Mike516 Report post Posted November 12, 2015 (edited) I drove out from Long Island to Philly yesterday with my wife to see Gregg at Keystone. What they lack in proximity to LI, they make up for in great customer service. His Mother is a sweetheart too. We were there quite a while and Gregg went over everything we needed to know about the machine so we were able to get right into practicing when we got home. I mean seriously, I thought I'd sit there and completely blank out, but I remembered a surprising amount of what he told us and was able to get right to sewing almost immediately after realizing the thread had to go through the little hole in the top of the thread spool holder to wind the bobbin lmao. Funny what you remember and what you forget. I could thread the machine, but I forgot to put the thread through that little arm above the spools and was puzzled why the bobbin wasn't spinning. But the hands on experience with Gregg explaining everything, and answering all my dumb questions, was invaluable. It was a great experience and even with the 5+ hour round trip, I will definitely be back there should I ever need another machine. The trip was so worth it. I would totally recommend them if anyone needs a machine and can get there. But if you can't get there, they deliver too. I also need to thank everyone for their recommendations and advice, including Wizcrafts for his write up on this thread and his suggesting this machine for me. It took me the whole summer, but I was finally able to save enough for this Juki. Happy Sewing!!! Edited November 12, 2015 by Mike516 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike516 Report post Posted November 13, 2015 (edited) Someone told me never to turn the hamdwheel on any sewing machine backwards. Is that right? Also, it seems like the machine doesn't get started unless I start with the needle up like it needs a running start. Why is that? I apologize for the stupid questions but I'm really new to this sewing stuff. But I want to learn. Thank you Edited November 13, 2015 by Mike516 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Uwe Report post Posted November 13, 2015 If your machine doesn't want to get started, it's likely because it's geared for speed and doesn't have enough torque at low speeds. What's under the table? Ideally you'd have a servo motor with a small pulley and a speed reducer. Worst case is a clutch motor with a big pulley. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike516 Report post Posted November 13, 2015 (edited) I have a servo motor and I have the speed turned all the way down to its lowest setting for practice. Should I turn the speed up? Edited November 13, 2015 by Mike516 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CowboyBob Report post Posted November 13, 2015 Yes turn the speed up a little,on some of these motors when you turn down the speed it reduces the starting torque . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike516 Report post Posted November 13, 2015 Ok thank you! Have you all ever heard that you could damage something inside the machine if you turn the handwheel backwards? Someone told me this yesterday but I said if you're not supposed to turn the handwheel backwards, then why can you? Seems to me; if you shouldn't, it wouldn't. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CowboyBob Report post Posted November 13, 2015 When you turn the machine backwards it's possible to jam the thread up in the hook(bobbin case) it won't happen everytime & you might need to turn it backwards alttle if you over run when you wanted to stop.The main thing to do & try to always stop & start with the take up lever @ the highest point. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Uwe Report post Posted November 13, 2015 The "safe" thing to say is "Don't turn the wheel backwards," because it may cause stitch problems and can indeed break something in certain situations. It really varies by machine. In general, sewing machines are designed to spin only in one direction to do actual work. I think it's okay on most machines to turn the wheel backward to adjust needle position a little while it's above the material. It depends on where you are in the stitch cycle. Don't turn the wheel backwards to bring the needle up from the bottom position. If you turn the wheel backwards while the needle is down, you may cause it to skip a stitch because the thread loop formation for the hook to catch is tricky enough as it is going forward. Also, don't turn it backwards more than a quarter turn, and certainly don't try to "undo" a stitch you already made by turning the wheel backwards because that's just not how it works. If there's no thread or material in the machine, some machines will spin happily in either direction, others, not so much. It really depends on the machine and how it's designed. Some parts (e.g. needle guard vs needle) may slide past each other on one direction, but catch in the other direction. So it depends on how your machine is adjusted, too. If there's thread in the machine, you can cause trouble by thread catching on something and binding things up, then if you push too hard some fragile part might break or go out of alignment. If you feel any resistance at all, stop. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike516 Report post Posted November 13, 2015 Ok that makes sense. Thanks guys. How can i keep the marks out of the leather from the foot? I want to eventually stain first when I'm confident I can sew without screwing up the lines, but I don't want the marks in the leather. I'm sewing the leather bone dry and the foot is smooth, but I'm still noticing marks along the stitch line. I'm going to try and see if I can get a closeup picture, but I was wondering if this is a common problem. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike516 Report post Posted November 13, 2015 Please excuse the wobbly stitches, I literally have been sewing for 2 days I don't know if you can see it, but there are marks the shape of the bottom of the foot. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike516 Report post Posted November 13, 2015 Or how do you use the search function so I can look this stuff up for myself. I put keywords in but it seems the system shows unrelated threads. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CowboyBob Report post Posted November 13, 2015 You might be able to loosen the foot pressure knob on the top left hand corner of the machine will help,these marks can also be rubbed out w/a spoon.Be careful you don't loosen it too much or the machine will start skipping stitches. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike516 Report post Posted November 13, 2015 Yea that's probably not an adjustment I want to mess with. Thanks guys, back to practicing. That's probably the only way I'm going to figure this out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Uwe Report post Posted November 13, 2015 You should not be afraid to adjust presser foot force. It's an easy one, helps minimize marks on veg tan leather, and you can't do much wrong. The presser foot needs to have enough downward pressure to hold the material in place and keep the material from lifting up with the needle as it ascends. If the material lifts up, the thread doesn't form a loop for the hook to catch and skips a stitch. There's nothing to go terribly wrong here. The only real potential issue with that adjustment is if you loosen that screw way too much so it comes out of the threaded hole and the spring sends it flying across the room. Give it one turn at a time and hold on to it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike516 Report post Posted November 13, 2015 Ok I'm going to play with that. Thanks again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tejas Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Or how do you use the search function so I can look this stuff up for myself. I put keywords in but it seems the system shows unrelated threads. Assuming you mean how to search for something on the forum, try using google with the site: parameter. search-term [search-term] site:leatherworker.net Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike516 Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Thank you, yes that is what I meant. I was trying to use the search function at the top right on this forums main page. I'll try google as you said. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
