Jump to content

Beanwood

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    28

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Beanwood

  1. Posted · Report reply

    22 hours ago, Constabulary said:

    I do not know your machine in particular but I have changed needle bars on machines for using a different needle system. Needle bar length and diameter matter. 6.35mm / 1/4" is a Singer standard and I think the needle bar of a Singer 111w could probably work.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/152426180931

    You can use needles with 2mm needle shank then. If this NB is too long just cut it down.

    Since you are in the UK I would also check with College Sewing or Trojan Sewing - they for sure have this needle bar too.

    Thanks Constabulary. That looks hopeful - I couldn't understand why it wouldn't work - as long as the diameter is the same.

    I THINK I've traced the diameter to 6.4mm - I'll see if I can firm that up, or get hold of a micrometer to check it.

     

  2. Posted · Report reply

    OK - so this might seem a silly question.. but how hard is it to replace a needle bar?

    On my Brother TZ1-B651, the needle snapped right up inside the bar. (Moment of madness on my part I think, somehow)

    The remnants of the shank (1/4") was well and truly stuck in the bar, and wouldn't come out, so I ended up removing the needle bar from the machine, and using compressed air to loosen the needle part until I could nudge it out far enough to grab and pull with pliers.

    But getting the bar out was far from easy - and took a bit of force - as the end was slghtly enlarged - I don't know why. But it was tough coming out, and is likely to be togh to re-insert. I assume I need to replace the needle bar. (Do I?)

    As this machine uses a different needle size to my others, can I just change the needle bar to a 'different' one, so my needles become interchangeable?. The bar outside diameter must be the critical factor, as the tolerances on the sliding surfaces are pretty tight. Is there a standard - I presume not, otherwise why would there be so many options....

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Please post if you try Wiz's idea - I'm interested to see how you get on with remedying this. I've not had too much success with sewing Biothane either - the same issue as you have, and interestingly also with the H2. 

    I have a similar issue sewing other materials on my bartack machine - the thread doesn't pull into the materail, but it can make a REALLY tight knot, so 'squashing' the multiple layers. I hadn't considered the check spring adjustment.

  5. Posted · Report reply

    I wouldn't go for that one personally.

    That £500 doesn't include a table or motor (Extra £100!) and then the motor may wel be 3-phase which you're unlikely to want.

    It states made in Scotland and Germany as a selling point - yet clearly shows 'Made in Japan' on the pictures (Which may well be a good thing but just shows a complete lack of care when prepping the ad)

    It's also looking very tired.

     

     

  10. Posted · Report reply

    22 hours ago, DonInReno said:

    The main problem with a pulley is it looks like a pulley and feels like a pulley when hand turning it.  In the first picture this hand crank wheel would look at home on an old Singer, and have a good feel once it’s smoothed out.    I’ll machine a belt groove in the center, remove the handle, polish the outer rim and smooth out spokes.  None of that is all that difficult, but if you don’t have a friend with a metal lathe it would be prohibitively expensive to have a machinist cut the groove.

    The second picture is a handwheel from a Singer 29-4.   It has a nice size to have a belt groove cut in the rim, but it’s too dished to work well unless the hub with set screws is cut off and a new hub silver soldered to the other side.

    I really like the look of that as a solution!

    I'm sure I can find someone to machine the groove, but I think I'll struggle more to find a handwheel like that in the first place.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    10 hours ago, dikman said:

    To be honest I'm not sure that you would notice that much difference between a 550w and 750w motor if you use a speed reducer too. Having said that, if the price difference isn't too great by all means get the 750w.

    Speed reducers - you can get very slow speed, with gobs of torque, by varying the pulleys in the reducer, but at the expense of top speed. On one of my machines I fitted an 8" pulley in place of the handwheel, a 2'" on the motor and between them a reducer running a 1 3/4" and a 4". A bit extreme, perhaps, but I could get 1 stitch every 2 1/2 seconds! My favourite method, if possible, is to replace the handwheel with a large pulley and a small one on the motor, I find this is a fairly simple method to use

    Great - 550w is a fair bit cheaper, but wth @Constabulary having the 750w on the same sort of combination I'm sorely tempted to spend the extra.

    1 stitch every 2 1/2 seconds !!!!! Crazy slow..I'd probably forget what I was doing befoe I got to the end of a run.:)

     

  13. Posted · Report reply

    2 hours ago, Michiel said:

    Is this similar to the brother LZ-B652? (The early sailrite)

    That is a very nice zig zag machine

    With most zig zag machines the hook is too early at the left sticht and late at the right stitch

    the hook of this machine goes a little bit faster when making the right stitch and slower on the left one (you can see the mechanisme at work on the underside of the machine)

    its very helpful with this 12 mm stich

    it doesnot have the walking foot

    but i know this machine and the new original sailrite:

    the vintage brother has much more quality

     

    Thanks @Michiel - I mistyped in my original post - it's actually a TZ1- B651 - very similar indeed to the B652.

    As you say - no walking foot unfortunately, but it's very solid, and parts are still readily available.

     

  15. Posted · Report reply

    25 minutes ago, Constabulary said:

    Make sure the V-Belts are tight enough and do not slip. But anyway - servo motors are the best option nowadays.

    I run my Singer 111G156 with a 750W servo and small pulley and with a 1:3 speed reducer and it punches trough 10mm thick Mil Spec cotton webbing at slow speed - just saying...

    Back then I bought my JACK servo from College Sewing in the UK.

    Perfect  thanks - I'm just musing on adding that £140 to my order, and didn't want to commit that cash until someone confirmed I'm not talking rubbish :)

    I guess I was just trying to be cheap, and go for the 550W ...

  16. Posted · Report reply

    I'm stil playing with my Brother LZ1-B651.

    It does 12mm zigzag, and it is not designed to sew big thick and heavy stuff.... However I need to close off 'loose ends' of webbing, and that works really well by zigzag stitching them onto another piece of webbing .

    From time to time though it get's stuck, so I need to increase the torque somehow, as well as slow the speed.

    I've made and installed a 6" to 2" speed reducer, and it's now slow enough, but still doesn't have the punch I need to push through several layers of webbing.

    It has the original clutch motor, so I'm inclined to think installing a servo motor is the way to go - is that right or am I wasting my time? If it's right, is there much difference between a 3/4p or 1hp motor?

    I'm UK based, so will need to go with something from over here, rather than the forum sponsors/contributors.

     

  17. Posted · Report reply

    2 hours ago, Charley1 said:

    I make a lot of blocks for holding/storing reloading equipment and tools. I use 3/4 inch red oak, laminated to the thickness I need. Layout the holes, drill them on my drill press using a fence I made. Follow with using a roundover router bit on the edges, then finish with polyurethane. They sell pretty well. Here's a block made for some RCBS Little Dandy powder measure rotors, and a block for die/turret storage for a  Lee Classic Turret Press. I've made blocks for leather stamps and tools in the past, guess I need to start making them again.

    LD.jpg

     

    That one looks awesome - I've tried similar in the past, and never made them look that good!

  21. Posted · Report reply

    I think as it comes down from the first tension pulley to the second, it should go direct, not around the 'hook'. Once around the botttom tension disc, that's when you go through the bottom hook, and check spring (That appears to be missing).

    Are you sure it's seated into the tension discs, and not just sat around the edges. (If they're too tight, it may not be all the way 'in')

    Are we allowed to link to You tube on here ? If so, look at this, about 1:30 in and onwards.

     

  24. Posted · Edited by Beanwood
    I answered the wrong question....     · Report reply

    I need to do something similar from time to time - but also need to move the folder out of the way - so use a magnetic guide - effectively it's a couple of strong magnets on a bar. Sailrite sells one - but like you I'm in the UK, so made my own. I've just checked and someone on E bay sells them in UK if that helps (Go for the 6" long to give a better guide)

     

    FORGET THIS - I've just re-read the OP, and you want to attach a folder, not an edge guide.... (Sorry :unsure:)

  25. Posted · Report reply

    4 hours ago, CowboyBob said:

    You can't change the stroke BUT you can buy these 135x5  needles up to size #24,I know they are shorter but they will fit in w/o any problems.this isn't a real heavy duty machine either so you'll be limited to sewing around 8mm at the most.You might try to adjust the needlebar up so the longer 135x17's will fit & it will give you more clearance for thicker webbing but IDK if this machine would ever sew 12mm consistently.

    Thanks - unfrotunately the 135x17 won't fit - the shank is too large, hence wanting to swap the needle bar. Following your post though, I see I can get larger size with the same 1.63mm shank - so that's worth a look.

    I have missed the obvious though - measuring what the maximum stroke of the machine is at the moment, and whether I can get a longer needle (Do they exist?) in 16x95.

×
×
  • Create New...