Silicon Thread Lube All Over The Workshop Floor

[Trox]

Anybody who has a clever method of avoiding silicon thread lube all over the floor. My 441clone is squirts like an old tomcat, and my workshop floor is dangerously slippery. The lube is hard to wash of too. Any other solution than old towels and rags? How do you solve the this problem, please let me know.

Thanks

Tor

[CowboyBob]

Here in the states we have what's called oil dry used to clean up oil on floors,spread it around & sweep it up should absorb the oil,it is like kitty litter (which might work too)

[oltoot]

I don't know how the thread comes out of the lube pot on your machine but if it goes through some kind of stripper tube the it sounds like the 'O' ring in the tube is too big for the size thread you are using or that it is missing altogether. Beware that if the ring is hard and unyielding it will add to the tension and you will have to loosen your tension to compensate. My pot doesn't have a thread exit tube so I have an elaborate capture thing made of pieces of sheepskin that keeps excess lube from getting out of the pot. I have a Union Lockstitch and so that's the top thread I'm talking about. My bobbin winder goes through strippers but I don't lube the bottom thread anyway.

[shtoink]

I can't help on the prevention end of things, but as far as clean up of oils spills go, kitty litter is very good for this. The type that clumps up is to be avoided, though.

The magic is with the bentonite clay, as that is what is absorbing the oil. Just pour some on your oil, grind it around with your feet (wear shoes/boots for this), sweep up, and dispose of appropriately. That last part is at your discretion, as California has strict regulations on how oil, and oil soaked stuff can be disposed of.

This was a daily routine in the motor pool for cleaning up the floors and pavement.

[Trox]

Thanks for the replay, I will certainly look for some oil dry Bob. However, I will try to avoid that much excess oil spill on the floor.

Oltoot, there are no stripper tube or O rings in my lube pots. The thread comes out on the top, true a hole in the lid. Its the same kind of pot on two of my Adler's too (cast iron pots), it is no O ring in any of them.

The machine I am using now is a 441 clone, before I used my Adler class 5 and 105. The Adler`s have a shorter needle system (328), they never get as hot as the longer 794 system do. I never had any heat problems with the Adler`s, on this machine needle cooling is a must.

I am wondering about some spot air cooling instead of lube. Since I am building on a air foot lift on this machine, I have air for a mini cooler system.

http://www.exair.com/en-US/Primary%20Navigation/Products/Vortex%20Tubes%20and%20Spot%20Cooling/Mini%20Cooler/Pages/Mini%20Cooler%20System.aspx

You see the principals here

http://www.exair.com/en-US/Primary%20Navigation/Products/Vortex%20Tubes%20and%20Spot%20Cooling/Mini%20Cooler/Pages/How%20the%20Mini%20Cooler%20Works.aspx

And here is a other system on the youtube:

I looked at the mini cooler from Exair, its about 280 $. Its is smaller than the one in the video and have a magnet foot, it do not use much air. Silicon oil is not only a mess, but you cannot color the leather after sewing either. Silicon and paint do not mix.

Anybody who have used this Mini cooler system please give us your opinion.

I either have to built some kind of oil sump that gather up the excess oil or go for a air system. The air system looks like the easy way out of this mess.

Thanks

[CowboyBob]

All you need to do is get air on the needle toards the top blowing down,you can get a piece of copper tubing (small 4mm) fasten to side of machine & aim the air towards the needle.

[Trox]

All you need to do is get air on the needle toards the top blowing down,you can get a piece of copper tubing (small 4mm) fasten to side of machine & aim the air towards the needle.

Maybe un cooled air is enough I never tried it? The mini cooler has a heat exchanger that cools down the air, then you do not have to run the compressor all the time. This system do not use much air, a open tube uses allot. Then you have to use a nozzle on the cobber tube, that might work. Thats easy to find out.

[CowboyBob]

We had a customer binding carpet yrs ago that wanted to sew so fast it was burning the thread when they stopped,we made these up & they worked.It will use alot of air but you can vary the pressure w/a valve.

[Trox]

We had a customer binding carpet yrs ago that wanted to sew so fast it was burning the thread when they stopped,we made these up & they worked.It will use alot of air but you can vary the pressure w/a valve.

Yes, thats the cheapest solution. If I have some money that burns in my pocket I can buy this cool Little mini cooler system that pimps up my machine too.

Yes, I am a gadget/machine freak and I am not ashamed of it.

This silicon lube was more slippery than all other lubrication fluids I have ever seen, even my four legged friends has trouble crossing that workshop floor. I am afraid I am going to slide in to my old clicking machine, then its game over... tilt and flat pack...no more leather work for me. Two hundred and eighty dollars is a small price to pay compared to that.

[Art]

I think just air off your compressor will be enough. It is what is used on big sail/canvas/sunbrella machines. We use the air coolers (they blow cold air through thermal expansion) on our machine tools, especially for carbide tools which we run very fast. They work great, but use a really significant amount of air; you need a really big compressor system to use them. So just pipe some plain compressed air from your compressor and forget the coolers.

Art

[Northmount]

Remember that as high pressure air is reduced to low pressure, the expanding air cools. You notice that when you release air from your tires.

So you need to find a balance between volume of air, and the pressure drop across the nozzle. Start with a small nozzle and maybe 10 bar air pressure. Depends on your compressor. If it is running about 3 bar, that is probably better cost wise since energy costs are higher when compressing air to a higher pressure. If the small nozzle doesn't provide enough cooling, then drill it out to the next size up and try it again.

For people using English units, 1bar = 1 atmosphere (14.6954 psia).

Tom

There are also vortex air coolers if you want to get fancy!

Edited June 25, 2013 by northmount

[dirtclod]

I seen this on here, cut a sponge to fit inside my pot, then cut a slit in it for the thread to run in. Put your lube in the pot and sew. Don't over fill it and it works great.

[Trox]

I think just air off your compressor will be enough. It is what is used on big sail/canvas/sunbrella machines. We use the air coolers (they blow cold air through thermal expansion) on our machine tools, especially for carbide tools which we run very fast. They work great, but use a really significant amount of air; you need a really big compressor system to use them. So just pipe some plain compressed air from your compressor and forget the coolers.

Art

Yes Art, you are right about that. I know the big spot coolers use much air, this is a mini version of it. First time I saw it was on a sail maker machine. Now it looks like its the new thing on heavy machines http://www.exair.com/en-US/Primary%20Navigation/Products/Vortex%20Tubes%20and%20Spot%20Cooling/Mini%20Cooler/Pages/Mini%20Cooler.aspx

This is very small, here it is on a sail maker machine.http://www.solentsew.co.uk/products/SOLENT-SLH%252d2B%252dFH%252d1%252d870-COMPLETE.html

[Trox]

Thank you for all good ideas, there are many advantages by using air. But I will not install a system that make the compressor run all the time, thats one of the advantages with this mini cooler. It uses a small amount of compressed air to produce cold air 20 deg. Fahrenheit. I will test it before buying it, they sell it here in Norway too. Many times I sew thing before coloring too, with air I have the option to do so.

[pabloz]

Saw dust is all I use to pick up lubricants off the floor...it's free and works great.

PZ

[Trox]

Thanks, I have better things to do with my time than mopping up oil. No offense, i use that saw dust myself to remove motor oil on the garage floor.

This time I will take my good friend the leather gurus advice and pay someone else to do the work for a change. (Then I can be busy making money on leather work instead) I will buy a finished little air cooler system that will fit right on with a magnet and plugs and play with my air system. Its a port on the back of my Efka motor than can be used to control it, if I want too( however, thats not necessary)

I could fabricate a tubing system myself. However I doubt it will be any cheaper, and I know it will not be any better. I always seems to forget the amount of time used on projects like that, you got to find parts , buy it, fabricate it and so on. Its sometimes fun and the time just flies by. This is a click on the Internet, then plug and play. And the best thing, no more silicon.

By the way, you make very nice leather tools

Thanks

Tor

[gottaknow]

I use an air switch pittman rod to control my needle coolers. I have about 8 machines right now using them. With the control switches, the air only flows when you sew. I have tons of air, so that's not a concern anyway. I've used the commercial coolers and have seen no difference in performance at all. All that's required is to reduce the needle heat to below the melting temp of the thread. I make my coolers from 1/8" copper tubing recycled from machine oil pumps. 30 mins is about all I need. The actual airflow required is very little. If you blow too much air, you can wipe your thread out of the way affecting proper loop formation. On chainstitch machines, I cool the needles below the throat plate. One of the machines is a Juki 3 step zig zag which we set patches of deer hide onto Lycra. Because of the Lycra, I can't use a leather needle so theres' a lot of heat generated. On that machine I also soak the cones in silicone as it's only Tex40.

Regards, Eric

[Massive]

You can apply some of the silicon oils directly to the thread cone, they soak in the spool fees dry, but it does improve performance.

[Trox]

Thank you Erik, when you say so I might reconsider. You have the switch connected to the sewing pedals/ motors pitman's rod. Thats a simple and good solution. My air system is not up and running yet, I am going to change compressor to a silent one. The machine do not use much air, I must see how much its left when the system is up an running. I have a big compressor but its to noisy so I am changing it so I can listen to the radio. In the mean time I will follow Massive`s advice and prelube the thread.

Thank you Massive.

Some of the thread I am using is prelubed Coats Gral and it not that hot.

Erik,

How do you regulate the air flow, do you make a small hole in tube or do you use a regulator? 1/8 its about 3 mm. copper tubing maybe the same who is used on refrigerators

[gottaknow]

Thank you Erik, when you say so I might reconsider. You have the switch connected to the sewing pedals/ motors pitman's rod. Thats a simple and good solution. My air system is not up and running yet, I am going to change compressor to a silent one. The machine do not use much air, I must see how much its left when the system is up an running. I have a big compressor but its to noisy so I am changing it so I can listen to the radio. In the mean time I will follow Massive`s advice and prelube the thread.

Thank you Massive.

Some of the thread I am using is prelubed Coats Gral and it not that hot.

Erik,

How do you regulate the air flow, do you make a small hole in tube or do you use a regulator? 1/8 its about 3 mm. copper tubing maybe the same who is used on refrigerators

I use a regulator to adjust the airflow which is usually less than 10 psi. It really takes very little air.

Regards, Eric

[Trox]

I use a regulator to adjust the airflow which is usually less than 10 psi. It really takes very little air.

Regards, Eric

Thank you, I will look in to it.