Sewing nylon bag questions
Alan
for myself. My sister has a Kenmore 81514 sewing machine which seems to work
fine with finer threads. But when I use some thicker nylon threads on nylon
fabrics, the thread on the bottom is just not tight enough. Everywhere I
read suggests the top tenson is not high enough, but I was at 9, which is
the max already. I tried to adjust the bobbin so that the bottom thread has
as little tension as it could (correct procedure?). I also tried #11 & 16
needles. Still, the sewed thread on the bottom of the nylon fabric is still
a little loose at best. My question is, is my machine just not up to the job
because its max tension is too low, or the motor is weak, or sewing nylon
bag requires some special machine? I plan to make many different bags with
finest quality I could, and mostly will be 4-8 layers nylon fabric
sandwiched together, depends on different parts of the bags. I also wonder
if I need special machine to sew some very tight area? Is my expection
realistic? Any help is much appreciated. Please pardon my long story.
Kate Dicey
What weight of nylon are you sewing? All our camera bags (many of the
Camera care Systems bags like these: http://www.ccscentre.co.uk/ Look
at the Classic range to see the sort of thing) are Cordura outers with
foam padding and an inner nylon lining. This mixture is rather too much
for a standard domestic machine.
If you are aiming to make this sort of thing regularly, you'll need
tougher machine than a standard domestic model. DO NOT look at the
things called 'industrial strength' on ebay - 99% of those are standard
domestic models, no matter what the sellers claim. You want to look
more for this sort of machine: http://www.solentsew.co.uk/sailrite.htm
(NAYY, just using this as an example)
For sewing into awkward corners, you need a specialist post bed or
cylinder bed machine, which will be a true industrial, VERY FAST, and
not for the faint-hearted or the beginner!
--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!
tahirih luvs 2 sew
> Alan wrote:
>
> >
> What weight of nylon are you sewing? All our camera bags (many of the
> Camera care Systems bags like these: http://www.ccscentre.co.uk/ Look
> at the Classic range to see the sort of thing) are Cordura outers with
> foam padding and an inner nylon lining. This mixture is rather too much
> for a standard domestic machine.
>
> If you are aiming to make this sort of thing regularly, you'll need
> tougher machine than a standard domestic model. DO NOT look at the
> things called 'industrial strength' on ebay - 99% of those are standard
> domestic models, no matter what the sellers claim. You want to look
> more for this sort of machine: http://www.solentsew.co.uk/sailrite.htm
> (NAYY, just using this as an example)
>
> For sewing into awkward corners, you need a specialist post bed or
> cylinder bed machine, which will be a true industrial, VERY FAST, and
> not for the faint-hearted or the beginner!
<snipped>
^ agreed. One thing I need to point out though is that if you have
this:
> >the thread on the bottom is just not tight enough.
<snipped>
You should try and TIGHTEN the bobbin (bottom thread) tension, instead
making it looser, bc that is only going to make your problem worse.
Sort of like using a knife to cut deeper into an already existing wound
then putting salt and lemon juice on it. To tighten it, locate a screw
that should be on the side, near where you thread the case with thread,
and use a small screwdriver and tighten it by turning right.
Tahirih, humble sewist
"Two things are infinate; the universe and human stupidity.
I'm not sure about the former." -Albert Einstein
Kathleen
<snip>
My question is, is my machine just not up to the job
> because its max tension is too low, or the motor is weak, or sewing
My mid-eighties Kenmore can't handle heavy (#69) nylon thread. Does
okay with double-strength polyester Gutterman thread. And for projects
like you're describing I use a #18 sharp needle and change it frequently.
I sew cordura, leather and neoprene all the time and it quickly became
apparent that I was going to wind up killing my Kenmore. I bit the
bullet and invested in a re-built commercial sewing machine - a 30 plus
year-old Consew. Very fast, very scary. Using a #22 sharp needle I
haven't encountered anything it won't handle, including multiple thick
layers of tough stuff. It takes a delicate touch on the foot pedal; I
usually work barefooted so I can feel what I'm doing.
As Kate said, if you're going to want to be doing this kind of thing on
a regular basis you'll probably want to invest in a heavy duty machine.
Kathleen
Kate Dicey
But remember that if there are loops on the underside of the sewing, the
problem lies with the UPPER thread, which may need higher tension.
Alan
plan to do some Ballistic like Nylon eventually. Sounds like I have got a
bigger project than I can handle. I was wondering, should I tighten the
bobbin screw all the way, which will render the thicker nylon thread with
some resistance to pull by fingers? There is no loop on the underside of the
sewing when I did my best, just not as straight or tight compared to the
top. I set the top tension to max already so I guess not much else I could
do, with the machine I have anyway. Are there any links which might teach me
more on this particular subject and explanation on different industrial
sewing machines? Any pointer would be great. :-)
> > You should try and TIGHTEN the bobbin (bottom thread) tension, instead
> > making it looser, bc that is only going to make your problem worse.
> > Sort of like using a knife to cut deeper into an already existing wound
> > then putting salt and lemon juice on it. To tighten it, locate a screw
> > that should be on the side, near where you thread the case with thread,
> > and use a small screwdriver and tighten it by turning right.
> >
Alan
general straight sewing as well as for tight areas like the edge/corner of
the bag (with 8 layers of Cordura max)? Am I being unrealistic? How do I
know when the needle needs to be replaced?
"Kathleen" <kh...@deletethischarter.net> wrote in message
news:GiKkg.190$06....@fe02.lga...
jaxa...@aol.com
enough upper tension. My sailrite has some extra "loop arounds" in the
thread path ahead of the tension disks that add more, and even more if
needed, tension. It is plainly machine design add-on. I vaguely
remember hearing that "in the old days" it was common to run the thread
all over the machine or not as a way of increasing tension.
My old Pfaff doesn't handle V-69 well at all. Tension all over the
place, and the thread lay unwinds after a bit of sewing, the unlay
sticking in the eye of the needle. I suspect the problem is I use
cones with the thread coming off the top of the cone rather than off
the side, and the Pfaff has a rotary bobbin rather than a shuttle.
BTW Alan, your Singer 107 will nail heavy nylon without problem.
Ron Anderson
to heavy for your machine, as it will be with most home sewing machines.
They are not designed to handle those weight threads. I am assuming you are
using at least size 69 thread. That is meant for use in industrial machine
and even some of those it is to heavy.
--
Ron Anderson A1 Sewing Machine
PO Box 60, Sand Lake, NY 12153
518-469-5133
http://www.singera1sewing.com
http://www.a1sewingmachine.com
"Alan" <wla...@telus.net> wrote in message
news:AxQkg.51556$I61.40471@clgrps13...
Michael Daly
On 17-Jun-2006, "Alan" <wla...@telus.net> wrote:
> . Is there any single machine which can do the
> general straight sewing as well as for tight areas like the edge/corner of
> the bag (with 8 layers of Cordura max)? Am I being unrealistic?
I've sewn lots of Cordura and similar fabrics in making packs (backpacks, canoe packs
etc). and I use a heavy-duty conventional home machine* (all metal gears and such).
It is fine for such heavy materials, but maxes out at about 6 layers. For four layers
plus a couple of layers of webbing I might have to help it along by turning the thing by
hand to start it.
One key thing - DON"T USE HEAVY THREAD. There's no need. Use conventional 100%
polyester like Gutermann or Mettler . I 've used denim needles or #14 with good results.
I've nver been able to get these things to sew without increasing the bobbin tension.
Unlike the top tension, there are no numbers to guide you - you have to try different
settings and see how it goes.
Mike
*The brand on the machine is Viking, but that's not the well known Viking but the
house brand name for the long-gone Eaton's stores in Canada. The machine is
actually a no-name that was branded by the retailer. I've never been able to figure
out who actually made the machine - there are no identifiable marks inside.