Dave9111

Just a follow up: I did attempt to make a lifting dolley that lifted by the table top. It failed. Turns out lifting from the top requires a rigid frame (heavy steel) which was in opposition to my goals of a simple compact dolley. As I result I put all of my machines on casters. That is the way to go for me. If I need to move a machine outside, I have a small steel top trailer that tilts to the ground to create a ramp. The trailer was built as a rototiller trailer, so it is small, but large enough.

I have been running Dabond 2000 V92 thread as the top thread in a single needle, 2 thread chainstitch machine. I'm running V45 for the bottom threads which seems to work well. This is with the 401 chainstitch, so the bottom threads wrap through the eye of the top thread twice, hence the smaller bottom thread. I want to stick to a bigger topstitch thread for UV resistance since this is for covers, left outside. This has been working ok but the bottom chaining was not entirely consistent. It was like the bottom tension was varying. I decided to buy another roll of thread for the top thread, and I found some A&E Sunstop V92 and decided to try it out. I replaced the Dabond V92 with the A&E Sunstop V92 and my inconsistent chaining issue went away entirely. I made no other changes. The A&E thread is much more pliable than the Dabond. This machine runs without a lot of tension compared to my Lockstitch machine, but I did not expect this. Has anyone else seen Dabond cause issues like this? I think Dabond is just too stiff for use in a chainstitch machine. Unfortunately information on how to run a two thread chainstitch machine seems sparse on the web. Google searches oftentimes come up with nothing. So this machine has been a learning experience! Dave

I have an Enduro drive as well, and saw this after my table was found missing the pedal. I welded a base bracket for a brake lever similar to the one shown in the picture. (Mine doesn't look as nice) I didn't add a cross bar to the end of the lever. It works fine as is. If you look at the picture of side of the Enduro motor/drive unit you will see the nicely milled bracket that holds the cable. Just to the left of that is a plastic boss. I drilled a hole up through the plastic boss from the bottom and threaded the cable into it. Just above that is a hole in the plastic arm. I threaded the cable into the hole from the backside and used a screw clamp cable stop to prevent the cable from slipping back out of the hole. Zero machining was required. It works fine. I have the Enduro drive on a Pfaff two thread chainstitch machine and it works great. The brake cable/lever was a genius idea. And the machining while nice, is not required. I used a chunk of steel and piece of handlebar to attach the brake lever to the plate for the foot pedal. It weighs several pounds so it tends to stay in place. What is really great about this idea is that the pedal is moveable. When I am sewing large panels of cloth for covers (3 - 40ft x 5ft panels in a recent project) I can sit at an angle to the machine to feed the machine and I can move the pedal to suit, which means great pedal control in just about any seat position! How nice! The brake pedal idea is truly genius. Thanks!

I've decided that I'm going to lift the machine via the table top. There is a couple of machines on the web that can do this but they are quite elaborate. I'm going to try and keep it simple. I like the jack simplicity but I don't think lifting from the K leg even at the top is a good idea for me. Reason being that I have one really heavy machine head, and I'm pretty sure the k leg wouldn't stand the strain.

Hoyer lift. Gosh I think my sister in law just sold one from my mother in laws house. Never thought about that. I have looked at some commercial solutions and it seems like the lift has to pickup the table top to go "off road", or off a hard floor. Looking at my machines, that is really the only common pickup point. So I will make something up and share it when I'm done. I'm thinking a 1/2" or 3/4" steel pipe frame, some large air tire casters I already have should make up the bulk of it. A lever mechanism (maybe?) to raise the machine, etc. Or maybe just tip the frame? Thanks for the ideas. I do have a little trailer I'm not using... hmmmm...

I have my share of industrial machines and I sometimes want to move them around both in the shop and outside for a larger canvas job. Sometimes into a box trailer that has a ramp door. I have flat moving dollies, but small wheels don't make rolling easy over uneven pavement. And they don't work at all in gravel or on grass. Yep, off road sewing! I have some large covers to modify and alter and putting the machine in the lawn under a tree can work in nice weather. What do you guys do? This has come to a head since I bought a two thread chainstitch machine and the head is really heavy - well over 100lbs and I want to be able to move it without planning for back surgery. My machines all have the common K stands. On the lighter machines (like a Pfaff 1245), I have mounted casters on the bottom of the K legs. And that works in the shop. But that's about all. Thanks, Dave

Nice! Thanks

This has been mentioned a few times in various message threads regarding the Enduro motors that were/are sold on Ebay. But I just wanted to put this down as a topic for you guys out there who grabbed some dirt cheap Enduro motors as I did a few years ago. I have a few Enduro 1050-2PF, 220 volts, servo motors that I bought off Ebay a while ago. They were dirt cheap on one point. Like $35 each or so?? I have 240 volts in my shop so it was no big deal to run some cords to feed these motors. However some folks have mentioned that these can run ok on 120 AC. I'm setting up a new to me Pfaff Chainstitch machine so I dug out one of the 1050-2PF units and hooked it up. I had to put a plug on the end, so why not try out 120 VAC? It works fine. I tried a wooden hammer handle torque test ( start the motor with a wooden hammer handle forced onto the edge of the V belt pulley ). The motor has plenty of torque at 120 VAC to grind grooves into the hammer handle from a dead start. I belted the machine to the motor and it all works fine at 120 VAC. The display and control buttons are working just fine as well. I have not tried hooking up the needle positioner sensor. That is next. This unit also has a 24 volt solenoid output for a foot lifter. But I probably won't use that. Obviously these motors were designed to operate on a range of input voltages. Why these don't show that on the boxes? I have no idea. Note that I cannot find any laboratory testing approval of any kind (UL, etc) on these motors, the boxes or the paperwork, so make sure you turn them off when you are done sewing. I'm ok with that myself.

I finally got to test the new Groz Beckert Gebedur Titanium needles (134-35, #23 R) on the same machine (Pfaff 1245) with the same material and the needle thread shredding is no longer there. So that fixed the shredding issue. However, comparing the #23 Groz Beckerts to the Innova #22's that I have been using shows that the #23's are a lot bigger. Does anyone have the dimensions of a #22 system 134-35 needle? I don't care if its metric or imperial. I'm wondering if the #22's I have are undersized. I have searched for it, but its not popping up. #22 is stamped on the shanks of the Innova needles. I think Innova is the distributor. The individual packs of 10 only say made in Germany with a small logo. I've had these needles for a long time. Its a 100 pack. The #23 Groz Beckerts are noticeably cutting the threads in the material. The holes made are clearly shredded just a bit. This is on Weathermax 80 outdoor canvas which is a very tight weave fabric. I'm not sure if I should be concerned about that or not. I'm thinking probably not. When I run through two layers of Weathermax 80 with a Polyester binding, there is not noticeable tearing on the binding. The stitches look great. This was when the thread shredding became a real issue. I was occurring when just running through two layers of Weathermax 80, but adding the binding was a killer. The stitch formation also appears to be better with the #23 needles. So you guys were right. The needle was the problem. Thanks for the help!

I did obtain some #23 needles. I now have some Groz-Beckert chrome needles and then I found some Groz Beckert Gebedur Titanium needles. Ill try these out this week and let you know what happens. Its threaded properly.

Answering my own question: I pulled apart the stitch length control mechanism behind the knob. There is a cam in there that accepts a pin. The pin moves the stitch length mechanism which changes the looper tensioner and the feed stitch length. The pin was off the cam apparently. Putting it back together after cleaning and oiling and I can now change the stitch length and get rid of the fabric bunching in front of the puller. The puller and feed dogs now work together. Time to put the machine on a stand with a servo motor.

I bought a Pfaff 5642 two thread chainstitch machine. Yes, I know its a 401 chain stitch machine (like the hem on jean pant legs) but I have wanted to try one out after seeing so much commercial canvas sewn with one. I think its a late 80's machine. Not having a bobbin is a big advantage when doing larger canvas projects. This machine is built like a tank. I've seen engine blocks with thinner cast iron. This machine has a built in fabric puller. The bottom roller is knurled steel and the top roller is soft rubber. When running the machine by hand, its obvious that the puller lags the feed dog. Material begins to bunch up in front of the puller. I pulled the center cover off the machine, and the shaft that drives the feed dog is geared to the bottom puller drive roller. So it appears that the puller "pull" is a fixed amount for every stitch. Does that mean that the puller dictates the stitch length? I'm new to "pullers". If I make the puller drive roller larger in diameter, more material will be moved for each stitch. I could make a bigger drive roll or temporarily wrap friction tape around it to make it bigger. What do you think? Per the manual, the stitch length is adjustable per a handwheel at the right side of the machine but that doesn't seem to be doing much. Perhaps I need to tear into that to see if something has fallen out, disconnected itself etc. Every machine I have purchased has had something wrong with it. This is likely not an exception. But at least it sews, nothing is worn loose, and internally it is very clean. Thanks!

Thanks guys. The little plastic pots I've seen say v69 thread max. But maybe thats wrong. I really thought a 22 needle should be big enough but ill get some 23s and consider your needle brand recommendations. Im sewing mostly through two layers of WeatherMax 80 poly canvas and sometimes also two layers of polyester binding. With the dense binding it can be a challenge.

No. Im using a #22 needle with V138. If i lube the thread, no issues at all. I take the spool off the spool rack and spray it with silicone lube. (A bit messy). But of course it not consistently lubed throughout the spool. I think a lubricator would solve the issues. I like things to "just work". Thanks for the reply!

I have issues sometimes with heavier thread, like V138 shredding at the needle on my Pfaff 1245. I have sprayed my thread spool with silicone spray and that helps but its not consistent. Perhaps I need to spray it more consistently? I went looking for thread lubricators and not many are available. None looked worth the $. Many said V69 and below. Im pretty sure many more were available years ago? Should I make one? What do you guys do? Dave