gottaknow

Ours is paraffin wax and oil. We provide a can of it for renewing the fabric and seam sealing. Truly an amazing fabric. Once the jacket is broke in, they are super supple and comfortable. Combined with a flannel liner they are surprisingly warm and waterproof. Regards, Eric

Not so much the thread tension as thread choice. I also failed to mention the marks that a walking foot machine leave on the top ply of fabric. We do get some feed dog tracking on the bottom, but with smooth presser feet on a needle feed we get little to none on the top. These garments end up hanging in stores a short time after we finish them and sell for $$$. It would be interesting to see those seams that are puckered with a thread more suitable to the fabric. I'd be happy to send you some tin cloth to play with, just send me a pm with your address. Be prepared to clean wax out of all the nooks and crannies of your machine, I would take fuzz any day! Regards, Eric

It's not that a compound feed isn't suitable for waxed canvas, it's just not necessary to produce a perfectly flat seam. Our company produces many waxed canvas products like jackets and chaps, pants, luggage, hats etc. our standard machine is the Juki 9010A. Our double needle machine is the Juki 3578A in 1/4" gauge. They are much faster than any compound feed machine available. That's why we use them. Sure we could use a walking foot machine, but our cost of manufacturing would increase. I do use walking foot machines for doing binding. We slit our own canvas for binding, and it's pretty slippery. Speed is less of an issue with binding and doesn't add much additional cost in that type of operation. We also use a lot of chainstitch machines on our "tin cloth", as we call it. The flatbed chain of choice is the Singer 300W, a magnificent needle feed machine. I have many different gauge sets for doing different operations. We full fell the jackets and pants and for closing the sleeves and inseams we use the Union Special 35800 feed off the arm machine, operations you can't perform on a flatbed. It's a double needle drop feed with a close-coupled puller. We also use overlock machines (type of chain stitch) to prevent any raw edges from unraveling. The have a differential feed system where there are two sets of feed dogs that is used to manage any puckering issues. The feed dogs can be set to travel at different rates, the rear set will usually move faster than the front set inducing a slight stretch making the seam perfectly flat. Those machines are the Union Special 39500QW. The heavy version used for out seams is a Union Special 39800CY. It has a split tractor foot that will sew over densely thick seams without flag skipping. It's also a misconception about using bonded nylon or polyester thread to get the best results on plain canvas or waxed. Because the fabric is cotton, the bonded thread becomes a saw blade on the much weaker fibers of cotton. We use a polyester core thread wrapped with cotton, in T60. We also use T80 in the same thread. Apparel has to flex as it's worn and that flex with bonded thread will destroy a seam. We guarantee all of our products for life. I say all that simply to say that yes, you can get acceptable results with a walking foot machine, but the additional cost offers no improvement over a properly adjusted needle feed. There are also many more presser foot options which we have to have in manufacturing. For binding, absolutely I love my walkers. Regards, Eric

I forgot about that thread Uwe. I've had contact from an individual who wants me to go through another 211W155. When the time comes, I'll start a new thread on the machines behalf. Regards, Eric

No, sorry. A 211 would be a grey color. Regards, Eric

Factories use a lot of ZeroMax pullers to provide secondary pulling and metering. They are extremely versatile and sturdy. They aren't any good for powering a machine as Bob stated. They use a series of compressed levers (no gears) that are sandwiched together and use a ratcheting like motion with friction being the drivers, again, no gears. They are filled with oil for lubrication and cooling, but they do tend to overheat. I used them for pulling 6" flag strips 100 yards at a time through chainstitch machines. I had to put a small fan on each one to keep them cool, so I imagine it was at the upper end of it's abilities. The rods attached to the puller units were 5' long however. They can be belt powered of a secondary pulley on the motor shaft of on the handwheel. The standard drive belts today are 5/16" polyurethane round belting. Years ago we used leather. Regards, Eric

There are times when less is definitely more, no question. For my own use, I prefer a clutch so when I need to freewheel, I can put the motor in neutral and do what I want. It offers the least amount of resistance as well as letting me slip the clutch while applying pressure to the hand wheel. I have noticed in the factory that almost every operator that has sewn their finger did so as the needle positioned down. Regards, Eric

The synchronizer is a critical component in your system. It tells your control box what's going on with your machine head which in turn tells the motor what to do. I have at least 20 different models of control boxes including Efka. None of them have the option of using the machine as if it had a clutch motor. The newer ones will control everything you can think of, but I suppose if you didn't want the control, you'd just use a clutch motor. I have lots of machines where I prefer a clutch. What's your reasoning for wanting this ability? regards, Eric

I believe if you unplug the synchronizer, you'll get an error code E1. It won't hurt anything, it just won't sew. Regards, Eric

I don't skimp on folders. I usually buy from Atlanta Attachment, New York Attatchment or Tennesee Attachment. We'll do thousands of units with one, so it's worth the cost. If you do just a few, not worth the cost probably. Regards, Eric

Random skips are usually the hardest to troubleshoot. You need to rule out not having enough foot pressure. When you hit a harder section of leather, it can stick to the needle and push the foot up, not forming a loop and skipping. Your check spring could be too tight as well. If you can rule those things out, retard and advance the hook timing a bit each way. I do repair machines on the side apart from my regular job. Send me a ticket and I'll get it settled down for you. Regards, Eric

If it comes with a clutch motor, then yes. I'm a big fan of clutch motors myself, but I've been using them for 36 years. A servo would work fine, I wouldn't think you need or want a speed reducer. Regards, Eric

I've always found it interesting that people get locked into needle sizes and threads based on charts. The charts are generally meant to be guidelines, and a good starting point if you're unfamiliar with common combinations. I usually tell folks that the correct needle size is the one that looks and works the best. As a mechanic we are tasked with using the thread size that is assigned to a particular product. A common thread for us is T60 in a Poly/Cotton thread. I use it in needles from size 16-21 depending on the fabric and thickness. When I'm bartacking 6 layers of heavy 26 oz. Pendleton wool I use a size 21 with the T60 thread, when per-serging a single ply of the same wool, I'll use a size 16 needle. Too many people get hung up on the charts. I encourage people that have been sewing a while to experiment with different combinations and don't feel like you're doing some wrong if you vary from the sacred charts. Use what looks and works the best. This applies to leather as well. Regards, Eric

When you sew on one layer, unless the leather is thicker, there's no place for your knot to sit. Usually it would be between the two or more plys. It appears your top tension is too tight. Let the stitch pull down a bit towards the bottom by loosening your top tension or tightening your bobbin tension, or both. I can see even on your two ply that the knot is being pulled up too far. Also, a size 22 needle is fine with 138 thread. We use that combo all the time with no issues. Regards, Eric

As a side note, I use a leather belts on my keyhole buttonhole machines. The reason is the subtle click of the connector tells me the rpm as the machine cycles. I can hear changes if the machine starts to run tight and slow down, indicating an evolving problem or lack of oil. My newest machine came with the urethane belts and I changed them to leather for that reason. I also have a roll of b groove v belting that goes together with clips much like leather. Handy if you don't have the right size belt on hand. Regards, Eric

A Singer 211W151 is the same machine without reverse. You can still backtack without a reverse, just takes some getting used to. These are common on the used market. Head, table, clutch motor should be no more than $350 or so. Do try pulling as you sew on your Consew in the mean time and see what happens. Regards, Eric

If you sew that same seam on a machine without a walking foot, you'll get it to lay flat. Whether it's stretching or puckering, a standard needle feed will do a much nicer job for you. If you do a lot of this work, it would be worth the relatively minor investment when compared to a walking foot machine. You'll also get less fabric marking. As a work around, you can always loosen as much pressure as you can and pull the seam from behind while sewing. Regards, Eric

Nope. 211G157 is a needle feed with reverse. No walking foot. I have 6 of them. Regards, Eric

An old Singer 211G157 is a needle feed machine with a reverse. It will sew your canvas beautiful. Parts are readily available and the machine will cost significantly less than a walking foot unit. You can sew an awful lot of stuff without needing a walking foot. On our TinCloth (heavy waxed canvas) we use the new Juki 9010A series. great machine if you want to spend the money. The 211 I mentioned should be around $400-$600 with a table and motor. I still use them in the factory. Regards, Eric

Nicely done! The industry does now have a urethane belting material that can replace round leather. There are aluminum couplers that insert into the hose like belting. I still use leather on certain machines, but it's nice having an alternative. Regards, Eric

You are stretching the fabric as it's being sewn, then it's snapping back like a rubber band. Loosen the pressure on the foot and make sure when there's no fabric in the machine your presser feet are firmly contacting the feed dogs. This will allow you to loosen the foot presser enough to get it to lay flat. Also, unless I'm setting a machine for binding, I use a needle feed machine. Waxed canvas should lay flat as a pancake, even when sewing on the bias. It's not your thread tension. Regards, Eric

If he was turning it backwards, the hook would be going the opposite direction than shown in the video.

Use wool felt cut from flat strips, wetted with oil and rolled to size. Don't use cotton, it will quickly degrade. Regards, Eric

A word to the wise about cleaning machines with compressed air. As a general rule, you never want to blow air into a closed area on a machine. You may get what you can see clean, but the fuzz will likely end up some place you can't see or easily get to. Most of the time it's harmless, but there are occasions when it will cause a bind down the road. I use tweezers most of the time, and don't get too concerned about a little residual fuzz. We're sewing primarily 26 oz. wool which requires twice daily cleaning on most machines. Regards, Eric

Usually when I see this condition I tighten both the needle and bobbin tension, a bit at a time until it stops. It tends to happen more on "sticky" materials. Leather, waxed canvas, Tyvex, cordura, etc. At needle rise, the loop remains a bit too large and results in extra thread. A little stiffer check spring can help as well. If it happens more often, it's usually insufficient feeding due to improper feed dog height and/or foot pressure. This is more prevalent on needle feed machines. Regards, Eric