Flyer won’t turn.
- The drive band is not over the flyer whorl, or the cotton drive band is too loose. Make sure the drive band is positioned correctly in the flyer whorl. Tighten the drive band.
- Make sure there's a gap of 1/16" between the front maiden and the flyer shoulder. The front maiden can bind the flyer shaft if there's no gap.
Yarn won’t wind on.
- Check to be sure that the yarn is not wrapped around a flyer hook.
- There may not be enough tension. Tighten the drive band or the Scotch tension band.
- In double drive mode, the whorl on the bobbin should be smaller than the flyer whorl. If it isn't, use the smaller end of the bobbin, or change the flyer whorl.
Yarn takes up too fast.
Slow your treadling, or loosen the take-up on the Scotch tension spring and string (for Scotch tension spinning) or the drive band (double drive spinning).
Yarn doesn’t have enough twist.
The yarn is probably being drawn onto the bobbin too quickly. Hold back on the yarn to allow for more twist to be transferred to the yarn, treadle faster, or change to a smaller whorl.
Yarn has too much twist.
This is a common problem for new spinners. Generally, when the yarn overtwists it kinks up and results in yarn breakage. Usually overtwisting is caused by holding the yarn too long before allowing it to take up onto the flyer. It's easier to adjust for more take-up than to treadle more slowly.
Bobbin isn’t turning on the flyer shaft.
- For Scotch tension spinning, make sure the spring and string isn't too tight.
- Check to see if the wood of the bobbin has become swollen. First remove the flyer assembly from the wheel and try spinning the bobbin on the shaft with your finger. If the bobbin doesn’t turn freely, it needs to be reamed. Contact Customer Service for assistance.
Treadling is too hard.
The tension on either the drive band or the Scotch tension spring and string is too tight. Loosen and then retighten the tension only enough to make the yarn start to draw in. You may also want to try a lower or higher seat.
Treadle is squeaking or making noise.
If your Matchless wheel has the metal treadle support bar with white nylon hinges, try a drop of oil on each of the hinges. If your wheel has the wood treadle support bar with natural or synthetic leather hinges, contact Customer Service.
Yarn draws in erratically.
If you tied your drive band, check to see that the knot isn’t too large or too hard.
Bobbins are noisy.
Changes in climate may cause a bobbin to become noisy. Also, bobbins may become noisy when they are very full. To fix noisy bobbins, use white grease. Place the bobbin on the flyer shaft. Then place a small amount of white grease on the flyer shaft at either end of the bobbin. Put a drop of oil on top of the white grease. When finished spinning, wipe the white grease off the flyer shaft to prevent the shaft from becoming sticky.
The problem could also be a noisy whorl. To determine if the noise is coming from the bobbin or the whorl, place the drive band (or bands) first over the whorl, then treadle and listen for noise. If the whorl is quiet, place the drive band (or bands) over the bobbin, then treadle and listen for noise. A noisy bobbin should be treated as discussed above. To fix whorl noise, the flyer and all whorls should be sent to Schacht for tightening.
Matchless Scotch tension rod (old style MOA) slips and doesn't hold tension.
Tighten the thumbscrew underneath the mother-of-all. If your wheel does not have the thumbscrew, you have a couple of options to try. You can put a couple of drops of water in the holes for the end of the scotch tension rod. This will let the wood swell a bit, and hold the rod better. Or you can widen the end of the rod by hitting the end of the rod with a hammer and nail set.