dikman

You've probably used it all fixing things.

It's "au contraire", to be precise and yes, your are right, of course, but I think it's safe to say that most on here who use industrial sewing machines soon learn how to judge bobbin tension and also, in most cases, tend to leave the bobbin alone and tweak the upper tension when adjustment is needed. Except in dire cases. This is precisely what I just did with my Chinese patcher. I could not get it to sew consistently and eventually backed the bobbin tension right off and use the upper feed to balance the stitching. That finally worked.

Spoken like a true Aussie - not much you can't fix with a pair of pliers and fencing wire!

An interesting exercise but I agree with Constabulary on this one. We have to be careful not to over-think things sometimes.

Groan!

Sorry, MikeRock, but that won't work as their are several variables to take into account - size of apple/orange, type of apple/orange, moisture content, type/size of candy bar etc.

I'd suggest browsing youtube as there will be lots of videos on there. Watch as much as you can to start getting a feeling for sewing leather and to understand the adjustments that will be necessary depending on the thickness, and type, of the material and thread being used. Bear in mind that this is an upholstery-class machine (which means it is quite versatile) but it isn't intended for holsters. It will not have enough clearance under the feet and is limited to #138 thread, which is a bit light for holsters.

The Pfaff 335 would seem an obvious choice but I would think any of the usual cylinder arm upholstery-class machines should work, depending whether you're looking at buying new or used.

I had the same problem but fitting a larger pulley didn't work. It appears some servos work with a speed reducer/positioner combo and some (probably most, I suspect, don't). A member on here posted about modifying the positioner to get it to work, he did it successfully but again it didn't work for me. Open up the positioner and inside is a disc with a magnet attached at the rim. There was a hole on the opposite side for another magnet which he attached, this turned it into a dual sensor unit. It is then necessary to access the settings in the servo and change it to a dual sensor (or whatever they call it) pickup. It worked for him but in my case while it eliminated the error message I did not have the option in the servo to change the setting to a dual sensor. I could not set it to stop either needle up or needle down, it was inconsistent so of no real value.

Their freight costs would doubtless be better as they would be importing by the pallet at a minimum and their purchase price would be lower because they would be buying multiple units. It's called economy of scale. While they can't avoid the GST and customs fees I suspect they would also get a better deal overall with the freight handling within Australia. So yes, I suspect you may be right about the pricing, Bert, although it's probably the agents setting the price rather than the seller. I've just come across some folks who are now handling Cowboy machines (in Qld) so gave them a call. A 4500 head unit is $3,000 + $170 shipping to me and that includes a pack they provide with left and right toe feet, stirrup and holster plates. I was honest and explained what I was trying to do and she said that if there was a slight difference in prices between my import cost and theirs they might be able to negotiate a bit, which was nice of them. I then had another thought and asked about a 3200 head unit - $2675 + freight. Not a huge difference between them price-wise. But will I be better off with the bigger machine in the long run?? This is still far more than I intended to spend but my wife said just do it!

Looks like I might be wrong then. The old ones were nominally rated for #69 but I found mine would run #138 ok. The only issue with mine is a relatively short stitch length which is related to the particular model I have.

I thought the "new" Pfaff's could handle up to #138 thread? The old ones can.

RS, I researched oil some time ago and the MSDS indicates that Lilly White oil is basically hydraulic oil, ISO-22. So you could use either Lilly White or buy hydraulic oil, whichever is either cheaper or more convenient.

An interesting idea chris, but unfortunately in this particular case not very practical. Constab, the DHL link is the one I used and they just said that they would contact me via email. So far they all appear to be within $100 or so of each other. I have no qualms about buying a machine from a Chinese factory but the various port, handling and customs fees all make it a less attractive option.

UPS have an online calculator and IF I got it right then it's about $400 cheaper - IF I got it right. I submitted a request to DHL, there's no way to call them so I have to wait for them to contact me. Pretty poor, I thought.

I guess it may be worth checking, but I was told that air freight will be more expensive as while the volumetric size isn't that big the weight will be a factor (80 kg). I will save the broker's fees but the customs and handling fees probably won't change much.

I just spoke to another customs broker and he gave me a breakdown on the costs involved (this time I knew the questions to ask ). It is no longer an attractive proposition. For anyone in Australia who may be thinking of doing this here is a breakdown of the figures in Australian $. Keestar 441 (head only) - $1476 Freight by sea (organised by the company) - $117 Port forwarding (organised by the company) - $287 GST (10%) - $175 Port Charges Adelaide - $500 Broker fees - $150 Customs fees - $195 Grand total - $2899! He said that the figures he quoted could be on the high side but even so the savings probably would only be around $50 or so. He also said that a Chinese company might charge what seems like a low freight price but there are usually "kickbacks" when it gets to this end to compensate them, something that the other broker also said. Looks like I'll be sticking with hand sewing the thick stuff.

I use a belt grinder to sharpen scissors. You don't have to press hard and they run cooler than a grinder wheel. It almost sounds like the steel has been hardened and not been tempered as a file will just skate over a piece of steel in that condition. It will be extremely hard but also brittle.

Well done, RS. I'd like to see what bits you got with it too, just out of curiosity.

Nothing a big hammer won't fix!

For it's intended purpose it looks good. Plenty of protection for the revolver and the high top should ensure it doesn't fall out too easily. And no point making it fancy as it's bound to get knocked around a bit I reckon.

If you already have a servo and speed reducer then replacing the handwheel with a large pulley as well will slow it down significantly. I got one down to 1 stitch every 2.5 secs by doing this. Of course, if you feel that a motor drive is potentially dangerous in your situation then a handcrank is probably the way to go. Replacing the handwheel with a large pulley and mounting a handle near the rim also works.

Like tt I've cut a couple of tables down so that they are only as wide as the metal frame underneath. Works well.

Ahh, but that's the beauty of doing something like that as, within reason, it doesn't have to be a perfect, neat job because it's going to be ground down. Someone broke an extractor lug off my Uberti 1866 while (helpfully) removing a stuck boolit so not knowing any better () I built up a blob of weld and slowly ground and filed it until it was a good fit. Still working and saved me a heap of $.

Ok, now I understand. Sewing that curved part may be a bit of an issue on a machine, depending whether you can flex it open a bit to sew. You will probably need a holster needleplate, or maybe a stirrup would be better for that? I guess the best way will be to make a dummy section from scrap (not a whole holster) and try it first?