Messages

Thanks, June.  The screws need to be 1 1/4" long so 5/8" won't work.  I thought I checked out every screw in a local well-stocked hardware store but maybe I missed the square drive screws. I'll look again. 1 1/4" #10 screws would be the cheapest way out.

Thanks,
Ed

According to the Allbrands website, 1901, 1955, SY1995, SY6790, and 134, 134R, 135X5, 135x7, DPX5 , DPx7, and DPx134 are all interchangeable. To me, "interchangeable" means you don't have to make any adjustment to your machine to switch from one to the other.  I have both 134 and 135x5 needles at home, I will compare later today. The only thing I can think is you got a package of needles that is incorrectly marked.

What machine do you have?

Ed

Seems like snaps are my bugaboo.  Now, I am making blackout curtains for a cabin cruiser.  The curtains will be the exact size and shape of the windows and the owner wants snaps to fasten the curtains using the window frame screws (or at least the same holes). The window frame screws are #10 and the heads are too large to fit inside my Line 24 snaps.  The easiest answer would be to find one size larger snap but I have been searching for days with all my suppliers, all the suppliers advertising on this forum, ebay, amazon, and a google search and have not found any snaps larger than line 24.  Is there a snap larger than line 24 (5/8 diameter cap)?  If so, where could I find them?

If I can't find a larger snap, what are my options?  The owner is dead set against Velcro, which was the first thing I suggested before the snap issue even came up.

- Grind down the heads on the existing #10 screws so they fit into my snaps. We're talking at least 50 screws.
- Find #10 screws with smaller heads. I have tried all the local hardware stores and West Marine with no success.  All the #10 screws have the same diameter heads.
- Suggest a different method of attaching the curtains besides snaps or velcro.  Possibly permanently fixed to the top of the window frame and have have the curtain roll up and be held up by a couple of tabs with snaps

I'm open to any and all ideas, I want to get paid!

Ed

Mystery solved - I think!

For some reason, I never looked at the underlying frame to see if the chair was built lop-sided or not. The frame is straight across, no high or low side.  All the asymmetry is in the foam padding.  Apparently, it was just a crappy upholstering job that re-shaped the foam over the years..

Ed

  I am recovering all the upholstered pieces in an older RV for a customer. I was ready to cut out the back of one of the swivel chairs in the dinette area when I noticed one side of the old fabric was higher than the other. I checked the frame and the foam padding is higher on one side than the other. Then, I compared to the unstripped companion chair and it is also higher on one side than the other. Both are higher on the left than on the right, so it's not a mirror image thing.  The owner knows of no reason why they should not be symmetrical and I don't either.

  There is enough "give" in the high corner that I think just making the new cover the right shape will pull it down enough so it's not noticeable. Before I do, I wanted to ask if anyone else has had the same issue and opinions on whether to reshape or not reshape.

Ed


 

It depends on which 20U you have. The 206RB-5 has a 18 7/8" bed.  My 20U-33 has a 15 5/8" bed. The 20U-51, -53, -62, and -63 have a 15.72" bed.  The 20U-142 and -143 have a 18 6/8" bed.  If you have the longer bed 20U, 1/8" difference in bed length should not be a problem. If you have one of the shorter ones, it will require modification.

Motor will not be a problem, but you might need different belts. I have 3 tables and 9 heads I swap regularly, depending on what I'm sewing. It always requires a belt swap and a motor height adjustment. It would probably make more sense to have a proper size belt with each head and swapping would be an easier task.

My 20U-33 is the only short bed machine and it resides in it's own table. I used to have a Singer 95-10 that also used that table, but upgraded to a 96-10 which is the same machine with the longer bed.

Ed

I told you I am not a boat person!

Besides, "Rubber Baby Boat Fenders" just didn't have the same ring.

Ed

Let me start by saying I am not a boat person. After 21 years in the Navy, I have had my fill of boats and the sea.  However, the project presented to me today looked simple enough and I agreed to take it on even though it is boat-related.  It is a bumper that the boater straps to the dock piling to keep his boat from scraping.



18 inches wide and 30 inches long, construction is a snap, just a sock with some webbing sewn to one side.  Problem is I'm not experienced enough with marine fabrication to know what materials to order.  The owner is no more knowledgeable than I am, all he knows is "these things get wet and they dry out almost instantly". Since they will get wet, I hesitate to use a waterproof fabric, afraid that will trap the water inside.  But I can't seem to find a UV-resistant canvas that is uncoated. 

  The foam is only 1 inch thick but very dense. Feels just a little softer than my wife's garden kneeling pad.  Is closed cell foam the answer?

  Looking for suggestions for outside fabric and inside foam.  I want these things to last and not come back for repair in a year.

Thanks,
Ed

The 206rb instruction manual says there should be a deflection of 10-12mm when depressed by finger.

Ed

I really wander if she understand what she is doing or simply being a Scofflaw.

I had a similar thing happen. I got an email from a reader of my sewing machine blog informing me that one of the photos from my blog had been spotted on eBay. I went there and sure enough, some eBay seller in India was trying to sell my sewing machine on eBay! Your designer could be of a similar persuasion - having nothing of his/her own worthy of selling, is stealing photos of other people's work and trying to use them to generate income for himself/herself.

My case was easy, I just informed eBay of the auction and gave them a link to my blog article and the fake auction was taken down in a matter of minutes. Your case is a bit tougher.

Ed

Use anything but mineral oil.  Or hydraulic.  Why?  Because it has minerals in it, i.e.

If mineral oil has minerals in it and olive oil has olives in it and vegetable oil has vegetables in it, does that also mean that motor oil has little motors in it?  And what about baby oil????

Ed

  Any oil is probably better than none. I have never heard of clear hydraulic fluid, all I have seen is bright red and I certainly wouldn't want that getting on my fabric.  My understanding is that 3-in-1 oil is 3 parts kerosene and 1 part oil - good for loosening stuck parts but probably not the best choice for lubricating a sewing machine. 
  Before all the knowledge became available on the internet, I used 10W30 motor oil to lubricate my machines. After I changed oil in my car, I tipped the 5 bottles up and let those last few drops drip into a container overnight. In the morning, I had enough oil to lubricate my machines several times. I have had one of those machines for over 40 years and am still using it with no repairs needed in that time.
  I have experimented with lots of different lubricants - Tri-Flow, silicon spray, baby oil, WD-40, and many brands of "super lubricants" and have not found anything that works as well as plain, old, sewing machine oil.
  Now that the internet is here and I am sooo much smarter, I use only sewing machine oil but if I were in a bind, I think I would go to the dollar store or the drug store and buy a bottle of white mineral oil.  It's about the same viscosity as sewing machine oil and shouldn't stain if it gets on the work.

Ed

The Pfaff 238 is a true industrial machine, not a family machine and should handle the jobs you are talking about. I have one but do not use it on the really heavy stuff because it doesn't have a walking foot. If, after you experiment with threads and needles, it still skips stitches, you might want to look at mechanical issues, such as timing, bent needle bar, burr on the hook, etc. You have a good machine and once you get it sewing the way it should, I think you'll be happy with it.

I once heard a comedian say, "No one ever sold a used car because it runs too well." I think that probably applies to sewing machines and other mechanical items as well.

Ed

I guess I'm in the minority in this discussion. I used to work for two different decorators. Our arrangement was that the decorator would provide the fabric and I would charge the customer directly for my supplies and labor and remit a commission of 20% to the decorators. I increased.my labor charge by 25% and mailed a check for 20% to the decorator when I got paid. I didn't have a problem with that arrangement
Because I got the same labor I would have if I had done any other job using COM and the decorator provided a service by performing all the interface with the customer. I didn't have to go to their home to make an estimate or answer questions and the decorators fended off any complaints that involved schedule, cost, or fabric. I also estimated fabric high to make save the decorator the embarrassment of telling the customer thay had to order more to complete the job and had enough left over to do a chair for another customer later. I really didn't have a problem working with them, it was a win-win situation.

Ed

I think that is Princess Di.  Top row, first picture on the left looks like "Mama Cass" Elliot. Directly to her right looks like Clark Gable. Below her and one to the right in the hoodie - is that Tupac Shakur? I think John Belushi is directly below Marilyn.

Ed