mikesc

You have my sympathies.. Any company that wants you to use flash ( source of 90% of all malware openings and exploits ) so that they can tell you how to set up spam filtering on their servers needs to be taken out behind the woodshed, with extreme prejudice, and then nuked from orbit. There are other reasons not to host there, but I turned 60 this year and even if I get another 20 years or so, my time is now too precious to enumerate them. What you can do on your own machine that you are sat in front of..no matter who you host with..it will help, and after a little initial time invested, will save you lots more time. Set your email client to download leaving no emails on the server, then set it's filters to send all spam to the trash folder on it ( don't set it to "auto delete spam just yet, you want to see how accurate it is, don't want it to delete an order )..you might have to "train" it to recognise some spam , but most can tell that Olga isn't really going to send you pictures, and that you are quite happy with "your size" etc..set it to not "auto open" ( nor auto preview emails ) email attachments, not to load html, to auto block images ( you can look at them later if you want when you know who they are from ), never to autoplay embeded flash , and never to auto execute any file types whatsoever ..Couple of hours at the most doing a "one time" training of an email program to self sort spam and you'll be good to go..and your server's email box will not get near to overflowing.. or..move to a host who doesn't impose limits, and who has spam filters ( that you don't need to use a flash player to watch their "how to" ) on the server that will autofilter most gregarious spam out before you ever see it..spam assassin is one such..if you have Cpanel,( nope , you don't at web.com, they have a "rolled their own unintuitive kludge of an admin panel, like godaddy used to ) it is a simple matter of switching spam assassin( or equivalent ) on ( you can tweak it some more if you wish , as you can with most if not all serverside email filters).. BTW..your own machine should always be set up to never autoplay anything, never auto execute anything , never auto run USB keys, always show hidden files and folders, always show all extensions..you should make weekly or ( better still daily ) back ups of your business machine ( which you shouldn't use for anything else, no games, no surfing, no whatever that isn't business, and keep those back ups on at least two separate HDs .."off site" one can be plugged in and you unplug it and take it home with you after it has backed up that days image, the other you keep elsewhere, not at home.That way you will not have to begin all again in the event of fire or flood etc..You don't store on the "cloud"..the cloud is just another word for someone else's server that you don't have any control over how secure it is.. the only people who do not make back ups ( and regularly test them ) are those who have not yet had HD or computer failure.. that applies even if you use a laptop, back it up daily twice, separately on two different HDs, off site, not on "the cloud".. Like Wiz, one of my other businesses is ( or to be strictly honest "was" ) computer security and data recovery, now, with win10 ( the privacy nightmare that you cannot stop from talking to Redmond, even if you switch off all the "privacy options"* )..I'm closing that side business, advising everyone to install linux ( best choice ) if they want it to look and feel like win XP crossed with 7 , but better, then install linux mint, or Debian, or Ubuntu, or go BSD, or go Apple. *In order to be compliant with EU data protection laws, no business here in the EU ( and that includes doctors, lawyers, and all self employed people, plus large and small businesses ) can use win10, because the entire contents of the hard drive are open to search by MS from Redmond from a distance, no way to switch that off, they can read and upload your customers details, and any other files on your machine if it is running win10, without you knowing they are doing it, and without you being able to switch that off in any way, even on the so called "enterprise" version..and how can you secure any machine that can have it's entire config auto updated ( and possibly reversed or totally borked as has been the case with millions of machines running win10 ) at any time by Microsoft..Simple, one cannot, so I'm not going to go through the pretence of trying, billing a customer, and then potentially facing a lawsuit because of some thing Microsoft did to the machine that reverses or changes what I may have set. Sysadmins and computer security service nightmare, so, if is win10, no thanks, try contacting another business..many thousands of sysadmins and computer security businesses agree..win10..not going to touch it.

If the edit window is still open you might want to "mask" that email addy before the harvester bots get it and you get spammed to death by world and dog over the next 12 months, or if the edit window is gone maybe a passing moderator could "mask" it for you . type of "mask" that will escape a lot of the more primitive "harvester bots"..and still be recognisable to a human with a few working braincells :) mloughlin2011(at)btinternet(dot)com

Eric, despite the fact that normally any silicone contamination in paint spray equipment gives "fish eyes" and is something paint sprayers dread, there are additives ( "anti-fish eye" ) types that are sold to paint sprayers, you add one or two drops per pint of paint or clear coat ( half litre ) and no "fish eyes" :)..they are all of them actually nearly pure silicone with around 1% or 2% of chemicals added to affect the surface tension of the paint and in particularly the way it atomises and flows through the air and lands and spreads out..It evaporates and doesn't stain textiles ( you'd have to test it on leather to be sure , I never did, and I have some , but it is in storage ATM ) ..The brand names would not be the same ( mine was supplied by Herberts paint, a German company , the people who make the paint for Mercedes and BMW )..but the equivalent should exist in the USA..Cost here is about €8.00 per litre, ( bought in 5 litre containers ) so around $6.00 per pint ?..Could be worth an experiment, car body shops who do a lot of upmarket metallic paint work keep it around to add into the clear coats.

Ah yes, Cloudflare, a world of potential duplicate URL ( in the eyes of search engines ) pain and unhelpful tech contacts*. I've been using mail.example.com ( and also my own dedicated email domain, with everything unlimited** ) for years now, but I do remember the early days of using hosters who set hard small limits ( both space and BW, and especially RAM ) and every 5 ( and later 10 or 50 or 100 or 250megs space or BW or RAM ) over costs an arm and a leg or your firstborn as a hostage.. *Been there, done that, it got old fast, so, I said kthxbye. **Been unlimited "everything" and with hosters who own their own DCs and are a 30 second walk ( 24/7) from the racks for a long while now..and where it is fully qualified , experienced tech who answers the phone, not a sales droid ..Yep, costs more, but not prohibitively so, and the OKLM factor is wonderful. :)

Yeah, problem is that "neetsfoot oil" is a"bit like "megilp" ( fine art term often seen , no true chemical definition ) ..the name can actually cover a multitude of sins.. How many feet has a Neet got, cloven or solid like a horse, or pads like a dog ? ;)

I know that you weren't :) ..I posted that clarification for the benefit of anyone reading who did not know that. :) Buy it from a company who sells oil for oil line units for compressed air tools, cost will be around €15.oo per litre ( 2.2 UK pints ) if bought per litre..around $10.00 to $12.00 per litre if you buy a 30 litre container.

Olive oil will eventually polymerise ( "gum up" and leave deposits ) if exposed to air..and it isn't stable at higher temperatures ( like those you can get in bearings ) it is actually full of contaminants , run a chromatogram on it to see..the contaminants are what give the olive oils from various localities their different tastes..Olive oil is also not a "mineral oil" ( "mineral oil" is normally used to designate a petroleum derived product ) ..it is an "organic oil, as Sunflower oil, linseed oil etc. "Vaseline oil" is another name for what the vets and farmers use...it is a mineral oil..and is stable at higher temperatures and pressures ( like those in bearings ) than organically derived oils, and it does not polymerise, so no danger of gumming up or deposits.it is also not at all acidic, which almost all organic oils are slightly..so it will not "attack" metal..It is also not usually alkaline ( it is made to be PH neutral ) so it wont attack natural fibres like cotton or the collagens in leather ..

When you call, ask to be put through to "Dave" ..their machine mechanic..really nice guy ..

@dikman..try asking for "Vaseline oil"*, or "white cycle oil", or "white compressor oil" ( if the latter, tell them that you want the kind that goes into the "inline airtool oilers"..the ones that you put in your airline so as to be able to run air wrenches etc..You can get it in 250ml upto 30 litres..it comes in "clear" ( white ) or "straw"...you want "clear"..it is what is known as "lilly white" in the USA..Lots of companies "rebrand" ( pour it into smaller containers with their own labels on, and hugely increase the price ) "Vaseline oil". *yes it can get you some "remarks" if you ask for it by that name..

Hosters who impose max files limits !! or who change any server ( cpanel or other ) configs without giving you a heads up well beforehand.. I'd be gone to another host in heartbeat!

In theory, yes, but to be certain you'd have to open up the control box of each to check that the circuitry was the same ( all components had the same values, and the "chipset" was the same etc ) ..Yes I know that you wouldn't have the second control box, but the only way to be certain would be to have two "sets" to compare from the same manufacturer..The thing is, the servo motors and control boxes are always sold as sets, ( ex factory in the same box with the polystyrene packaging pre moulded fro a "set", even down to the EPS ( if you don't order EPS, the factory just does not put it in, but the dedicated space is there in the box for it ) I'd be very surprised if you can get any distributors to sell you just a motor, because they'd have to open a box with a set in it and take just the motor out..Leaving them with a spare control box. Of the hundred pounds or so ( retail price for a kit in the UK ), I'd be surprised if the control box cost more than £30.oo of that. But nothing ventured etc..so You could ask College or another UK supplier about it. biker mutt..when the guys on here talk of selling servos at $150.oo they mean the complete kit, servo motor and controller ( some are mounted directly onto the motor, some are "remote" ) but that is the price for the kit..and LumpenDoodle2 is in the UK ..220-240 V..the guys selling on here are USA..110V..

No , they are not..Singer made millions of domestic machines in black, but the people selling any black singer ( domestic models included ) invariably describe them as "industrial" , or "industrial strength", or "for sewing leather"..most of those people are quite simply lying about the machine that they are selling..true industrial models are bigger, waaaay more solid, and amongst the true industrial ones ( most of which were designed to sew textiles) those that were designed to sew leather are specialised ..machines designed to sew leather can usually sew heavy textiles very well, not all machines designed to sew heavy textiles can sew even light weight leather well.

A lot of machines will sew chrome tan garment weight leather..with the caveat that they may allow the leather to slide around a bit, or occasionally give uneven stitch length because they are not needle feed or combination feed.. Goat is "grabbier" than lamb, buffalo is "grabbier" than cow or calf..you can also sew through a single layer of tissue paper placed on top of whatever you are sewing ( not the "kleenex" type, the packaging type) or lightweight tracing paper, ( helps to make the top leather surface less "grabby", because it is between it and the foot ) ..tracing paper ( the cheap kind from an office supply shop ) is easier to see through than tissue paper..and if you ever get the chance to pick up a cheap ( like garage sale ) Pfaff select domestic machine ( they have what Pfaff call IDT..which is a synchronised "pulling" top feed foot , behind the normal foot, gives you a top and bottom feed machine that will handle a couple of layers of 1 to 3 oz lambskin, or go over seams consisting of two pieces of 1 to 2 oz lambskin ) ..the same machines are found bearing the name of Gritzner..and also Pfaff sold domestic machines with this extra pulling foot as Pfaff "jeans" machines. they are however domestic electric sewing machines, with motors of only 1.0 to 1.5 amps, so don't expect too much of them if the leather is hard, they will not like even thin veg tan.. Yes they are not designed for leather, and sewing leather will wear them out faster, but, for a beginner, or in a pinch, and if you come across one cheap. The other "plus" for a beginner working lightweight leather, is these electric domestic machines I mentioned above, won't take off like a bat out of hell clutch driven one, and you can get them for less than a servo, if you are just starting out and want something to make some money to put by to buy a real leather machine from one of the dealers on here.

Personally, I thought the deal had probably been done but just no details posted.

You've just got to love the nonchalance in that phrase.

Brian, I just phoned Mando ( it is pronounced Mondo ) on your behalf, for what you are making they would recommend the micro-fibre in 2.2mm, they don't think it thermoformable however , but the woman was very friendly and helpful, rolls are 20 metres long by 140 cm wide and price is ( for export* ) 22.00 € per linear metre..Transport / freight would be extra..I'll be sending her an email later today ( she had a shop full of people so couldn't stay long on the phone ) to get the weight of a roll so as to be able to calculate transport costs.. They can send to anywhere, but they are not fluent in English and prefer to work in French, so ( when I get the weight, so as to be able to calculate shipping to Oz , if you are interested, send me a pm and I'll translate no problem ..I don't know if that ex works pricing at 22.00€ is good or not, but figured that even though I know you have found a supplier nearer to you that it was worth making a quick call to them..

Yep it can work fine, but, when you have a problem like the OP it is better to eliminate all that is not necessary, the top guide ( like the guide just before the tension discs ) is only there to try straighten / relax out any kinks in the thread kinks and isn't there to add tension , although it does add a little, if there are any burrs or worn edges or tracks on these guides then when the thread pulls through them it can do so unevenly, leading to problems that cannot be rectified by adjustments further along the thread path, same way as if the thread is not coming off the spool smoothly ( due to maybe it being stuck with grease or dirt , if the spool is old and has been left uncovered ) or maybe it has been dropped or squashed, all the adjustments in the world further along the thread path won't fix a problem at or near to the beginning, so eliminate what you don't need, you can always add it back through the top thread guide later if you want. Running the thread like a "P", you can get lucky and it will work many times, but when you do you are adding tension at the bottom ( because the thread is folded back on itself as it goes under the thread tension spring ) that is not controllable via the thread tension spring on the bobbin..Doing so will also abrade your thread on the edge of the hole below the tension spring as it pulls around that hole, makes fro dust and fluff, which can cause problems eventually, and with thicker stiffer thread the thread may just begin blocking up and causing problems at the bottom end..The only thing that is supposed to add tension on the bobbin case is the tension spring, not pulling the thread round a tight corner as it exits the bobbin case just as it goes under the tension applied by the tension spring. Yeah, I figured that the problem might be that the thread is not going between the tension discs, or is not far enough down between them, hence why I posted the second video, it shows the tension discs better than the usual" flat"on" view..I'd be surprised if the pin that releases the top tension discs pressure is sticking, but you never know..The lower take up spring control position may even be a "little off" too, but getting the thread path correct is the best starting point before going on to "tweaks". Given that I think this is the machine that the OP arich got from her / his ?* "Dad" ( *the avatar pics in any forum, are not always guide as to what the actual the poster looks like, or their gender ) ..the simplest solution would be for her** Dad to drop by and set it up for her, as it was running when he had it and when it left him..even if he never used it for leather, he would have had to have the thread path correct and "balanced tension" to use it for stitching textiles... **I'm going with "her" so as to simplify posting, arich's profile is still woefully lacking in detail as to gender, location etc..but a pretty girl's picture on a profile will usually get more help than one of us grizzled old guys ;)..my wife says that Eric ( gottaknow's ) profile pic looks more like me than my passport does. ..and arich's current pic looks like my wife..she said, "you have to try to help her, she looks just like me***"..only she said it in French. ***Like many, she is not really aware of how the interwebs work and she has never touched a sewing machine,( other than to stub her toe on one of mine as she tries to get past it ) nor does she wish to, thinks they are "clever", but no interest in sewing , nor learning how.

Download the manual from the link I posted ( not "look it over on line" ) then read it ..carefully, all the way through, making sure that you understand it, reading it will make a difference.. if you had had other industrial or walking foot sewing machines, you could maybe "wing it" without a manual, because you'd have had the experience adjusting them, but as this is your first, you need a manual for it ( the link I posted above is to the manual for the same machine as yours, only yours does not have reverse ), on your computer, and preferably even printed out on paper.. previous ( short ) thread here about a consew 225..with a link to a video ( not mine ) of it sewing..thread path and tensions are like your model, look at where the thread goes at the bottom of the machine ( where you have your "gauze" , and look at where the thread goes through the ring at the top of the needle )..your thread path must be correct before you begin adjusting the tensions.

Your thread path is still wrong, your thread should be passing inside of the ring at the top of the needle ( I have marked it in red )..re your bobbin tension, leave it as it is ( it may be too loose, but, only change one variable at a time )..Did you get a manual for this machine ? Manual...ignore the parts about reverse, the rest of it applies to your machine. www.consew.com/Files/112347/InstructionManuals/255RB-2.pdf Maybe someone has a link to a clearer version the photos in the one from Consew are very dark. Manuals for other similar machines, such as the manual for singer 211 or 111 or juki 563 will also explain the same adjustments as the basic machines are very similar to yours. Also begin by using the same thread in top and bottom, you look to be using two different thread types, ( they appear to be different colours and maybe different thicknesses or thread types ) when you have the tension correct for the same thread top and bottom, then you can change one of them.

Don't listen to the half ( they probably watched atlas levy's video ) who said to wrap the thread around the pin..and don't listen to them about anything else they may tell you.Saying put the thread around the pin there is nearly as bad as saying that you can make machine stitch in reverse by turning the flywheel the opposite way Your 2nd image also shows that you have the thread coming off the spool and going through a thread guide on top of the machine, and then through another thread guide just before the tension discs, you can leave out the thread guide on the top of the machine. watch the second video that I posted carefully, you must "snap" the thread down between the two top tension discs, it has to go between them, they provide the top tension control, also pay attention to how to get the thread correctly through the spring assembly..lastly, in your 1st image, you have your thread going behind the felt pad,so that it is pressed between the felt pad and the machine body it doesn't need to, place it between the felt pad and the clip that holds the felt , so that it is in front of the felt . actually on second more careful scrutiny , that doesn't look even like felt that you have there, looks more like a piece of surgical gauze..take it out and throw it away, just let the thread pass between the clip and the machine body. Bear in mind that you do all this tension adjustment when the feet are raised using the lever at the back of the machine, when the lever is raised the tension discs are forced apart by a little pin in the machine body, so there is no top tension, you only get the top tension that you adjusted when you put the feet back down again with the lever to the rear of the machine..put the feet back down thread the needle and then pull on the thread by hand, after it has gone through the needle..you should feel tension.. Lastly, when you have the tension correct on the bottom bobbin there should be some resistance when you pull the bottom thread , but not as much a s the resistance from the top tension..and the bottom bobbin is in correctly when the thread tail from it makes a "9" around it before it goes to the hook finger, , or you can think of it as , the thread must be coming off clockwise from the bottom bobbin, not anti-clockwise..

Merci Robert I was preparing dinner when I replied above, no time to make a more precise reply.. There is a video out there on youtube that says the thread must go around that pin on these type of machines, juki, singer, consew, ( I've mentioned it before here) it should be banned from youtube, it must have steered more people wrong ( and caused more sewing grief ) than any other sewing video on youtube. the thread does not go around the pin ( or as he says "the latch" )..The atlas levy videos on youtube usually make you seasick ( crappy camera technique, this one makes me mad, it is so inaccurate ) done correctly, the thread goes around / through the tension discs and straight down to the spring disc.. it should go like this I think that this second, correct video is from Eric, who posts here as "gottaknow" ( and who hasn't been around for a while, really hope you are OK Eric ) ..this is the thread path for a singer 211 or 111, or the Jukis or any walking foot machine with that tension disc and spring disc assembly, or the clones such as the consew.. The Thread does NOT GO AROUND THE PIN / latch !!

First off you have the thread wrapped around the pin at the right of the top tension..don't..it should go direct from the top tension discs to the discs that hold the spring below..( use the path I have marked in black ) change to that and try setting your top tension again..

Indeed it does.. :) Cromulent is sort of like Awright, but, embiggened somewhat. Small machine parts that fly off, yep, been there, many a time, gets old faster than I do..the worst are the non ferrous ( magnet proof ) ones, if only one could train arachnids to "go fetch"..meanwhile, I've found that walking around in bare feet in the middle of the night half asleep is a good way to find things that flew over your shoulder and made that "ping" sound before skittering off to deity knows where.. Piece of thin plexiglass* ( perspex) , big enough to cover the hole that will be left when you take off the plate ( pre drill it with holes that correspond to the holes of the plate / thing you are going to remove) , undo the screws just enough to slide it between the plate and the hole a little, then undo the screws nearest to the side that you slid it partly in, it all the way, while keeping it held tight against the hole as a substitute for the plate..slide it in further, slacken off the remaining screws a bit, slide it in some more, slacken the screws off all the way, slide the plate fully over the hole, line up the screw holes in it with the screw holes in the machine, and tighten down the screws, then breath sigh of relief and look through the plexiglass while actioning the machine.. I keep some plexiglass pieces to hand that I made that can replace the slide plates / bobbin case cover plates on sewing machines, when things get weird, lets you see what is going on in there..works for other stuff / machinery too, ..aside/.. used to be able to buy spark plugs which had a transparent part so you could see what colour was the spark and the "bang" when the engine was actually running, great for tuning, when I was younger, probably can't get them nowadays, another potential line subject for Don if he ever rewrites "I used to work for Harvester". Plexiglass is always called altuglass here, even when it isn't , kind of like any kind of rat in a bun is a "MacDO"...or jeans are 501s here, even when not made by Levi. MacDo is pronounced makdoh..levi is lehvee..and Singer is said as if the G was "soft" like in mange..so it is pronounced Sanger( rhyme it with ranger )..almost. Ps "singe" ( again with soft g ) is "monkey" in French..so the way French says Singer , makes it "monkeyer"..which cracks me up as it means that most of us are just monkeying around , not sewing.. :)

schounch is an absolutely cromulent word.

Most durable* ( that you'll be able to get easily ) will be the kind used on Truck chassis..a two part polyurethane or two part epoxy..it is glossy, but not really shiny..use 3 coats, two light ( 10 minute intervals between them ), and one last one to "even out"..prep as in my post above...won't need a clear coat to finish.. *Most durable is aeronautic paint..live near an airport where they do repairs ? see if anyone does painting on helicopters**, the paint used is solvent and oil proof after it is dried / cured..half a pint ( mixed ) will be plenty to do a sewing machine.. It may well be that in the USA you can now get water based industrial paints cheap ( they used to be very expensive ) again chassis paint will be the hardest wearing that you can get..( you don't want the rubbery "anti chip" stuff ) the underside of vehicles is a more hostile environment for paint than the topside..aircraft and boats are subject to even more hostile conditions..so paint designed for them is very long life..some of the hammer paint manufacturers also make smooth versions of their paints..in which case you are looking for smooth finish alkyd resin paint ( black is easy to find )..3 coats as per chassis paint..some of them can be painted directly onto bare metal, ask your supplier, they will dry very similar to original Singer paint finish, leave them to dry / cure for around 10 days before applying your decals ( I presume your decals are "water float" type ? ) ..a little dishwashing liquid ( not dishwasher liquid ) in the water used to "float" them will aid in allowing them to "slip" and make them easier to position, and to get any bubbles out . HTH :) ** Painting planes requires larger buildings than painting helicopters and boats, so it can be easier to find someone who paints helicopters and or boats ( and who might sell you a small quantity of aeronautic paint ) than someone who paints planes.