3 Tips to STOP Breaking Needles on Trucker (Structured) Hats | Bonus Tips Included!

[@JodieMama]

I got a brand new Tajima machine and I’ve been having needles break on my structured hats and it was making me so frustrated. I tried your steaming hack while my new needles were on order and that hack worked amazing! I never would have thought of that. Great tip, thank you!

[@LovesBranding]

SO Happy it helped! Some hats are definitely worse to embroider than others but I've found if you're really struggling, steaming is the best because it softens the fabric. The needle breaks typically happen from deflection so if the fabric is soft instead of hard, the needle is less likely to bend in a weird direction and break. Thanks for watching :)!

[@yeasy6119]

Thanks for the tip on the needle.

[@LovesBranding]

No worries! Hope it helps :)

[@luckyluke2102]

Thanks for the great tips. I have the same Melco embroidery machine and, because I'm too lazy to change needles, I use almost exclusively GROZ-BECKERT DB C K5 SAN 1 Nm 75/11 titanium needles. With the 6 panel caps I always run the machine at 800 stitches per minute. For 5 panel caps I choose the embroidery speed of 1000 stitches per minute. Also when embroidering with 3d foam. That works very well.

[@LovesBranding]

If you don't have issues, don't change anything! I am the same with the 75/11, but sometimes I get some really poor quality 6 panel caps (C112 😭) and these are some things I found that help when I'm really fighting against them.

[@anitaCorbello]

Thanks for the tips in the video. I'm so frustrated. My thread keeps breaking and even though the design looks good on the screen when I start to stitch it on the hat the lettering is aweful. It is constantly messing up and the letters are not smooth. Any recommendations. I will look at slowing the machine down but I have already messed up two hats. :(

[@LovesBranding]

Hats are a pain for sure. If you're still having issues with these tricks, it could be something more complex like the timing could be slightly off or the hoop is too high off of the needle plate. Both of these can cause the needle to break. If the timing is off, it may not be as noticeable on flats but can be worse on caps. Also, if the cap frame is too high from the needle plate, there can be excess deflection causing the needle to crash and break. Can be different for all machines but possibly worth looking into! Best of luck-

[@fernandocalderon8023]

So I have a question I been having needle breaks using the Richardson 112 structure hats. And it’s right on the center seem. I have tried all 3 needles. I’m going to do the steamer next. Do you think at this point is the design? I even slowed for my machine to 300. I have a Ricoma. Thank you for the good video by the way. Good tips.

[@LovesBranding]

Steaming works the best in my opinion but it is the slowest solution. Another thing that can cause issues is make sure your cap hoop is aligned properly. I'm not sure on Ricoma machines but your cap hoop should have some adjustment up and down to make sure the cap is as close to the bobbin arm as possible. Too much of a gap can cause thread and needle breaks because of the deflection in the cap.

[@LanceMcGrew]

Interesting you did not mention RG vs FFG/SES and nothing about starting gram force units for bobbin.

[@DaveSchmucker]

How do you get the caps from having a gap between the needle plate?

[@LovesBranding]

Make sure you are hooping the hat properly and tight. There is going to be a gap usually but hooping it correctly will help a lot. Unfortunately, there are some structured hats that will have a really bad gap causing needle/thread breaks. For these, my best solution is to steam them quickly before putting it on the machine so that the fabric is more flexible for embroidering.

[@anthonyblake8251]

What needle is best to get through the center seam? I'm using the 80/12

[@LovesBranding]

I've found 80/12 works fine. Make sure it is a sharp one and not ball-point. Although it slows me down a bit, steam to soften up a hat is my best tool for hats that keep breaking needles.

[@shefiuadewole7715]

Please what’s the Name of the Steam and where to get it 🙏🙏🙏

[@LovesBranding]

I don't have it anymore but its just one i found at Walmart but it looks just like this one on Amazon: amzn.to/4aIMsjI

[@enriquealvarado4495]

For small lettering on a structured hat do you use a smaller needle 75/11 or can you also use a 90 size needle with the longer shaft for the small lettering? Thanks

[@LovesBranding]

It would depend on how small the letters are, I try not to go smaller than .25" tall for lettering on structured hats so the larger needles should still be able to get the same results.

[@taylorharper3536]

So I’ve not been having needle breaks but I am having a huge issues with the top thread breaking a lot and it is extremely frustrating. I’ve adjusted the bobbin tension and the top thread tension multiple times and it will run for a while and out of no where will break. I have 40wt polyester thread for both. Do you have any recommendations? Also every so often the bobbin thread will get all tangled up and crow nest on the inside of the hat.

[@LovesBranding]

It sounds like it is likely thread tension, especially since you are having nests on the bottom side. I would recommend getting a bobbin thread gauge and use that to make sure your bobbin tension is set properly. Once you do that, then you can dial in your top tension. With thread breaks I usually check a few things with tension being one of the first. Another thing to check is with the needle orientation to make sure its facing forward and not backwards. Thread pathing can sometimes give me headaches. Even if its correct, I would unwind the thread and pass it through the machine again because sometimes it could be snagged on something and this fixes it up. Hopefully one of these things help out. Best of luck!

[@cutformllc3451]

What are you thoughts on using titanium as a standard needle for hats? Just getting started and looking to standardize to reduce problems overall

[@LovesBranding]

They really aren't that expensive so I would get titanium coated for all the needles that you use. For me, it doesn't make a noticeable difference with strength. It mainly lets me keep using the same needles longer before they get noticeably dull (causing thread breaks) and I have to replace.

[@JodieMama]

I kept having needle breaks and I bought titanium needles and to be honest I didn’t see much of a difference between the two.

[@kencanada4492]

Where do you get your hats from ? Looking for a good place to buy them wholsale....Thanks

[@LovesBranding]

For wholesale, I recommend the big three suppliers in the US: S&S Activewear, Sanmar, Alphabroder. As an alternative for truckers, I've been using Pitbull Caps which seem to have fairly decent quality and is readily available.

[@jacquelinerojas1722]

How about the settings?

[@LovesBranding]

Settings matter but vary between different machines. These tricks work for most machines!

[@jacquelinerojas1722]

@@LovesBranding I understand that. I have the same machine you do. That is why I asked.

[@LovesBranding]

​@@jacquelinerojas1722 I've since sold the Melco and got a Barudan!

[@MrSamisue27]

ok so what I've done EVERYTHING mentioned, and then some? It keeps giving me an axis area when the needle is going directly between the seam. Thankfully it's a 90/14 so it hasn't broken every time but I have to do the dance to get the off axis fixed. What else could i be missing? I've followed every tip and trick I've seen. Hats are the money maker...we all know that. So i really HAVE to conquer this!

[@LovesBranding]

Unfortunately there's a lot of variables to consider. One thing I see with some machines is the cap driver being too high. It's kind of hard to explain over comments but I found this video on how to adjust a SWF machine. Other machines are very similar. The goal is to get it so the cap will sit as close as possible to the needle hole. The more space there is, the more likely there is some deflection in the needle causing it to not go straight down. Give this a try, if not, I would recommend reaching out to a tech to get it dialed in

[@MrSamisue27]

@@LovesBranding i lowered the driver, the presser feet too...tried it all

[@logoidea4u]

I been doing embroidery for over 20 years and I never had a problem embroidering a hat, any brand, Richardson, New era , flex fit, yupong ,etc, the problem is your Machine, unfortunately you have a melco, is the worse machine to do hats, is a useless machine, the only way to make it work us with a computer connected directly to the machine, it doesn't have a built in computer with a USB , to Dan load the dst. Program. Use needle 12 or 14, and a speed of 650 s/m , to have a quality embroidery, I'm a digitizer too, so the design have to be done correctly.

[@LovesBranding]

This video was made to help people who are struggling with caps. I have since switched to Barudan but personally, my Melco handled caps extremely well. There are many variables but the most common issue I see with people having trouble with caps is the cap frame is not properly adjusted and there is too much of a gap between the cap and needle plate which allows for deflection and broken needles. Digitizing is also important though!

[@MrSamisue27]

ok mr./ms. digitizer....should the digitizing be having stitches go across the seam and not in the seam? is that my issue? ( I have a Ricoma 1501 in case you need to know)