Stitches Newsletter from Artisan®

[Art]

Anne from Artisan® Sewing Supplies has started up a Newsletter containing the latest news from Artisan®. It contains information on products they have introduced and word on their existing line. Steve has a maintenance corner that is always good advice. It is called Stitches and the link is here:

http://www.artisansew.com/manualsfiles/Sti...sletter%201.pdf

I have tried the "new" led light and while it is not a replacement for the lamp that comes with a new Artisan® machine, it does work very well to fill in the shadows you can get with those big presser feet and low worklight angles, and the price is right. There's nothing like having light right on your stitch line.

Art

[okiwen]

I am glad that you posted about the light. I was wondering as to its usefulness and quality. Thank you.

[bruce johnson]

Art and Ann,

Thanks for doing the newsletter, Ann. Thanks for referring to it Art, and thanks also for the testimonial on the LED lights. I was wondering also. I have bought 3 of the Artisan standard lights, and think they are the best ones I have used. Powerful enough to light the way, and small enough to be out of the way.

[jlb]

Art,Bruce,(others)

Will this light only fit on an Artisan machine? My wife sews (fabrics) and this would be a great thing for her to have if it would fit on her machine.

Thanks

Jeff

Art and Ann,

Thanks for doing the newsletter, Ann. Thanks for referring to it Art, and thanks also for the testimonial on the LED lights. I was wondering also. I have bought 3 of the Artisan standard lights, and think they are the best ones I have used. Powerful enough to light the way, and small enough to be out of the way.

[bruce johnson]

Jeff,

The lights I got from them fit through a drilled hole on the machine table, and have a long gooseneck. They will twist around and hold their position very well for me, and I can aim the light specifically. My bigger machine sits into a corner, and these lights do the job for me. Like I said, they are pretty small and don't block your vision like a regular machine light with the bigger reflector.

[Art]

Hi Jeff,

The led lights attach with magnets, make sure you have a steel/iron machine or you will have to use glue, hot glue works ok. I have been using the V version on my 4000P for 3 months or so and it hasn't moved. The transformer/light switch attaches under the table. Hardest thing is running the cables to the light neatly. For a home sewing machine with a small distance from light to work, it will provide enough light by itself; for an industrial machine it should be used in conjunction with the Artisan worklamp.

Art

Art,Bruce,(others)

Will this light only fit on an Artisan machine? My wife sews (fabrics) and this would be a great thing for her to have if it would fit on her machine.

Thanks

Jeff

[jlb]

Art,

Thanks I'll look at it. This should probably go into another topic(which I'll start later0 is lighting. My wife has an Ottlite and LOVES it. It is a free standing natural light.

Hi Jeff,

The led lights attach with magnets, make sure you have a steel/iron machine or you will have to use glue, hot glue works ok. I have been using the V version on my 4000P for 3 months or so and it hasn't moved. The transformer/light switch attaches under the table. Hardest thing is running the cables to the light neatly. For a home sewing machine with a small distance from light to work, it will provide enough light by itself; for an industrial machine it should be used in conjunction with the Artisan worklamp.

Art

[gunfighter48]

Hi Jeff,

The led lights attach with magnets, make sure you have a steel/iron machine or you will have to use glue, hot glue works ok. I have been using the V version on my 4000P for 3 months or so and it hasn't moved. The transformer/light switch attaches under the table. Hardest thing is running the cables to the light neatly. For a home sewing machine with a small distance from light to work, it will provide enough light by itself; for an industrial machine it should be used in conjunction with the Artisan worklamp.

Art

A simpler and removeable way to mount these lights (if there is no way to use the magnetic strip) is to use double sided foam tape or mounting squares. Just make sure you degrease the area you want the tape to sick to. I have 2 of the led lights on my two machines and they are great, no heat and they don't get in the way. No matter what way I positioned my gooseneck lamp it always seemed to be in the way. The lights also come with some plastic squares to mount the wire out of the way on your machine. I found that the tape on the plastic squares didn't stick all that well: so bought some double sided foam squares at my local hardware store, problem solved. You can also get the foam tape at hobby shops, it is used to mount electronics in radio controlled model planes and cars.

John

Edited March 26, 2008 by gunfighter48

[esantoro]

Thanks for the posts on these lamps. Just what I needed. I got tired of always trying to properly position my incandescent worklamp The combination of Artisan's Halogen work lamp and the LED lights is perfect. Now I can use the incandescent lamp elsewhere.

One thing to note about Artisan's Halogen work lamp, at least the one that comes with the c-clamp, is that it doesn't come with the male prongs that plug into a socket. You've got to get one at a hardware store. The lamp is switchable 110/220 volts and doesn't come with the male prongs because these lamps ship from China to a variety of countries.

Another similar lamp is the Reliable 7000S 1 über Light Halogen Sewing Light.

http://www.unbeatablesale.com/relb105.html

The Reliable lamp comes with something called a Dichroic halogen bulb that puts out 70 percent less heat. I was wondering if this Dichroic bulb is what all similar halogen bulbs are, and the same as that in the Artisan Lamp, or if it is a different technology that requires a specific type of lamp. I'm asking because as with other Halogen lamps I've had in the past, this Artisan lamp with 12 watt halogen bulb seems to get pretty hot. When it comes time to replace the bulb, I'd like to get a cooler one if possible.

Ed

[Art]

Hi Ed,

The term "dichroic" applies to GE MR16 lamps specifically, not in general to low-voltage halogen lighting. For the GE MR16 lamp, dichroic describes the type of coating on the reflectors. These coatings can also be described as "multi-layer interference films". They are made up of dozens of layers of thin materials that have the unusual property of selectively reflecting or transmitting certain wavelengths of visible light, IR, and UV. Such dichroic coatings have been used since the 1960s to reduce the heat in the beam of certain reflector lamps (GE calls them "Cool-Beam" lamps). MR16 ConstantColor™ coatings are more sophisticated since they not only reduce the heat in the projected beam (up to 66%), but also absorb UV and control the color and amount of the light from both the front and back of the lamp - keeping it constant over the life of the lamp. The coatings are also very durable and will not flake off or deteriorate as the lamp burns.

I remember using dichroic filtering technology in the '70s to keep from cooking the standard filter gels we originally used in color printing (photographic), we would use very high intensity bulbs to overcome all the filtering we used and the filter gels would soak up all the heat from the lamps. Hence the dichroic technology which then allowed "dial a filter technology" and later on total automation of the printing process.

MR16 lamps without cover glass should only be used in a closed fixture (fixture that keeps all parts of bulb enclosed) since the filament tube of all MR16 lamps is pressurized. In the unlikely event that the filament tube breaks, the closed fixture keeps glass particles from leaving the fixture. MR16 lamps with a built-on cover glass can be operated in an open fixture since the cover glass will contain any broken pieces of the filament tube.

----Some of the above from GE techsheets.

I think the Artisan Lamps (and Artisan please correct me if I am wrong) use the GU 5.3 Bi-Pin base. If so you can get both 25W spots and 35W floods for them in the MR16 Dichroic flavor, and please don't accidentally pick-up projector bulbs, they are 125v and not 12v. No matter what bulb you use in them, the Artisan lamps are very good and may be the same item as the Reliable Über Light Lamp. MR16 GE bulbs cost about $2 or so, unbeatablesale is pretty beatable.

Art

Thanks for the posts on these lamps. Just what I needed. I got tired of always trying to properly position my incandescent worklamp The combination of Artisan's Halogen work lamp and the LED lights is perfect. Now I can use the incandescent lamp elsewhere.

One thing to note about Artisan's Halogen work lamp, at least the one that comes with the c-clamp, is that it doesn't come with the male prongs that plug into a socket. You've got to get one at a hardware store. The lamp is switchable 110/220 volts and doesn't come with the male prongs because these lamps ship from China to a variety of countries.

Another similar lamp is the Reliable 7000S 1 über Light Halogen Sewing Light.

http://www.unbeatablesale.com/relb105.html

The Reliable lamp comes with something called a Dichroic halogen bulb that puts out 70 percent less heat. I was wondering if this Dichroic bulb is what all similar halogen bulbs are, and the same as that in the Artisan Lamp, or if it is a different technology that requires a specific type of lamp. I'm asking because as with other Halogen lamps I've had in the past, this Artisan lamp with 12 watt halogen bulb seems to get pretty hot. When it comes time to replace the bulb, I'd like to get a cooler one if possible.

Ed

[Art]

Hi All,

There is the new June 2008 version of Stitches magazine available on the Artisan website.

http://www.artisansew.com/manualsfiles/Sti...20June%2008.pdf

There is a profile of the Powered 20" splitter (a lot like the old Randall), and the 618 SC-1 LTHR medium weight sewing machine.

Steve also gives us a little tutorial on thread tension.

As usual, Anne did a great job.

Art

[anne newkold]

By going to the Brag link from the main page you will also find some items some of Artisan's Happy customers have produced with the equipment that have of Artisan Sewing Supplies.

http://www.artisansew.com

Anne

[Artisan Dave]

Art,

While Artisan is indeed ahead of the curve in design, value, performance and Customer Service - we really haven't yet finalized the June 2009 Newsletter!

We did, however, complete the June 2008 Newsletter

(Have a good Weekend)

[Johanna]

Hi All,

There is the new June 2009 version of Stitches magazine available on the Artisan website.

Art

When I read this I paused at the possible historic moment I might be seeing...this may be the first documentation ever of Art making a mistake. Wade said typos don't count as mistakes.

Great job on the newsletter, Anne!

Johanna

[anne newkold]

When I read this I paused at the possible historic moment I might be seeing...this may be the first documentation ever of Art making a mistake. Wade said typos don't count as mistakes.

Great job on the newsletter, Anne!

Johanna

Thanks Johanna! I don't know how many people read it but you can find Leatherworker.net banner in it. I will fix the online version of it on Monday so that it becomes a link to here.

[Art]

Hi Johanna,

Wade is right, however I had been working on the 2009 budget all day.

Art

When I read this I paused at the possible historic moment I might be seeing...this may be the first documentation ever of Art making a mistake. Wade said typos don't count as mistakes.

Great job on the newsletter, Anne!

Johanna