Repair help for mystery sewing machine
MargaretAnn | Posted in Equipment and Supplies on
I am posting the same post twice with a different name in hopes someone will be able to help. My granddaughter was given a Toyota sewing machine as a gift, and the bobbin won’t hook the thread. After extensive web searching, there seems to be no repair service closer than Europe, where apparently the brand is well known. What should we do? Look for a handy man, which scares me, or try a name brand repair in hopes they will take it? Or what? What would you do with a mystery machine?
Margaret-Ann
Replies
Margaret Ann,
It seems that most "sew and Vac" repair places would be able to help you, or direct you to decent help. Has your grandaughter tried any kind of troubleshooting on her own? Is the needle in backwards? Does changing the needle size make any difference? If the machine is used, has she cleaned out the lint that has collected around the bobbin assembly?
Sr. Tracey
Dear Sister
Thank you for the response. We have tried all the things we could think of. Cleaning occured to us first, then twidling with tensions, and everything else. We are using a standard Schmetz needle, is there another that would be better? I think your idea of a "sew and vac" store might work
Margaret-Ann
You got me. I found the website for the corporation that makes the machine (Aisin World Corp.) but their website is not all that helpful troubleshooting or repair places.
Another possibility that I found: try http://www.toyotasewingmachines.com They are in Louisiana, I think, and they sell the machines. They have an "Information desk," If you click on that and scroll down the page a bit, it looks like they have contact information for problems the manual does not cover. They also provide phone numbers, so that you can speak, hopefully, to a real live person....
ST
My experience with any machine is that when the bobbin won't hook the top thread is the usual explanation for skipped stitches. In the past the reason for the skipped threads usually had something to do with the top thread not being threaded properly or the needle is the wrong brand or something happened that the timing is way off and the needle doesn't come all the way down to hook the bobbin thread. Or it can be a combination of it all of the above.
Hi Terry,
I do know that Toyota has made industrial machines for years.
They must be making home machines now.
I think any of the larger sewing center sales companies could take care of your
machine. I live near Sacramento, Ca. There is a large Sewing Center there &
they claim they can service any machine as well as locate parts for any machine,
no matter how old it is. Try a large sewing center. Good luck on your quest.
Donna
Donna
This is Terry you replyed to my post when it was Margaret-Ann that posted the problem in the first place. But your advice is really good. Unfortunately I do not live near Sacremento myself. My in-laws used to live in Orinda so at least I used to get out that way more than I will in the future.
Try a dealer that sells commercial sewing machines. They often repair them as well and they would have some knowledge of Toyota machines. Jules
Have you tried different bobbins? While some machines will accept bobbins not intended for them, and will even allow the bobbins to turn, they will not actually 'sew'. I have 2 very similar Singer portables and one will accept the bobbin of the other, but sewing doesn't happen.
As you are dealing with a second-hand machine, it may be worth trying different types. If the original user was a beginner, it may be that 'a bobbin was a bobbin' and they weren't aware of different sizes/styles, so what you have, may not be the correct bobbin.
You might like to try differnt bobbins in tandem with Sr. Tracey's needle theory.
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