Well... I bought a new machine

[Bree]

Yes... I went over to the show... got blabbing with Steve and Jerry and then bought myself a new stitcher and all around kitchen sink machine.

This sewing head (Artisan Toro 4000 LA-25)^...

on this Ped 600 stand ^.

It should be shipped out end of the first week in October. Just exactly what I wanted.

Edited September 29, 2008 by Bree

[Randyc]

Bree

Nice machine, it will stitch anything short of the kitchen sink. I have the 3000 myself. You can't beat Jerry and Steve when it comes to after sales service and advise. You will have to let us know how it works out for you.

[ArtS]

Wow. Nice machine. You're gonna love it. I have the 3000 and I'm very happy with it and the service. That going to be real nice having that long arm on that machine.

Art

[Bree]

I did a little Photoshopping and this is what this thing will look like

[TomSwede]

Hey Bree! Armed and dangerous!

Have fun with your new friend!

Tom

[ArtS]

And this is what you'll look like Bree!

Art

[Srigs]

Good choice on the 4000. I don't need the extra length so I'll stick with the 3000. :D

[BruceGibson]

That's mighty fine. And I can't say enough good things about Jerry & Steve.

If you ever need 'em, they'll be there.

[Bree]

And this is what you'll look like Bree!

Art

Hot Dayum! You made me look like one of the Joker's chicks on Batman!

Thanks guys! I am happy to be in the Artisan family. I got my paid invoice today and a ship date of 10/7 via UPS. So when it arrives at the Buffalo UPS terminal I can zoom over with the Dodge RAM and git er loaded up!

I offered BEER to my HOG friends and had 4 helpers in about 30 minutes. I have a bunch of beer left over from when we had a bunch of our HOG friends from Chicago visit on their way to Maine this summer.

I just got done sewing on a bunch of HOG patches on a guys XXXXL vest. I wish I had that big new long arm machine tonight as squeezing that vest under the Juki's arm with the big chapter patch and large rocker was a pain in the butt.

I have a tonneau cover for a Dodge RAM that has top be shortened, resewn, and get new snaps attached. That might be a good first job for the new long arm machine. I'll have to see if the customer can wait a couple of weeks. Maybe he will come over and join the unload the pallet party!!

[howardb]

Good to know there's a truck available. I KNOW you aren't gonna strap that thing on your bike... Sure it's tricked out, but I didn't see a trunk on that thing. At least not one big enough for the machine!

I take it the GPS stayed on and all went well on your journey home. Looking forward to seeing your ultra mega cool entry for the show next year!

Brent

[Bree]

Good to know there's a truck available. I KNOW you aren't gonna strap that thing on your bike... Sure it's tricked out, but I didn't see a trunk on that thing. At least not one big enough for the machine!

I take it the GPS stayed on and all went well on your journey home. Looking forward to seeing your ultra mega cool entry for the show next year!

Brent

Yes the trip home was uneventful. I took a 250 mile Fall Color ride today in the Southern Tier of NY and it was simply spectacular. The mountains are ablaze.

You guys are looking for competition stuff from me. I am just a novice at this leathercrafting and one who is dar more concerned with making money than winning a prize!! But I may find some kind of treachery that can overcome skill and experience.

[Handstitched]

I recently bought a machine called the Colt from 'Q Stitch' in Queensland Australia, which would be the equivalent to your machine. Mate , you've made a good choice.

I still have my 'learner plates' on so I still have a lot learn about the machine which will come with practice, thankfully 'Q Stitch' have also been very helpful .

All the best , have fun with your new machine

Handstitched

Western Australia

[Todd]

I have the 3000 myself and am very happy with it. Enjoy.

[Bree]

UPS Freight called and the machine will be at the terminal on Thursday. I have lured 4 of my Niagara Falls Harley Owners Group guys to help load the machine on my Dodge RAM and then unload it at my place and help get it set up. I lured them with BEER. I had some left over from a party I had for some HOG friends from Chicago.

Many thanks to Dave for his help in greasing the skids on this delivery... all 460+ pounds of it. I will report more when the baby is in the nest.

Oh... my new Embosser is on its way as well as my new Heritage Spot setter and skiver. So I will soon be surrounded with production equipment to begin my little business come 2009! Now I need to make some space in the shop and the sewing room.

[Bree]

The Artisan T-4000 LA-25 on the Ped 600 is simply HUGE!!! We just got it uncrated and put the head on the stand. It is enormous. All of the Weaver equipment arrived at the same time. The Tippman embosser arrived a day or two before. I have a ton of unpacking and assembly to do tomorrow.

I will post some PIX when I get a chance. It's just HUGE!!

[MADMAX22]

Very cool, cant wait for the day that I get to buy a machine. Until then ....

Good luck getting it setup and lets see some of the stitching.

[esantoro]

The Artisan T-4000 LA-25 on the Ped 600 is simply HUGE!!! We just got it uncrated and put the head on the stand. It is enormous. All of the Weaver equipment arrived at the same time. The Tippman embosser arrived a day or two before. I have a ton of unpacking and assembly to do tomorrow.

I will post some PIX when I get a chance. It's just HUGE!!

How heavy would you say the head is?

ed

[esantoro]

I've never been into cars or really many mechanical things. But there is just something so darn sexy about good quality sewing machines. All I can figure is that it must have something to do with the intertwining of simple mechanisms working in concert. The total working is complex, yet still simple. That and the fact that when you really think about it.... So much depends upon a sewing machine, to paraphrase William Carlos Williams.

Ed, who is looking forward to the pinups of your 4000 long-arm

[Bree]

How heavy would you say the head is?

ed

About 225 lbs. It's BIG!!

I have had out of town company so I haven't had a chance to process the PIX but I will try to get to it tomorrow or Monday. Heck I have all this new equipment to set up and learn how to use it. We just got the spot setter built and configured.

[joppstack]

About 225 lbs. It's BIG!!

I have had out of town company so I haven't had a chance to process the PIX but I will try to get to it tomorrow or Monday. Heck I have all this new equipment to set up and learn how to use it. We just got the spot setter built and configured.

When you get set up, I would love to know how stable it is on the smaller base. I looked at this model several months ago and they were kind of saying that because of the weight and arm length it needed that giant stand. I would love it if you can get away with using the smaller one. That would probably prompt me to purchase one. Let me know how it works out....

[Bree]

When you get set up, I would love to know how stable it is on the smaller base. I looked at this model several months ago and they were kind of saying that because of the weight and arm length it needed that giant stand. I would love it if you can get away with using the smaller one. That would probably prompt me to purchase one. Let me know how it works out....

This is certainly something to think about. The PED 600 stand is by no means petite the way they set it up for this machine. The table is 34" wide and the metal wings it sits on are about 28" wide! It will NOT fit through a door. To get it through the door we had to remove the table completely and bring the head, table, and stand in separately and then reassemble the stand in the sewing room. On the plus side the stand has a base that is I-Beam shaped so it has good spread of the load.

The casters are about 3" and they are the factor that destabilizes the stand. They are good locking swivel casters but 3" is probably too small for such a big machine and all the weight of it. You can remove the casters and get the stand planted on terra firma. That is probably wisest but it then becomes immoveable. So I guess you just lock them down and deal with a little bit of shakiness. It won't flip or fall over or anything like that. It is just shakier than one might be used to. The machine is a very smooth sewing at slow to medium speed and the shakiness has no effect unless you are at max speed.

I don't think that I care too much about it as of right now. It is a trade off... rock solid stand... versus the ability to easily move the machine around the room at the cost of some instability. Also remember that you have to get 675 pounds into your sewing room with the big stand versus 465 pounds with the PED 600. BIG difference. In my case we had to unload it at the freight terminal. It was MUCH easier to unload the PED 600 that it would have been to unload the full size stand.

I think that I am happy with what I got. Time will tell but so far so good. There are some annoyances about the stand. It has a nasty and hard to isolate squeak when you hit the foot pedal. Thee manufacturer didn't use any bearings on the foot pedal assemblies... at least none that I can see so somewhere there is metal on metal and it makes a terrible sound. But I will track it down and get it greased up somehow. I am not worried about it. Little stuff like that can bug you. But that kind of thing happens with just about any machine these days so whatcha gonna do?

If I need to get it more stable I can simply remove the casters or increase their size. Those things would help enormously.

[esantoro]

What about rolling and locking each of the casters onto a 12" x 12" poundo board (1/4" rubber mat) from Tandys. Or you could use a square piece of thick veg tan. I would try something like this to counter the chatter.

I have a bit of leather underneath each of the legs on my 441 stand for the very same reason.

Ed

[bruce johnson]

Bree,

Now to accessorize it.... I have machines from a different supplier, but I shop Artisan for a few things. Their buck apiece thread snips work well for me. I buy a strip every so often. Stick a cow magnet on the machine somewhere and the thread snips to the magnet.

I like their halogen gooseneck lamps pretty well too. Better than an incandescent and less heat. At the show this spring I bought two of their magnetic base LED lights for my machines. They mount facing down on the bottom of the head around the needle bar opening. They have 7 LED lights in an L shape. They are the ticket for lighting up the sewing area. I rarely turn on the goosenecks anymore. If they didn't give you one with the machine, call them up and beg for one.

[esantoro]

Bree,

Now to accessorize it.... I have machines from a different supplier, but I shop Artisan for a few things. Their buck apiece thread snips work well for me. I buy a strip every so often. Stick a cow magnet on the machine somewhere and the thread snips to the magnet.

I like their halogen gooseneck lamps pretty well too. Better than an incandescent and less heat. At the show this spring I bought two of their magnetic base LED lights for my machines. They mount facing down on the bottom of the head around the needle bar opening. They have 7 LED lights in an L shape. They are the ticket for lighting up the sewing area. I rarely turn on the goosenecks anymore. If they didn't give you one with the machine, call them up and beg for one.

I also liked the LED lights, but the cable broke off on mine and I'm waiting to re-solder it and provide some kind of support for the wire to be able to flex without breaking off from the contact.

Since I've ordered the danray lamp, I may just forgo the LED lights, though I am very interested in the very bright light that CREE LED chips put out.

Ed

[superchute]

Bree we cross the chains for the pettles so the right on is go and left one lifts the foot up and that shere helped me. I have toro 3000

Russ