Bobbin & Bobbin Case Issues

If you love sewing, and vintage sewing machines, sometimes, you get a machine missing the bobbins and or the bobbin case, or with the wrong bobbins or bobbin case. Is it possible to use bobbins and bobbin cases for other brands and other classes of sewing machines? Yes, it may work a bit, sometimes, on some machines, but NO! Not a good idea, if you want to sew without any problem.

Class 66 bobbins 2 versions,
2 versions of class 15 bobbins

Using incorrect bobbins, or bobbin cases, can make you hate sewing, in a HURRY! Too small or short of bobbins, even slightly, causes bobbin backspin, snapped threads, noisy machines, and some even sew the bobbin to the machine! 

I've tried many of these myself, so I will share my knowledge and experience. You will think something is wrong with your machine, but it is operator error, not knowing the importance of using the right bobbin, and bobbin case.

Singer 29 & Bell

I was asked if any machines other than model 29-4 use class 29 bobbins. There are a variety of Singer 29 models, as indicated by the -# after 29, but besides 29 versions, I do not know of other machines which call for the class 29 bobbins. 

I do know my tiny Bell portable uses the same size of bobbin as 29, and apparently the 29 bobbin case fits in the Bell hook area, but only makes one or 2 stitches, before having problems, so it is kind of up in the air- sometimes a bobbin will fit in a machine, and work a little, but cause problems. 

Bell bobbins

This screenshot of Singer 29-4 vs Bell bobbin hooks belongs to  Silkmothsewing blog original blog, not mine, I also share this link on my Bell blog post

Elna Supermatics

Another example- class 66 bobbin do fit in Elna Supermatics, but Elna Supermatic sews at 1550 stitches per minute, so the smaller class 66 bobbin spins so fast, that when you slow down, or stop, the bobbin keeps spinning, wrapping thread backwards on the bobbin. It can also spin so fast it rises up, inside the drop in bobbin casing. This causes thread jams, snapped thread, and sews the bobbin into the machine, a real pain to cut out, without damaging the machine, and whatever you were sewing. 

A good example of why the right bobbin is important, I blogged about this as an Elna Supermatic problem, since many people recommend using a Singer 66 bobbin, I wanted to explain what problems it causes, and why.

Vintage Bernina & Kenmore class 15 Bobbins & Necchi class 15 Bobbins

Another example, vintage Bernina bobbins look like class 15 bobbins, but are a scant millimeter taller. Using a class 15 bobbin in a Bernina is possible, but you will have backspin, snapped threads, and a noisy machine, frustration with stitch quality issues. If you place a Bernina bobbin in a Kenmore plastic bobbin storage container, the Bernina bobbins center prevents it from dropping into the molded bobbin slot.

Top Italian Necchi Supernova aluminum solid sides class 15
BERNINA 3 versions vintage bobbins 530-930
Singer 10 hole Kenmore 7 hole class 15

Top Italian Necchi Supernova aluminum solid sides class 15
BERNINA 3 versions vintage bobbins 530-930
Singer 10 hole Kenmore 7 hole class 15

If you use the Bernina bobbin in a Kenmore class 15 machine, the Bernina bobbin is just tall enough, it doesn't allow the bobbin case to lock onto the hook correctly, so the hook spits out the bobbin and bobbin case.

Kenmore class 15, Singer class 15, and Necchi class 15 bobbins are interchangeable, whether 7 hole, 10 hole, or solid sided. 

Dealership bobbin ID chart (old not comprehensive)
Not my copyright

Bobbins Class 15  L. SINGER 221
Lis taller than 221 bobbin

Lada (Czechoslovakian) bobbins with eyelet plates, stitch samples from factory

Bobbin Cases

Bobbin cases also vary between models, some have 11 o'clock finger (left leaning), 12 o'clock, or right leaning (right leaning), and some have no finger.  Some have a tiny corkscrew spring thread guide, some have just the c shaped opening where the thread comes from under the tension plate.

Bobbin cases also vary according to the needle opening position, length and width. Using the wrong bobbin case can damage your machine, or even cause injury, by snapping off the needle, which can fly through the air at high speed, so it really matters which bobbins, and bobbin cases you use, with each machine.

Bad Bobbins

Bent, bad quality, rusty, damaged bobbins can jam your machine, spin unevenly, or even get stuck, which causes poor stitch quality, which looks like a tension issue, but adjusting tension will not fix the problem. It can really make you think your machine is broken, and can waste time, even damage your project. Here are a few bad bobbins I have found over the years.