down the bobbin with your right hand. On models equipped with the quick-set bobbin, pull the thread to pass it through the slit in the needle plate, then cut it with the cutter. cSlit dCutter Sewing with the correct thread tension is possible after the bobbin has been correctly installed in the bobbin case. Tangled thread on wrong side of fabric ■Symptom The thread becomes tangled on the lower side of the fabric. After starting sewing, a rattling noise is made and sewing cannot continue. Looking under the fabric, there is tangled thread in the bobbin case. ■Cause Incorrect upper threading If the upper thread is incorrectly threaded, the upper thread passed through the fabric cannot be firmly pulled up and the upper thread becomes tangled in the bobbin case, causing a rattling noise. ■Remedy/check details Remove the tangled thread, and then correct the upper threading. aRemove the tangled thread. If it cannot be removed, cut the thread with scissors. For details, refer to “Cleaning the race” on page 89. bRemove the upper thread from the machine. cRefer to the following steps to correct the upper threading. If the bobbin was removed from the bobbin case, refer to “Lower threading” (page 20) and “Remedy/check details” in the section “Upper thread tightened up” (page 92) to correctly install the bobbin.
94 APPENDIX ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— dRaise the presser foot using the presser foot lever. aPresser foot lever If the presser foot is not raised, the sewing machine cannot be threaded correctly. eRaise the needle by turning the handwheel toward you (counterclockwise) so that the mark on the wheel points up, or press (needle position button) (for models equipped with the needle position button) once or twice to raise the needle. aMark bNeedle position button f Pull some thread off the spool, and then pass the thread under the thread guide. aThread guideg Pass the thread under the thread guide cover from the back to the front. Hold the thread with your right hand so that there is no slack in the thread that is pulled out, and then pass the thread under the thread guide cover with your left hand. aThread guide cover h Feed the upper thread as shown in the illustration below. or
95 4 ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— i Make sure you guide the thread through the thread take-up lever from right to left as shown in the illustration below. Sewing is possible only if the thread is securely hooked on the thread take-up lever. aThread take-up lever Make sure that the thread is securely hooked on the thread take-up lever. jPut the thread behind the needle bar thread guide above the needle. The thread can easily be passed behind the needle bar thread guide by holding the thread in your left hand, then feeding the thread with your right hand. aNeedle bar thread guide k Thread the needle according to steps m and n in “Upper threading” (page 26) or steps b through i in “Using the needle threader (for models equipped with the needle threader)” (page 26). 1
96 APPENDIX ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Incorrect thread tension ■Symptoms Symptom 1: The lower thread is visible from the upper side of the fabric. Symptom 2: The upper thread appears as a straight line on the upper side of the fabric. Symptom 3: The upper thread is visible from the lower side of the fabric. Symptom 4: The lower thread appears as a straight line on the lower side of the fabric. Symptom 5: The stitching on the lower side of the fabric is loose or has slack. ■Cause/remedy/check details †Cause 1 The machine is not correctly threaded. The lower threading is incorrect. Return the upper tension-control dial to “4”, and then refer to “Upper thread tightened up” (page 92) to correct the threading. The upper threading is incorrect. Return the upper tension-control dial to “4”, and then refer to “Tangled thread on wrong side of fabric” (page 93) to correct the upper threading.†Cause 2 A needle and thread appropriate for the fabric are not being used. The sewing machine needle that should be used depends on the type of fabric sewn and the thread thickness. If a needle and thread appropriate for the fabric are not being used, the thread tension will not be adjusted correctly, causing wrinkles in the fabric or skipped stitches. Refer to “Needle types and their uses” (page 29) to check that a needle and thread appropriate for the fabric are being used. †Cause 3 An appropriate setting on the upper tension-control dial is not selected. Turn the upper tension-control dial to select an appropriate thread tension. The appropriate thread tension differs according to the type of fabric and thread being used. * Adjust the thread tension while test sewing on a piece of scrap fabric that is the same as that used in your project. Note ●If the upper threading and lower threading are incorrect, the thread tension cannot be adjusted correctly, even by turning the upper tension-control dial. Check the upper threading and lower threading first, and then adjust the thread tension. When the lower thread is visible from the upper side of the fabric. Turn the upper tension-control dial to a lower number (toward the left). (Loosen the thread tension.) When the upper thread is visible from the lower side of the fabric. Turn the upper tension-control dial to a higher number (toward the right). (Tighten the thread tension.) †Symptom 1†Symptom 3 aLower side of fabric bLower thread visible from upper side of fabric cUpper thread dUpper side of fabric eLower thread fUpper thread visible from lower side of fabric 435435
97 4 ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Fabric is caught in the machine and cannot be removed If the fabric is caught in the sewing machine and cannot be removed, the thread may have become tangled under the needle plate. Follow the procedure described below to remove the fabric from the machine. If the operation could not be completed according to the procedure, instead of attempting to complete it forcefully, contact your nearest authorized service center. ■Removing the fabric from the machine aImmediately stop the sewing machine. bTurn off the sewing machine. cRemove the needle. If the needle is lowered into the fabric, turn the handwheel away from you (clockwise) to raise the needle out of the fabric, and then remove the needle. Refer to “Replacing the needle” (page 30). dRemove the presser foot and presser foot holder. Refer to “Replacing the presser foot” (page 34) and “Removing the presser foot holder” (page 35). eLift up the fabric and cut the threads below it. If the fabric can be removed, remove it. Continue with the following steps to clean the race. fRemove the needle plate cover. aNeedle plate cover release bNeedle plate cover (front part)g Cut out the tangled threads, and then remove the bobbin. hRemove the bobbin case. If threads remain in the bobbin case, remove them. aBobbin case i Use the cleaning brush or a vacuum cleaner to remove any dust from the race and its surrounding area. aCleaning brush bRace If the fabric could be removedContinue with step p. If the fabric could not be removedContinue with step j.
98 APPENDIX ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— jUse the enclosed disc-shaped screwdriver to loosen the two screws on the needle plate. Note ●Be careful not to drop the removed screws in the machine. kSlightly lift up the needle plate, cut any tangled threads, and then remove the needle plate. Remove the fabric and threads from the needle plate. If the fabric cannot be removed, even after completing these steps, contact your nearest authorized service center. lRemove any threads in the race and around the feed dogs. mTurn the handwheel to raise the feed dogs. nAlign the two screw holes in the needle plate with the two holes at the needle plate mounting base, and then fit the needle plate onto the machine. oLightly finger-tighten the screw on the right side of the needle plate. Then, use the disc- shaped screwdriver to firmly tighten the screw on the left side. Finally, firmly tighten the screw on the right side. Turn the handwheel to check that the feed dogs move smoothly and do not contact the edges of the slots in the needle plate. aCorrect position of feed dogs bIncorrect position of feed dogs Note ●Be careful not to drop the removed screws in the machine.