BettyJ

Thanks for the tips guys! I'll go test it out this evening. I'm about to run off to work now. I just know I"ll be thinking about this all day.

Hi all So I've been busily trying to get my backpack done and tonight, while sewing the lining, I heard a thunk from my machine. Thunks are never good. I checked to see if the stitching was still all good, moved past it with a few hand winds and it was all fine until the next thunk. So I stopped to check again. I didn't see anything obvious so I finished the line of stitching without any more, thankfully. I pulled out my bobbin case to see what was going on and I noticed that my bobbin had little chunks taken out of it, as if my needle had hit it. Would kind of explain the thunking. I checked to make sure my needle was positioned correctly, not on an angle and it was fine. I ran through a few tests with it, nothing. I though, maybe it was a one off so I started to sew again and it did it again. Now I'm a bit freaked out over it and don't want to use the machine anymore tonight in case I damage it. So I've never had this happen before and I'm wondering what could have caused it? Do I need a new bobbin case? It fits but maybe it's gotten old and wobbly. Should I have the guy out again (third time!) to check the timing? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! Betty

Cheers Motocouture, I've got a few kicking round that I can destroy. Thanks for the tip. I'll sample both, see what works best.

Ooooh! That's a brilliant tip! Thanks so much! I think I know where to get some in Singapore. I'll take a detour after work tomorrow. Thank you!

Hi all Another question about this cursed backpack of mine. I'm currently sampling the straps and because of the stiffness of the saffiano, it's totally crushing the nice dunlop foam I've used to try to pad them a bit. So then I tried to add some footware foam that I bought but that is even worse. It's so hard that I may as well not have padded it. Plus the nice foam is pretty much non-existent again. Not to mention, when I use the thick foam, I get a load of really awful crinkling happening on the back of the strap. Because of the coating on this leather, I'm worried that it will crack and peel off fairly quickly, which won't please my client. Does anyone have any recommendations of what else I could try to use? I'm thinking some thick felt might not compress too much but I haven't the foggiest where to get some in Singapore. Might have to do a run around Chinatown or make some calls at lunch tomorrow to see if anyone will sell me a bit. Thanks again! Betty

Oooh I've been eyeballing the mesh roller pen for a little while. I'm waiting till I finish this bag before I buy more toys. It's my incentive to complete it, rather than let it lie around.

I know, right? I have literally been having panic attacks making this darn bag. I won't be doing this for someone again. I'm just not cut out for it.

Thanks Garypl I did quite a bit of experimenting on Sunday. Was lots of fun. Thanks for the tip, I didn't realise you could thin out acrylics. Learning so much with this bag. Including just how little patience I have doing work for others. I much prefer making things for me, less stressful.

Hi Mattsbagger Opps sorry, I think in my hurry I got the name around backwards. It's this stuff. http://lial.biz/leather-chemicals/edge-burnish/cova-super-edge-coat I bought it while on holiday in Japan. Oh definitely. I've been experimenting heaps to see what looks good and works. I came up with a bit of a solution for this. I applied two coats, sanded it down, applied another two coats, sanded those down a bit and then a final two coats with some carnuba cream over the top. Looks quite nice. Now to play with it and see how it holds up against the edge of hardware etc to see if it wears off or not.

Hi Motocouture Hmm, I've not thought about using heat at this stage. I also don't have the tool to apply heat but I know somewhere that does. Maybe I can ask them to help. Thanks for the tip. I'll need to find out if the Super Cova can be used with heat. I bought it in Japan when I was on holiday cause I thought the colour was pretty. Going forward, I'm going to be a bit more careful with my leather working purchases and try to tie them in together a bit more. Good idea with the Starbucks coffee things. I'll see if I can grab a few in Singapore. Not sure if I've seen them here before though. Let me know how you go with your embossed calf leather. I really hate this style of coated leather. I don't care that it's harder wearing, I'm not using it again. It's just so fake.

Hi all Back again with more questions. I've been experimenting with applying edgecoat to some saffiano leather. It's proving to be a bit of a pain in the neck. Does anyone have any good tips for how to get a nice edge on it? It seems kinda bitty, if that makes sense. I'm doing some parts of the leather backpack I'm working on as raw edges, plus I'm applying a cut in zipper at the front so I need to make it look nice. So far, what I've done is apply two coats, let them dry then sand them down. I'm waiting to apply another two to see what that looks like. I'm using a makeup sponge to apply it which, is working remarkably well. I found the tip online and it's been brilliant to help me stop getting it over the front edge of the leather. Much easier than using an awl or the flat trowel-like applicator. I was making such a mess with those. I've also got this edge primer stuff but, to be honest, it doesn't actually help. It just makes the edges even more grainy and bitty. Also dilutes the colour a bit so I won't be carrying on using that. The edgecoat I'm using is Super Cova in red. If I lay it on super thick, it looks amazing but, it runs over the edge and makes a mess of the saffiano. Thanks again for the help. Sorry that it feels like I only come on here to ask questions. I really hope that the questions I ask are helpful to others. Seeya Betty

The technician didn't either so I'm feeling a little bit clever at the minute. I wasn't feeling clever when trying to get the spring on but at least it's done now.

Thanks so much guys, I think I found the culprit. There was a tiny piece of thread behind my thread take up dial which was causing my stitches to jump about and jam up. Since I removed it, it started working perfectly again. Took forever to get the spring back on properly but I think I'm all good now. I'm almost too exhausted to sew!

Thanks Constabulary. From the diagram, it looks like it this screw here on mine. What do you think? You think I should just back it off a bit and see? Willing to try anything right now. Also attaching a picture of my thread path too. It's as per the manual for threading so that's all good.

Ok so it seemed that they had it fixed but my bobbin still gets a bit jammed up every so often. I can almost hear when it's about to happen. I will have to call them out again to see what else is going on. In the meantime, can anyone shed their years of experience on what they think may be happening? I've attached a copy of pics of what it looks like front and back. The front looks fine, the back does not. My finger is on the front picture. Thanks again for the help.

Hi guys Thanks for the help. I had someone come round yesterday and thankfully, they heard the thunking that I mentioned and managed to fix it. My husband was at home with them, as it was my first day at a new job. So it was a little tricky to try to manage this over the phone. Ah well. It's done and fixed and when I get home tonight, I'll be testing it out big time. Was so shattered last night and my brain felt like it would explode so I didn't dare touch my newly fixed machine. Thanks again for the advice.

Hi Constabulary, thanks for replying. I have no idea how to check this unfortunately. I have someone coming out tomorrow so I'll get them to take a look at it. It's just so weird as it worked perfectly just last month and I haven't touched it since then as I've been away. Must have been gremlins in my flat while I was on holiday.

I was wrong, it's coming from the needle. I pulled it when it happened again. I notice a strange clicking just before it happens, and then my bobbin gets a bit jammed up, I can see the threads doing something weird

I think it was coming from the bobbin itself. But I'll go check now. Two seconds

It's ok, I'm willing to answer any question to find out. Yes, that's the bobbin thread, or at least I think it is. It only appears occasionally, as I've slowly hand turned to see when and how it pops up. It sews perfectly till this happens

Hi all *sigh* I've spent all day today trying to figure out what is going on with my Juki. It's usually a rather well behaved beast but today, it's being a real pain. I have someone coming out to service it tomorrow but I'll be at work, which is annoying. I'd like to be present so I can annoy them with questions, more so because this is the first time someone is coming out to me in Singapore. I knew my guy in London, I don't know this new person or if they're any good. Could easily be $85 down the toilet. In the meantime, I still want to try resolve it (because it's quietly driving me insane that I can't fix it when I can fix everything else!), does anyone have any ideas as to why my bobbin keeps getting a loop like this every few stitches? I'll be sewing along just fine and then my bobbin, which is perfectly wound, gets all tangled up and then this happens. I'm truly at my wits end. I'm going to go drink coffee, swear and surf the internet for a little while till my temper comes back. Also, I've rethreaded a thousand times, I've rewound the bobbin, I've oiled the machine (thinking to get on her good side), I've adjusted tension dials, the bobbin tension and I've read the manual to make sure I actually did thread it right and to get some help on troubleshooting. Manual was written in 1987 so she's getting on a bit and it wasn't very helpful. Thanks in advance for the help. Sympathy also welcome. P.S. If she doesn't sort herself out, she might well get traded in soon.

Thanks for the help, YinTx. I've just put an order in with the buckleguy. I had no idea that I could get Riri zips in a continuous form so I am thrilled. They are my favourite to work with. Thanks everyone for your responses and help.

Apologies for the confusion, I wanted navy tape with nickel/silver coloured teeth. Size-wise, I was thinking either a #5 YKK or a chunky #10. I'm confused by the Riri sizing as I've not used them much but I think anything above a 6 would be suitable. Only issue is that it must be able to be used with two sliders which seems to be the problem. If I get a jacket zipper, I can't get a very long length. I've looked at buckleguy and he seems to probably be my best option. Thanks for your reply.

Hi all I've been commissioned to make a backpack for someone and I have been searching high and low for a navy silver (or nickel) zipper tape in either a size 5 as a minimum or a size 10. At this stage, I'm even willing to pay the extra for a Riri just to get some peace! It needs to be a closed end zipper with two heads so that it closes in the middle. I have looked online for weeks, I've searched in Singapore and Australia and I've not managed to get anywhere. Best I can find is a plastic zipper. I've done a search on here and it appears that I'm possibly searching for the holy grail. Please tell me it isn't so. If it is, so be it, I'll have to tell my client she'll have to live with it. I'm not a factory and I can't source what they can. Just going to be such a headache! Thanks again for your help. Betty

It will, I'm still trying to think it through but I'll start experimenting soon to see how it looks. Will probably still use the piping but with a slightly thicker cord for more structure. Hahahahaha! Yes I'm all for improving my skills and charging for that. I add a "tax" for jobs I don't want to do. It helps me to not complain and just get the job done. Unfortunately, this time, I don't think I added enough tax. Ah well, you live and learn.