Ed, In answer to your question - getting too many fraying thread breaks thinking it's a bur on the needle as the needle does not feel as "sharp" as a new one. Can't tell with a magnifier if it actually has one. So it's more of hunch. I think I need to get a microscope :) (I have progressive lenses and close up stuff is not good) Any way to check for burs other than sight. Needle plate seems to be free of burrs Presser foot all the way down Needle rotation correct Needle pushed all the way up Fabric taut Thread frays - pretty much every needle One broken needle in the life of the machine about a year ago No caught garments Take up lever cam lubricated in awhile but will try No hoops hit My amaya is 2.5 years old, but with very limited use. (z run time 286:07:42) I'm sewing on sample material - broadcloth with 2 oz cutaway and/or 2 layers of 2 oz cutaway. In a perfect world, sewing on this type of material, a design free of defects, using only 1 needle, how long (# of stitches) should this needle last. Titanium vs. non? Off to grease the take up lever. Thanks for your help, Terri Embroidery Creations -----Original Message----- From: amayausers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:amayausers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ed Orantes Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 12:04 AM To: amayausers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [amayausers] Re: Needle bur ?? Hey Terri, Traditionally, needle burs are generated in one of two ways: either the needle is being deflected ( by something) and then rubbing against something hard like the needle plate, presser foot, edge of hoop, and even things like zippers on garments. ...Or something is hitting the needle in the process of making a stitch - like the machine's very own rotary hook. Chances of the first are slim however the latter is more likely. During a normal stitch, the spacing between the needle and the spinning rotary hook is only about the thickness of a single thread. If the needle is encouraged to bend towards the rear of the machine or the hook position is set a little too forward, then the rotary hook strikes the back of the needle and burrs can happen. Also know that a needle installed backwards is an excellent way to get burrs on your needle. Because the scarf of the needle is now in the wrong place. I'm assuming you are feeling burrs on your needles with your finger or can see them with a magnifying glass???? If this is not the case, and you are guessing that burrs are your problem causing fraying and thread breaks, then we might want to consider some other issues. Let's look at these possibilities a little closer: - is your presser foot position all the way down? - is your needle rotation correct.. the groove down the shaft of the needle facing forward? - is your needle pushed all the way up into the needle clamp before tightening? - is the fabric in the hoop taught and not loose? - do you get these thread frays and breaks on every needle? - have you broken any needles lately? if so how many? - have you caught any garments, or other items, in the rotary hook recently? - have you lubricated your take up lever cam on a regular basis? (How old is your machine?) - have you hit a hoop recently? These are just a few questions I would ask myself if I were going to troubleshoot your machine. After that it's a process of elimination. Let me know how you would answer these questions and I'll try to offer up some possibilities. Your Friendly Neighborhood Melco Man; Ed Orantes 504-258-6260 -----Original Message----- From: amayausers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:amayausers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Lee or Terri Hoover Sent: Saturday, September 02, 2006 3:49 PM To: amayausers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [amayausers] Needle bur ?? I'm looking for some possible causes of needle burs? I believe I'm getting needle burs, at least it feels that way. This happens with needles that have less than 1000 stitches. A brand new out of the box titanium needle is put in (feels ok), after sewing lettering on knit (bookman, .3 ", centerwalk underlay, density 5 pt., stitch length 20 pt) using 2 oz. cutaway backing and solvy topping, after about 500 stitches get fraying thread breaks, and the needles feels like it was a bur. Tried using autoactifeed and it sews at MT of 1. Use manual MT of 2-3. Any thoughts at what might be causing this? Terri Embroidery Creations =========================================================== The AmayaUsers Mailing List Website: http://www.amayausers.com Discussion Board: http://www.amayausers.com/boards Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://www.amayausers.com/list =========================================================== =========================================================== The AmayaUsers Mailing List Website: http://www.amayausers.com Discussion Board: http://www.amayausers.com/boards Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://www.amayausers.com/list =========================================================== =========================================================== The AmayaUsers Mailing List Website: http://www.amayausers.com Discussion Board: http://www.amayausers.com/boards Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://www.amayausers.com/list ===========================================================