dikman

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?

I haven't done that particular part but I don't see any reason that it couldn't be done.

That rig looks very nice. There's no right way or wrong way to make holsters, you use whatever method works for you. I find that if I don't wet mine it's extremely difficult to get it to fold over, plus the wetting/drying process actually makes it "set" quite rigid and I can easily make the holster with zero retention if needed, plus it keeps its shape. It would certainly be easier if I didn't have to wet it. If you're gluing the two layers then I can't see why you'd want to stitch them first?

One possibility is to put the whole thing up on thingiverse, but that depends whether you want to make it publicly available.

Normal practice is to glue the liner to the outer layer. Once you've formed the shape (usually wet-formed) then it is stitched.

Simple solution Bert - leave her home when you buy a machine.

My recent research into buying a 441 from China indicates the head could be around 70-80 kgs so at least 150 lbs. Again, from what I can find out the head castings are probably all the same with the difference being how they are finished off by the individual factory and fitted out. Theoretically all the parts should be interchangeable (one seller actually advertises that Juki 441 parts will fit their machine) - but I wouldn't like to guarantee it! As for a servo, there are many available, it all depends how much you want to spend or if you want a particular type/brand. Exciting times ahead!

Assuming those Paff's were working somebody got an absolute bargain.

I did that with every machine I bought, although not having a trailer meant completely dismantling the table too! It should be pretty obvious how things fit together. Definitely let the head ride in comfort, it's the most important part. If it's got a clutch motor I'd take it off too as it's a lot of dead weight to be attached to a table that could be bouncing around in a trailer. Looks like a good buy.

sbrownn, I think the references to UV were to my comments on my GPS sunshade "melting" on the car dashboard, not your excellent creation. My apologies for sidetracking your post (I have a habit of hijacking threads ). As for showing wear, that's the beauty of leather it ages gracefully as it's used.