Clunky noise

[Bill]

Hellooooo fellow sewing friends!
Something that "seems" to be getting louder is a clunking sound as the thread from the spool passes over the bobbin in my top loading machine. I've narrowed it down to a small spring on the outside of the bobbin case, each time the thread crosses between it and the case.
Is this normal? It's making a normally very quiet machine annoyingly loud.
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[Lilian]

I know exactly what you mean, i had this a few months ago and I managed to fix it with the help of the amazing team at SMD.

I will help if I can, don't worry it will be fixed in no time 

[Lilian]

Here is a picture of mine

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The end of the spring should be underneath the plate.  I have things to do just now but I have a little video they sent me showing how to take off the spring and position it correctly.

[Bill]

Thanks @Lilian
I've just checked more closely and the end of the spring is definitely under the plate.
The sound is as if the thread passing over the case is trying to pull the case out. Like it's loose or something.

[Lilian]

I would check the bobbin race for burrs and also that it is seated properly 

[Bill]

There was actually a burr on it a few weeks ago. Took flippin ages to sand it down and polish it.
However, I have (I think) solved the problem. More or less. Your suggestion to make sure the case was seated correctly had me thinking. It was seated flat, but there was a fair bit of play. I might have bent the spring mentioned the first time I tinkered around inside there. So, with the correct and specialist tool (a dinky flat headed screwdriver  ) I wedged it in and bent the spring back out slightly so the bobbin case doesn't move around so much. A few stitches later and it's running quieter 

[Lilian]

That sounds good to me. These little springs can be temperamental, I messed with mine quite a bit and ended up not as straight as it should be, but it works ok now. I will straighten it up if I ever have need to take the bobbin bits apart.

It is rewarding when you fix it yourself and all is running smoothly and quietly  :meditation: