Help with a Heavy Duty Machine Sewing

[tonyc1]

Thank you for your responses.

I might try some of the ideas mentioned here, but if I can't get it to work on canvas , then I'll just have to accept the fact that these machines are just not designed for thin materials like you said, which is a shame , because I was hoping that I wouldn't have to buy a separate machine to do horse rug repairs.

I'll have to be a bit careful when trying some of these ideas as the machine is still under warranty.

'Where there is a will there is a way' ( theres more than on way to skin a cat !! )

Anyway, thanks heaps once again .

All the best

HS

You need a good old K6 for your rug repairs, they just go and go!!

[esantoro]

Thank you for your responses.

I might try some of the ideas mentioned here, but if I can't get it to work on canvas , then I'll just have to accept the fact that these machines are just not designed for thin materials like you said, which is a shame , because I was hoping that I wouldn't have to buy a separate machine to do horse rug repairs.

I'll have to be a bit careful when trying some of these ideas as the machine is still under warranty.

'Where there is a will there is a way' ( theres more than on way to skin a cat !! )

Anyway, thanks heaps once again .

All the best

HS

Don't give uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup. I just love fiddling with stuff. It's got to be possible.

Try the washers on center foot bar. One or two will do it.

I reread your original post. It seems that you need to lower the post that the outer feet screw into. This is a very easy adjustment.

Unscrew the face plate. Loosed the two bolts that lock that bar into position. Then slowly wiggle the outer feet left and right to lower the bar a tad. Once you have it in the correct position, make sure the feet are centered, and tighten those two bolts. Be sure not to overtighten anything, and use a long-handled screw driver that has good torque and a good flathead. You don't want to strip anything.

Ed

Edited October 22, 2008 by esantoro

[esantoro]

I just now got the bright idea to cut two 4 oz (1.6mm) leather shims for the flat slotted needle plate. Cut out ample holes for the plate screws and cut the shims so there is no overhang into the needle guide/ ground-down feed dog. Works great.

By the way, what are you trying to do with the canvas? How many layers need to be stitched? I'd like to run the same through my machine just for kicks. I'll use a 23 needle and 138 thread.

Ed

[jimsaddler]

I just now got the bright idea to cut two 4 oz (1.6mm) leather shims for the flat slotted needle plate. Cut out ample holes for the plate screws and cut the shims so there is no overhang into the needle guide/ ground-down feed dog. Works great.

By the way, what are you trying to do with the canvas? How many layers need to be stitched? I'd like to run the same through my machine just for kicks. I'll use a 23 needle and 138 thread.

Ed

No need to shim the plate. The Machine has had the feet lifted to make it appear to sew heavier Leather than it was made for, just drop the feet to where they should be and it should sew Canvas OK.

Kindest Regards.

Jim.

[Art]

Hi HS,

I use a big Highlead to sew fabric all the time. There is not a problem with the blanket foot/needle plate setup. The machine is perfectly capable of being adjusted to do that work. Call your supplier and work through it with him on the phone, you will learn a lot and be able to make the adjustments yourself.

Art

G'Day, I'm back ...with some more (possibly silly) questions.

I am slowly learning bits and pieces about my machine, so last night I decided to fit the 'blanket set ' to my Q Stitch Colt, (I was given a small canvas job to do). I fitted the twin foot with teeth , and the standard plate, feed dog with teeth and adjusted it to suit (the Qstitch colt machine comes standard with a smooth feed dog).The next thing I did was adjust the needle foot, that was fine, it gripped the canvas, however no matter what I did , the twin presser foot (with teeth) didn't quite press the canvas down the way I thought it would have , even at it's lowest point , there was an approx. 2mm gap between the presser foot and the bed.I just couldn't get it down any further.As a result , and because the material wasn't feeding through properly, the thread was 'bunching up' underneath.Is that as far as the foot will go ? Maybe this machine just isn't designed for thinner materials? Or is there another adjustment I can make?

I am going to try the standard needle foot and (twin toe) presser foot but with feed dog with teeth, and see what happens.

Otherwise the machine hasn't missed a single beat and has been working perfectly.

[Handstitched]

G'Day again,

WOW, thanks for the help everyone, but I think I have it sussed out.

I decided to think logically rather than techincally.

I have an old Pfaff 60 which sews thin leather up to a 2.5 mm leather , now that has nothing special to make that work, just standard everything, so I set the big machine up the same as the Pfaff, the feed dog with teeth and standard (twin toe) foot and standard needle foot.........and it worked!! I tried it on a scrap of old canvas.

Now I'll try to show you a pic, my photographic skills are not that good and might not be all that clear.

Thanks heaps once again. I'll certainly keep all your ideas in mind for the future.

[barra]

It maybe the Pic but the tension looks like it needs adjusting.

Barra.

[Handstitched]

yeah, you're right , the tension will need adjusting, but now that I am able to sew canvas, the adjusting is the easy bit, but I will look at the ideas that have been mentioned here, because I would like to set the machine up so the 'change over' from leather to canvas (or vice versa) is smooth and simple, which will be a lot easier now.

All the best

HS