|
effika posted:Is there a sewing machine that is made with hemming small diameters in mind? I got a Singer 4432 Heavy Duty on steep sale from Amazon 2 years ago but I never use it anymore to hem my pants. It's just too tricky trying to keep the fabric straight when I have to readjust it every 1/2 inch. Yeah, just look for something with a free/removable arm. It's a common feature on budget machines.
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2018 15:27
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 16, 2024 15:53 |
|
|
there wolf posted:Yeah, just look for something with a free/removable arm. It's a common feature on budget machines. Ah ha! Now I know what to search for. And my current machine may do that (conflicting reports, I'll have to check it myself). Thanks for the help!
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2018 20:46
|
|
|
effika posted:Ah ha! Now I know what to search for. And my current machine may do that (conflicting reports, I'll have to check it myself). Thanks for the help! It's pretty much always a little tool drawer in the front that slides off.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2018 21:22
|
|
|
Using my free arm right now so yeh, this is what it looks like when you pull the front off.  
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2018 21:31
|
|
|
I wish my machine had one of those. I was adding trim to a couple of coats and the sleeves on one were way too tight to do everything on the machine. 
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2018 01:35
|
|
|
effika posted:Is there a sewing machine that is made with hemming small diameters in mind? I got a Singer 4432 Heavy Duty on steep sale from Amazon 2 years ago but I never use it anymore to hem my pants. It's just too tricky trying to keep the fabric straight when I have to readjust it every 1/2 inch. there wolf posted:Yeah, just look for something with a free/removable arm. It's a common feature on budget machines. effika posted:Ah ha! Now I know what to search for. And my current machine may do that (conflicting reports, I'll have to check it myself). Thanks for the help! Yeah, the 4432 definitely has a free arm.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2018 05:41
|
|
|
Yes, discovered that my machine can do I what I wish it could have done all along! You all are so helpful. Now to get through my backlog of pants.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2018 20:44
|
|
|
How hard would it be to sew a round circle/ball shape? My 6 year old daughter wants to be Violet for Halloween and one idea I was thinking was fabricating a cloth ball with internal support to hold the shape. Not sure how feasible this is though.
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2018 23:21
|
|
|
Rythe posted:How hard would it be to sew a round circle/ball shape? It's doable, just look at any sport played with a round, leather ball, but it's probably more effort than you want. I'd probably just modify an existing ball, do the old paper mache over a balloon trick, or outfit a Hoberman ball with LED lights.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2018 02:39
|
|
|
Rythe posted:How hard would it be to sew a round circle/ball shape? Violet as in Willy Wonka turned-into-a-bluebery Violet? Probably go with something like a giant ball made of panels like a basketball's, with a hula hoop or similar at the midpoint as a kind of boning to keep it round if that's important to her.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2018 11:31
|
|
|
Ohh I couldn’t work it out. First thought was I would go with there wolf’s idea with the balloon but use a beach ball. But then I remembered it would be like that whole making a tin man/robot costume out of boxes, spraying them silver and then taping them in to it thing - at some point they will need to go to the toilet. so hinges would need to be added.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2018 21:09
|
|
|
The hula hoop version (with panels like a hot air balloon's) would be pretty collapsible. It's a popular costume, so you can see a bunch of versions and methods online (protip: -site:pinterest.com)
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2018 21:14
|
|
i like nice words
|
Liquid Communism posted:Violet as in Willy Wonka turned-into-a-bluebery Violet? Yeah turned into a blue berry Violet. I was thinking the panel design and attached at the back via velcro so it can come on and off easily. I would have to figure out a way to do head, arm and leg holes but that should be easy to create and hem. I was thinking a hula hoop, rattan wood or thin flexible metal (like wire clothes hangers) for a middle and upper support and maybe creating vertical self contained pockets to run flexible supports through and that would maintain the shape and not be overly uncomfortable. Any idea on the metal wiring? I was thinking a thicker armature wire or anything that can be bent and hold its shape, pretty much metal clothing hangers but straight. Rythe fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Jun 26, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2018 21:18
|
|
|
Rythe posted:Yeah turned into a blue berry Violet. See I thought you were talking about Violet from The Incredibles who has some sort of light ball thing she throws? in the new movie. I'd probably use and innertube on suspenders for Violet B. Put some kind of tunic over it that scrunches around the legs, so it makes a rounded bottom but you can just pull it up if you have to pee. But if you think a frame would be easier/better, I highly, highly recommend using 2-3 hula hoops rather than trying to craft concentric circles/curves out of wire.
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2018 02:58
|
|
|
Rythe posted:Yeah turned into a blue berry Violet. Check out Adam Savage's Totoro build, he uses rattan hoops to make the round shape for the body. https://youtu.be/L9O3KWrvxKA
|
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2018 02:15
|
|
|
n0tqu1tesane posted:Check out Adam Savage's Totoro build, he uses rattan hoops to make the round shape for the body. That where I got the rattan wood idea from, he did a fantastic job with the inner frame and costume. Seems like that is a very popular video. I'm thinking a combo will work sewing together panels to get the ball shape and use rattan hoops or hula hoops inside for structural supports. Probably make some "belt loops" inside to hold everything in place. Should be light weight and comfortable in most temperatures. I'll probably find a basic ball pattern and blow it up to scale to fit my daughter.
|
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2018 14:46
|
|
|
Hi sewing thread, I'm an idiot who needs to pay attention when buying things. I bought a Husqvarna Viking 6360 at Goodwill today for $15. It doesn't seem like anything fancy or valuable, but I'm just looking to hem some pants. How do I tell if this thing is worth my time and money to get working? I can turn the balance wheel by hand, there's resistance, but in a well greased bearing way, it's smooth and consistent (this seems like a good thing). When I do this the needle reciprocates as I imagine it should. The bit the spool pin attaches to is kinda busted up, but I think I can glue it back together. My primary concern is after getting it home I realized it has no control pedal or the associated cords. I think I can get one on ebay for $30-ish , but I don't want to rush in and make a $15 mistake into a $45 mistake (if all this is a mistake).
|
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2018 23:20
|
|
|
Hard to tell without seeing the machine, but my intuition says that if there's that much wrong there are other problems. If you have a sewing machine repair shop or a store with sewing machine displays near you you might be able to call and see if they'll let you come in and test it out with the cables and pedal from one of their machines so that you can find out how broken it is before you spend  on replacement parts.
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2018 05:49
|
|
|
Sounds reasonable, I'll keep an eye out for a shop. It appears my town used to have a sewing machine repair shop that specifically advertised selling Husqvarna Vikings, but they also seem to have closed down.
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2018 13:33
|
|
|
Put a needle in it and turn that wheel, if the needle goes clunk then it’s hosed beyond repair. You can test it by doing the glueing thing and manually turning the wheel, if it sews properly then you can work out what to do next
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2018 13:51
|
|
|
Cowwan posted:Sounds reasonable, I'll keep an eye out for a shop. It appears my town used to have a sewing machine repair shop that specifically advertised selling Husqvarna Vikings, but they also seem to have closed down. A lot of quilting shops sell Husqvarnas and will offer repair services (of all sorts of machines, so even if they sell Pfaffs they might be able to help your machine), so look for that as well. If you are in the greater Kansas City area I know one specifically.
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2018 16:03
|
|
|
That I can do. There's already a needle in it, and no clunking when I turn the wheel. The epoxy is curing, I'm sure it would hold enough in it's current state, but I'm going to let it sit overnight just to be safe. e:alright, I'm nowhere near Kansas, but I can look for quilting shops e the 2nd: I went back to goodwill and the pedal was sitting right there next to where the sewing machine was. They felt bad for my being an idiot and let me have it. I'm still going to see if it will sew cranking it by hand first, that seems like a good way to make sure all the mechanical bits are moving before I try to run it at speed. Cowwan fucked around with this message at 20:59 on Jun 30, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2018 16:25
|
|
|
I'm betting your spool snaps right off when you start sewing. You can get a free standing spool holder, or just use a cup instead but it'll take a few tries to get the tension working. Are the cables in good condition, not brittle or with exposed wires anywhere? In general, getting it serviced would be wise but see if it works at all first. For future reference never buy a second hand machine without the pedal and power cord, and test it out in the shop before you pay. If they wont let you, just walk away.
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2018 22:36
|
|
|
I'm an Idiot Who Bought a $15 Goodwill Sewing Machine: The No-Power Update. Now with pictures. First, lets get the important part out of the way  It works! I had to fumble with it for an hour because I have no clue how these things work or what all these knobs are for. I don't know what I did, but for a while I was using it backwards because whatever setting I had made it feed backwards, so I turned the big knob backwards to compensate and kept breaking my thread. Zigzaggy with 0 width seems to be working for me though.  The "epoxy" turned into realizing some glue wasn't going to be a permanent fix, so I got some epoxy putty and used that. I've never used it before but this stuff is easy to work with. Here's front and back shots of the machine.   Should I try to clean/lubricate anything before I try to run it under it's own power? Should I plug it in and go for broke? Or am I looking at a "no seriously get it serviced before your idiocy turns a $15 sewing machine gamble into a $15 boat anchor" situation?
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2018 15:30
|
|
|
I’d get it serviced, they will need to check the motor as well.
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2018 15:51
|
|
|
Cowwan posted:Should I try to clean/lubricate anything before I try to run it under it's own power? Should I plug it in and go for broke? Or am I looking at a "no seriously get it serviced before your idiocy turns a $15 sewing machine gamble into a $15 boat anchor" situation? Just run it. Whether the motor works or not is going to determine whether you keep or trash this thing more than any other factor. You can do all sorts of things to change the timing and balance of the feed-dogs, shuttle, and needle to produce a stitch (all thing that are in approximate decent order since you're already stitching under hand power) but if the motor is shot then it's not worth replacing. Run the machine, and if it works go get it serviced and look for a manual to tell you how to thread it and what the nobs do.
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2018 16:18
|
|
|
Well, I hooked it up, ran it, and it didn't have any trouble going. There's no strange noises, no fire, no dimming of the lights in my apartment. It sews just fine under it's own power, it's a lot cleaner looking than when I cranked it by hand. Finding someone to service it might be a task, all the shops I find went out of business years ago.
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2018 18:08
|
|
|
Cowwan posted:Well, I hooked it up, ran it, and it didn't have any trouble going. There's no strange noises, no fire, no dimming of the lights in my apartment. It sews just fine under it's own power, it's a lot cleaner looking than when I cranked it by hand. Sewing shops? Even big chains like Joanne's have a service they can recommend. The other option is to call up vacuum repair places and ask if they'll take a look at it. Ideally a tuning should just be cracking the thing open to clean out any dust or grime and then putting new oil in one or two key spots. Edit: Where are you, if you don't mind saying. Maybe you have a sewing goon neighbor who could help.
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2018 18:59
|
|
|
Yeah, a lot of vacuum repair places do sewing machine repair as well. I like this exciting adventure. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2018 20:22
|
|
|
I'm in Gainesville,FL. I know where a Joannes is, I'll go ask them.
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2018 21:13
|
|
|
there wolf posted:Ideally a tuning should just be cracking the thing open to clean out any dust or grime and then putting new oil in one or two key spots. I have cleaned the inside of my machine out before. I took the front cover off, which was a kind of a hassle because it had several different screw types holding it on and was a bit of a weird shape requiring multiple steps, and just got in the works with a can of air and a pair of tweezers and pulled out a shocking amount of lint. Getting the cover back on was like assembling a puzzle and probably would have been a lot easier had I taken pictures while disassembling it. I wouldn't try to do any repairs myself but that was pretty doable.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 13:13
|
|
|
So I worked in a quilt shop for years and we had a sewing machine repair guy set up shop in the basement once a week to work on machines people dropped off. There weren't a ton of "I tried to service it myself and something went wrong" cases, but there were enough to discourage me from recommending it on anything but the most basic old metal ones, especially without a guide.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 13:56
|
|
|
I've done a fair amount of servicing on my machine--including removing old rotting belts and re oiling and what not, but I have a very basic old Bernina that only does straight stitch and zig zag and it's very much set up to be easy to open up and repair. I've been mostly doing cosplay sewing so I haven't posted too much here lately? But I've also done some commission and applique work...  Commission for a pair of leggings I got after someone saw my stained glass bodysuit. I love the jewel-tone colors they went with.  DMMD iron-on patch commission, I know...nothing about this series but it was a fun design to make.   Badges for my Gappy cosplay, I've started playing with dimension in my applique work, there's some interesting effects...  Another commission in progress for a Jolyne badge.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 14:41
|
|
|
Those leggings are killer!
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 14:50
|
|
|
HelloIAmYourHeart posted:I have cleaned the inside of my machine out before. I took the front cover off, which was a kind of a hassle because it had several different screw types holding it on and was a bit of a weird shape requiring multiple steps, and just got in the works with a can of air and a pair of tweezers and pulled out a shocking amount of lint. Getting the cover back on was like assembling a puzzle and probably would have been a lot easier had I taken pictures while disassembling it. I wouldn't try to do any repairs myself but that was pretty doable. I ended up getting bored and doing this yesterday. It's still a $15 machine, and my original plan was to clean and oil it myself since I find that kind of stuff relaxing. Sorry I'm ignoring all your advice by the way; I do appreciate it and for most people in this situation it seems like the way to go. I just come from a long line of stubborn idiots who refuse to admit they can't fix something themselves. That's not changing any time soon. The covers are pretty simple on this one. It took a while for me to figure out the rear knob and face plate as neither of them are held on with screws, but both of them came off with a firm but gentle pull. Every other cover was 3 screws at most to remove. I worked my way around dealing with one cover worth of machinery at a time. The cover for the motor got some epoxy putty reinforcement as the bits that you screw into were all but destroyed. I pulled out any dust I could (a lot) and put about as little oil as I could anywhere I saw a metal on metal connection or a bearing. All the covers got a good clean inside and out. Other than some surface rust on a few parts everything seemed pretty well maintained, there wasn't the thick varnish everywhere I expected from light oil sitting for 40 years. The belt seems a bit dry, it's not cracked, just dry. Replacing it seems like a good idea, but every new one I find costs $30. Or are Sewing machine belts not supposed to be supple and rubbery? There's also a cloth belt with metal bits clamped to it that seems to tie the upper and lower halves together, that one looks almost like it is brand new. Like many things so far, the motor appears to be in good shape. My gut says It could probably use new brushes. The bobbin cage? basket? whatever it is that rotates around the bobbin got extra attention as did the feed dog because those were mentioned in the manual and came apart super easy. The feed dog was absolutely packed with gunk so I pulled it out and gave it a good thorough cleaning. I tried knocking the surface rust off with some 0000 steel wool, but quickly found out it was magnetized and decided a little surface rust never hurt anyone. The bobbin-rotating-assembley-thing got a good cleaning then just enough oil to be slick but not feel oily. My folly was cleaning behind the face plate. Everything was going well until I quickly found out that the upper thread tension knob could be calibrated after completely un-calibrating it when I tried to clean it. Other than my upper thread tension being all sorts of wrong, it seems to work pretty good now. My next task is figuring out how to actually calibrate the tensioner and finding out if the bizarre stuff that happens when I leave the safety of sewing in a straight line is my fault or the issue I've seen come up online where a cam won't engage and disengage correctly.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 15:12
|
|
|
The bobbin-rotating-assembly-thing is the shuttle.  The general wisdom for sewing machine belts is that if they aren't cracking then they're fine. Cowwan posted:My folly was cleaning behind the face plate. Everything was going well until I quickly found out that the upper thread tension knob could be calibrated after completely un-calibrating it when I tried to clean it. Haha. This is why we told you not to go it alone! loving up the tension is pretty much everyone's first mistake when trying to self-service their machines. The good news is when/if you figure out how to recalibrate it, you'll have a handle on the problem that dogs sewers the most. Don't forget to check the tension on the bobbin as well; it's rarely a problem, but since you've been cleaning it you might have move it out of place as well.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 18:03
|
|
|
there wolf posted:The bobbin-rotating-assembly-thing is the shuttle. Ah, thanks. there wolf posted:The general wisdom for sewing machine belts is that if they aren't cracking then they're fine. Seems reasonable, it doesn't seem like a failure would really hurt anything anyway. there wolf posted:Haha. This is why we told you not to go it alone! loving up the tension is pretty much everyone's first mistake when trying to self-service their machines. The good news is when/if you figure out how to recalibrate it, you'll have a handle on the problem that dogs sewers the most. Don't forget to check the tension on the bobbin as well; it's rarely a problem, but since you've been cleaning it you might have move it out of place as well. Yeah, can't blame anyone but myself here. Nevermind, found an article on it, It's still somewhat trial and error but I have something to go on. Cowwan fucked around with this message at 18:39 on Jul 2, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 18:34
|
|
|
Cowwan posted:Ah, thanks. Just be grateful you didn't take the whole assembly apart. I had to do that on mine because the spring needed to be replaced and it's never really been the same since.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2018 19:46
|
|
|
You guys don't seem to have much going on, so it's time for more stories of doing everything I can to avoid using this $15 sewing machine for its intended purpose. Some googling around lead me to some common complaints about this machine: it gets stuck in reverse, it can only do the right half of zig zags, and the oil turns to varnish. Turns out all of these problems are one problem, the oil. It goes from a light machine oil to a thick mess more akin to glue because that's what happens when oil sits for 40 years. This keeps a few parts from moving correctly causing some odd behavior. I didn't think this was an issue when I poked around inside, but I don't know what I'm looking at with this thing. A helpful youtube video pointed me in the direction of getting the guts warm with a hair dryer then hitting it with carburetor cleaner before re-oiling the whole thing. This was last week, I was out of town visiting family until today, when I could finally give my Swedish boat anchor a treatment more fitting of it's chainsaw kin. It was actually pretty unexciting, I did it outside because I didn't want to mix heating elements and methanol in my living room. I took it mostly apart before I started, got it all kinda warm-ish, and went to town with the carb cleaner. After it all evaporated I used silicone spray lubricant to get most of the stuff and 3-in-1 oil in a syringe (this works amazing btw, it's super easy to control) to hit the key areas I got before. The whole time I was moving everything to get all the tight corners. After a quick test (zig zag works better, tension is still super hosed, less noise than before, low gear doesn't have the strange issues) I noticed all the varnish had migrated to the outside of the machine, and not out the bottom as I had hoped. Simple Green didn't do much, soapy water on a dish sponge did okay, my best results were with a melamine sponge. Next time I'm bored: I bought some scrap cloth and thread in neon orange and neon green, lets see if I can get the tension remotely right.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2018 02:55
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 16, 2024 15:53 |
|
|
Cowwan posted:Next time I'm bored: I bought some scrap cloth and thread in neon orange and neon green, lets see if I can get the tension remotely right. A managed to snag a almost brand new Serger, the lady used it once, broke a thread and couldn't re-thread it, for $80 on a Facebook buy/sell page a month ago. I have been messing with the tension, hem settings and just about anything else the machine can do. Scrap fabric is wonderful for this and I'm learning a ton but man is this machine intimidating to use.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2018 04:14
|
|