Tension Update...

H:
I had sewn quite a lot recently on this particular sewing machine while Dave was on "vacation", tent, tarp, half a quilt... but after bringing the sewing machine back from my cousin's there seemed to be something wrong with the upper tension control.  Sometimes I would have a perfectly balanced stitch and sometimes it was a little off.  I thought it could be the thread and fabric combination.  From the start of these projects I had the upper tension maxed and the lower tension relaxed so that I could achieve a balanced stitch.  But even that wasn't working anymore.

To compensate when there wasn't tension I jammed a straight pin into the tension disc to create friction or sometimes I would pull gentle on the upper thread with my right hand while navigating the fabric with the left, this will account for a great many of my wonky seams.  Finally I needed both hands to guide the slippery fabric and it was time for major surgery.  Off came all the covers and eventually I found the problem.  Okay, two problems.

Problem 1... me.  Some of the intermittent tension issue was due to me having the presser foot raised.  The raised position releases the tension completely.  I would have the foot up when I was threading the needle and then spend time wiggle the straight pin into place while gentle pulling the thread through the needle and grumbling about no tension.  Following this I would lower the presser foot (not thinking that could be part of the problem) and adjust the straight pin while sewing to get some tension.

Problem 2... the presser foot raising mechanism!  There was actually something wrong with it.  And sorry if you can't visualize this but it was too crammed with gears and such to get a good picture but just know that a horizontal bar that rides up a vertical bar was cockeyed and wouldn't always rest correctly in place.  So when I would raise then lower the foot it would occasionally drop back correctly into place or close enough to give some tension.

What could have been the cause for this failure?  Easy, the sewing machine fell over in the trunk of the car sometime after I came home from my cousin's house.  All I can remember is at some point in a car ride that following day I heard a "clunk" and instantly knew what had happened.  Then I had a flash back to the day I bought the sewing machine and how I had buckled the box in the front seat of the car because it wouldn't fit on the floor board, just in case.  Well, a few miles from home, traffic came to a stand still on the freeway and while I stopped just fine with room to spare as did the guy behind me, he was hit at a slow enough speed to not trip the airbags but enough get forced into me,  No injuries to anyone including the sewing machine that was safely strapped in the passenger seat.

But I digress... I didn't think much of it at the time because the machine was in its case in the trunk.  But, obviously, there were consequences to this recent topple.

Before I put the machine back together I took the time to dust it out and oil all the moving parts.  Now it is back together and sewing has resumed with far fewer frustrations.  At one point I had an extra screw but eventually found it's proper home.  But then I found another screw laying on the floor.  That one is now back in its home... I think.