Looking for a used cylinder arm machine

[esantoro]

A grease gun, Ed.

I did a quick search.

Are there only cartridge type grease guns? I'd like to be able to buy a small tub of grease and an applicator that would be good for twice a year applications, as I don't have anything else that requires greasing.

perhaps something like this one, as long as it will take a nozzle that will screw into my reducer and can be manually filled with grease rather than requiring a full cartridge.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...temnumber=93486

Ed

Edited February 3, 2009 by esantoro

[tonyc1]

I've never seen one that small, Ed. Mine is a cartridge gun but I haven't used cartridges since I gave up operating plant, I bought a small tin of grease and just poked it in the gun with a flat stick! As long as it will take a flexible hose and a fitting to go on the nipple it should work ok. Try some place that sells auto parts.

Tony

[esantoro]

I'd also like to try shimming the shuttle race so that all needles function more or less like a 230/26, which I think gives the best consistency. I started trying to cut out some shims from beer/soda cans, but never got very far. I'd much rather pay to get the next thicker size spacer ring for the 441 clones. in one manual somewhere, various thicknesses were available. I'm sure they are possible to get somewhere. I'll call Artisan.

If I remember, I'll try a 26 needle and a 25 needle with the stirrup plate and test for consistency. I bet the 26 needle will yield better results, due to thicker girth of needle which forms the loop closer to the hook and also resists deflection due to a heavier, thicker needle.

I think shimming is a serious consideration that hasn't been discussed much, especially if you are trying to make the 441 as versatile as possible.

Ed

I just now measured the girth of Schmetz 24 (1.65mm), 25(1.82mm), and 26(2.12mm) needles. The 26 needle is .3mm thicker than the 25 needle, which is only .17mm thicker than the 24 needle. This means that 26 needles are substantially thicker than 25 needles, thus substantially less prone to needle deflection. I would have expected standard increments.

ed

[Doug C]

I just now measured the girth of Schmetz 24 (1.65mm), 25(1.82mm), and 26(2.12mm) needles. The 26 needle is .3mm thicker than the 25 needle, which is only .17mm thicker than the 24 needle. This means that 26 needles are substantially thicker than 25 needles, thus substantially less prone to needle deflection. I would have expected standard increments.

ed

Ed,

I am playing around with the needle size. I am having much better luck with the 25 needle and the sturrip plate.

Doug

[esantoro]

Ed,

I am playing around with the needle size. I am having much better luck with the 25 needle and the sturrip plate.

Doug

Doug,

There's a certain bit of leverage on the needle when used with the stirrup plate. I've noticed much more deflection with 25 needles than with 26. Are you moving up to 25 needles from thinner needles or have you always been using 25 needles?

I had been thinking for a while to move from 277/207 thread to 346/277 for most of my work. One thing that prompted me to commit to the decision was a conversation with Vernon Weaver, who spoke about less needle deflection with size 26 needles, which got me thinking more about the merits of 26 needles and 346/277 thread.

I was also told that once that these 441 clones are setup at the factory to work best with 26 needles. They'll do 24 and 25 quite well, but the best with 26. I figure that with a standard setup, these machines have to work best with one particular needle, which I now think is 26. I'd like to get some shims or spacers so that when I use the other needle sizes, i can set them up to work more similarly to the 26, which slightly brushes against the hook in the needle's downward travel. It slightly brushes the hook and then flicks the loop out a bit which is then ready for when the hook makes its forward travel.

ed

[Doug C]

Ed,

I am moving up a needle size. I had been sewing with 207/138 (top/bottom), that may have been a little light anyway. I now am using 277/207 with the 25 needle combination. I thought I had seen on here a needle size thread chart but can't find it now.

Doug

[tonyc1]

Is there a conversion scale of needle sizes, metric etc. I use from 160 to 230.

Tony.

[esantoro]

Is there a conversion scale of needle sizes, metric etc. I use from 160 to 230.

Tony.

160/23, 180/24, 200/25, 230/26

ed

[tonyc1]

160/23, 180/24, 200/25, 230/26

ed

Thank you, Ed.

Tony.