Serger was "repaired" and still isn't working...? - Mothering Forums
Arts & Crafts > Serger was "repaired" and still isn't working...?
KristyG51's Avatar KristyG51 01:33 PM 01-29-2011

Anybody here have a Serger ProFinish? I think I tried to push something too thick through, and it stopped working properly. It didn't appear to be cutting right, so I replaced both the upper and lower blades. That didn't fix it; it was cutting better, but it sucks up what it's cut off into what it's sewing, so I end up with all of what would have been discarded underneath the stitches.

I took it in to a local repair place and he had it for a few days. When I picked it up and asked what was wrong he said "it just needed a good cleaning." Thinking that for $85 he surely meant a "tune up" of some sort, and not just vacuuming out the inside, but I got it home now and it's still not working for me--same problem with sucking up the cut off fabric into the stitches. What throws me is he had tested a piece of fabric and it looks like it functioned fine for him at the shop.

Any ideas? I plan to call him back on Monday since the shop is now closed for the weekend, but he's a very shaky older gentleman and I have a hard time understanding what he's saying, so I'd like to go into the conversation armed with a touch of knowledge. As far as I've found, the manual doesn't cover this sort of trouble shooting, and I've been unsuccessful at Googling this issue.


ETA: Here's a video I took of it messing up...

tracymom1's Avatar tracymom1 01:46 PM 01-29-2011
Didi you try completely re-threading it? That's usually where I start whenever my serger starts to act a little wonky. The other thing I was thinking is that it is a problem with the feed dogs. Usually you can adjust how fast they move the fabric through the machine - maybe they are moving too fast or too slow depending on the type of fabric you are using, and so it is getting sucked back into the machine. Good luck! (and I would probably try to find another repair shop!!!)
Carolinamidwife's Avatar Carolinamidwife 06:50 PM 02-22-2011

I think it's some kind of a thing where your machine will always work perfectly in the presence of the repair person.


I would start with re-threading it. As much as I hate to re-thread it is often the root of my problems.


If you re-thread and you're still having problems I would take it back and bring the piece of fabric with you and I wouldn't wait too long just in case you're still covered by what you've already paid.