gottaknow

No worries mikesc. We serge as much as we can on woven goods. Company I work for has been doing production since 1889. We guarantee every garment for life. That's why we do it. For life is a long time. Regards, Eric

When garment leather is joined to woven fabric, for example denim, it is always serged. Not because the leather frays of course, but because denim does. We serge lamb skin collars to heavy wool. Small round point needles do a fine job joining lightweight leathers. We serge every thing we can in the factory to eliminate bobbin changes and to build stretch into garment seams. But yeah, most hobbyists have no use for one. Regards, Eric

John Price at Atlanta Att. is one of the most knowledgeable folder guys I've ever dealt with. Their folders are works of art. Regards, Eric

I make a living getting industrial machines to do things at high speed and often things they weren't intended to do. Home machines make decent door stops. Regards, Eric

We buy the Kessler hand crank tables. They are good quality, come in countless configurations, but cost about $1100. My GoreTex seam sealers are on pneumatic lift and tilt tables. Considering the entire units are 40K each, I imagine the table itself is quite expensive. I do have one table for a Reece 104 that is actually hydraulic for raising and lowering. Interesting design, but way overkill for it's purpose. It's a matter of want vs need I guess. I do love the locking casters on the Kessler tables. We rearrange the factory often as styles dictate, the casters are priceless. That's a pretty spiffy set up in that video though. Regards, Eric

No problem Brian. I still have so much information I'm planning on sharing as time permits. It's a shame to have it just sit here in my file cabinets. Regards, Eric

Here's a Variostop manual from 1976. Page 2 has all the information to let folks know which motor they have. Regards, Eric Variostop.pdf

Here's the Variostop manual from 1976. Page 2 is useful to tell you exactly which motor you have. In there day, these were top of the line. I'll post this manual here, but I'm adding it to my information thread I started a bit ago. Regards, Eric Variostop.pdf

I had the pleasure of completely retiming one of those that had been taken apart by a novice. Not the funniest thing I've ever done.

This is about half of my SnapOn screwdrivers. I keep a duplicate set in our Seattle factory so when I fly over to help out or teach, I don't have to put my tools into checked baggage. Saves a ton of time at airports. In the old days, (pre 911) I would just carry them on in an attaché. Some of the handles in the picture have been around since the 80's, with the blades being replaced when they begin too get dull. I always start out an apprentice mechanic with a set as well. I like their electronic series because they are not flared out at the blade tip. There are a lot of places on machines where the taper won't fit down a set screw hole. I buy those in 1/16", 1/8" and 3/16" blade width. The larger screwdrivers have a hex built in just below the handle. You can use a box end wrench to apply some serious torque to pop a stubborn screw loose. Regards, Eric

All of my screwdrivers are SnapOn brand. The tips are hardened which work nicely on hardened screws. For tight spots, I prefer 1/4" insert bits. I apply torque with a box end 1/4" wrench. If need be, I wedge a screwdriver on top of the insert bit for downward pressure. I also use SnapOn insert bits, they last the longest. I've also built many custom tools where nothing is available for a specific task. Regards, Eric

3.5" above your cone is not nearly enough. From the base where your thread sits you should be at least 17" to the first guide loop. It doesn't matter how far it is to the winder. Even with smaller poly/cotton thread you need more distance. You could also add another guide between the first guide and the winder. If you do that, don't make a loop for the thread on the end of a wire. Your thread will throw a half-hitch around it and hang up. Use a longer piece of wire, install a guide at least 6" down from the top so it can't wrap around and get caught. Also, the older the thread, the kinkier it gets. I would start with getting your first thread guide quite a bit higher than it is now and go from there. Regards, Eric

Two things come to mind. First, if the speed of your motor for your winder is too fast, you don't have a chance, especially with bonded thread. Second, most thread manufacturers recommend having the first guide loop 2 1/2 times the height of the cone height. For example, if the height of the cone is 8", the first loop the thread passes through should be 20" from the base where the cone sits. Thread needs a chance to unwind and relax before it goes through the tension disc. The wire loop also needs to be directly above the center of the cone. Oh, and lastly, high quality thread tends to behave itself better all the way around. (not judging your thread, just commentary). Regards, Eric

Here's the Service Manual for the 1245. This is from 1989. Regards, Eric Pfaff1245Service.pdf

I would avoid the Mitsubishi LS 2210. They sew just fine, but there is a design flaw in the tension release mechanism. A needle feed Juki would be a good choice. Regards, Eric

It's funny you should ask. That's about the only part of that mechanism that doesn't break easily. I have several used ones I've collected over the years. More than happy to send you one. Pm me your address and I'll get one on the way. Universal Sewing and DSI Sundbrand both carry them as well. Regards, Eric

The way they usually break is someone uses channel lock pliers to try and force the knob. The working part of the mechanism does tend to get stiff. As a matter of routine maintenance, I remove the spindle and shoot some oil in the shaft to keep things moving smoothly. One of the machines I'm rebuilding is getting a new hand wheel as well. I found original Singer shafts for $115.00. Regards, Eric

Hard to say where the exact problem lies, I'm not sure which model you have. Do you have a service and parts manual? Regards, Eric

I'm rebuilding 2 153k103's. I'm waiting for the top shafts to arrive so I can replace them. I'm adding them to my binders stable. Both machines have broken threads on the stitch change mechanism and I need to have them functional so I can let the supervisors change them instead of me. All of our products have specific stitch length requirements. This mechanism is actually really ingenious but few folks understand how they work, so they end up breaking them. Regards, Eric

The footprint on the Bonis is really small. You could fit the entire setup on an 20" x 20" table. They're pretty fun to sew with and super easy to work on. Regards, Eric

Lol. I bet you would! Regards, Eric

The new Juki direct drive motors are fantastic. I have about 40 of them in use on the Juki 9010A needle feed lockstitch and their 3578A double needle lockstitch. They have lots of torque and are controlled by the Juki 920C control boxes. There are over 100 programmable options for anything you can imagine. They are great in a factory where we can depreciate them in 5 years and buy new. I would never recommend them for hobbyist machines for many of the reasons Constabulary mentioned. Regards, Eric

I'll upload them early next week. Regards, Eric

The guy here in Idaho that makes gloves does the seam first with a Bonis glove machine then uses the 172 for seam strength. Still gives the strength but with a nice finished edge. I have 2 Bonis machines here at the factory, but we don't use them. Regards, Eric

I have a Pfaff original service manual (English Version) dated 9/1989. I can scan and upload it if someone still needs it. I also have the instruction manual and the parts book, all original. Regards, Eric