Sighhhh---serger woes

Kaaa---thunk.
Yep, that was the sound. And the end of my serger for the time being.
Kaaa---thunk was the sound of my lower looper breaking in half. The looper was a piece of metal, it has had a long life--25 years or so, and has faithfully fulfilled its design purpose...but,
I am now again without a most needed sewing tool. My serger.
So, I have been looking on the internet, and as of yet, I haven't found a replacement.
I have found a replacement for the Kaaa---thunk piece, I even ordered it today. Sigh...
So now I will start harassing the post man, "Is my package here yet?"

Once it arrives, I may be clever enough to install the Kaaa---thunk piece, but I don't think I can cross enough fingers and toes for this one. To the shop, not so fun, I still get to pay the shop repair/replacement fees. However, I will have saved more than 75% on the parts...

Machines...

So now I feel as if my machines are working as a tag team...one starts working again and another one decides to be difficult.
Success (as you already know) with my serger....then my bobbin winder on Invictus decides to stop working. Ever try sewing with no bobbin? Just doesn't work.
Thankfully Chaser came home for lunch and said,
"Get me a screwdriver"
then he said,
"Now I need a phillips head"
then he said,
"should be fine now".
And he was right!
And Invictus is working again and my serger has now let me know it will work on one thing at a time, after which, we get to start all over again with the adjusting.
Big Sigh....
Then after the adjusting, Invictus started acting up again.

I generally am used to this behavior from my machines in December (usually around the 23rd), but never in January. You would think they never get enough attention. I do spend time with them every day. And I read things to them.. And I talk with them about all kinds of things.

I just don't understand why they are being so sensitive right now.

Something to thank the internet for

Isn't the internet wonderful!
Not only can you spend hours upon hours looking at "stuff", playing games, watching video clips, learning new songs, observing movie trailers, checking out blogs; you can also ask questions about things which are bugging you...
For example, just yesterday I had had it with my serger. You know, it is like 25 years old, rarely goes into the shop, and generally never lets me down.
Not lately.
This is where I insert a sad face...
My serger has gone from stitching poorly, to not stitching at all. I have oiled it, looked at it, said not so nice words to it. Moved it around, unplugged it, replugged it, forgotten about it, and generally just plain ignored it. All to no avail.
I spent "hours" looking at replacement sergers, trying to find a deal I could afford (meaning less than $20.00), realizing this wasn't going to happen. Back to the internet, I put in my statement, "my serger hates me". And....lo and behold someone else's serger hates them as well. What does this mean? It means if you look hard enough and wade through enough "crap" you could possibly find a solution to your serger hating you.
Sometimes it makes me crazy when I am having a sewing problem and I receive the typical answers

• your machine is threaded incorrectly
• your needles are dull or bent
• your machine needs oiling

Really, do you think I would be that silly as to not check the above items before I wasted hours looking for a solution? Who is that stupid? In response to the typical answers, of course I did all of those things.
I even read where a repairman would "help" you online, his answers were actually quite insulting and rather rude (after trying his rudeness you could ship your machine to him for repair). I found another site where you could ask your question and they would respond to you after you told them how much you would pay for their answer....hmmmmm something to definitely think about doing.
Finally, I found someone not rude, or insulting, not determined to make a buck and willing to share their personal experiences with the internet. They even had a few different solutions for my to try. So I did.
SUCESS!!!
Their suggestions

• take a folded piece of cloth and wipe out the tension dials (sometimes thread and wax build up in there)

• take all of the tension dials to 0 and rebuild your tension settings

These were both things I hadn't thought of doing before and they allowed me to get my serger to stitch, I was even able to roll hem an item with it. I do believe my serger is most likely wore out and does indeed need to be replaced, however for right now, I just need a fix and someone to find one at a yard sale for a few bucks. (wishful thinking, I know).

However, we do end back up with one of the things I like about the internet...