Welt help ! First time sewing sunbrella furniture fabric .

[MinUph]

The new machine is a nightmare. It is a Consew 1541. It breaks thread, jumps timing, etc. I made the mistake of buying it from the guy in California, and while he is helpful on the phone we haven't gotten all the bugs out yet. And havent had a sunbrella job since the new machine.

If you're talking about Zamir, I've heard several horror stories from others that bought from him. He's usually got his machines priced a little cheaper than anyone else, and some report receiving a brand new machine that is good to go.

But others have experiences similar to yours. It doesn't sew right when they get it, and they just get jerked around over the phone. The only option is to hire a local mechanic to fix it, at which point any savings is negated by the mechanics fee.

I was looking at that model on Consew's website. I notice that it has a round knob on the upper right side of the head that is identified as "Climbing device". What does that do?

There's a lot that I don't understand about the industrial sewing machine industry. Juki has made the 1541 model for years. And now Consew makes one. That's like Chevy coming out with their own Mustang.

Dennis I moved this to a private message to stop hijacking this thread.

[Mojo]

One of the very first awnings I made I used a soldering iron to cut the edges. It didn't take long for me to realize I needed a hot knife. Much faster and cleaner cut.

The headaches new machines can cause is just not worth trying to save $ 100. It is why I buy all my machines from Bob Kovar. I have shipped him my thread and fabric and he has set up new machines according to how we use them. Every machine I have bought from him came out of the box and went to work with no adjustments needed.

The problem with buying from a lot of these people on the internet is they do not do sew offs. Many never even see your machine and just have them drop shipped. Bob was telling me that the manufacturers are notorious for shoving machines off the factory floor that need adjustment and in some cases new parts. That is why he sews off every machine before shipping.

I can pretty much fix anything on a machine but prefer not to do it if I am buying new. The extra $ 100 I pay to Bob is worth it as I know the machine will be delivered without any issues. Most of these e-bay sellers and a few other companies are nothing more then drop shippers or distributors.

Chris

[Darren Henry]

If you are referring to our thread from a  few years ago about hot knives--- what I said was that soldering tips were not the answer but that I couldn't justify $160 for a 90 watt power source for their blades/foot, when I had a 120 watt power source that I paid <$20 bucks for. BTW I am still cutting all my sunbrella and webbing with this same rig.

[Grebo]

Iv'e not had issues with the soft fabric other than the fraying, for which I use an serger.

I saw a video where the guy suggested that instead of buying an expensive hot gun to cut the fabric you could use a soldering gun and run it around the cut edges to stop it from fraying.

Has anyone tried this? I'm not sure if it would be faster than serging.

gene

Hot knife works great on the regular sunbrella but I found the upholstery / cushion grade doesn't like it. Could be more cotton in the mix I can't remember, hence the serger ( looks neat as well ) failing that I would turn the edge, more work but neater end product that won't fray. Not used a soldering iron but also heard it works as good as a hot knife.

[BlueFlamingo]

I use an Old Weller soldering gun and Made my own "Knife" Attachment out of 10guage solid copper wire.   Used a hammer to flatten about 1 1/2" section and then bent to shape.  It Works GREAT!!! Gets HOT within seconds and since it has a 1 1/2" cutting edge I can accurately cut any suitable fabric.  The Weller Gun cost me $20 bucks on Ebay.