machine question

You should not have any problems as this purely mechanical machine is known to be a workhorse. It's used widely in schools for that reason. I'm pretty sure I heard that Consumer Reports rated it the best mechanical machine on the domestic market. This machine is the most like my 931 which has served me faithfully for nearly 25 years of daily use. It has a CB hook so, as you likely know, you need to hold the threads securely when you begin to stitch. It is not a belt driven machine so you get really excellent penetration. I don't know if any of the Berninas are belt driven quite honestly.

I've sewn draperies, upholstery, jeans and other heavy stuff on my 931 and it's never missed a beat. Just make sure you use correct needles as some have better penetrating power than others. I have always used Schmetz. IIRC, jeans needles have superior penetration.

Just curious, what kind of warranty did you get with that machine? Typically, the Bernina's have a 20 year warranty on mechanical parts (not the sergers however). And does it have the red stitches and green stitches? Have you had your lessons on it? If you have any problems, I can likely help. And last but not least, you must be sure to post a photo of one of the goats wearing the coat you made!

Phae

It should cope well. Just use a walking foot.

Phaedrine wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news-50.dca.g iganews.com:

oh good! i hope it works as well as my Elna Grasshopper :) i found it slightly difficult to find a purely mechanical machine. while i think i may *want* a machine that does fancy stuff & embroidery at some point, what i *need* is something that i can work to death. i get some odd ideas of things to sew sometimes...

hmm, i don't think i have any jeans needles. i'll get those when i get the webbing. i hope i can find that in bright colors, particularly red, as the first coat will be Radar's. his polartek is bright yellow :) and it will have bells on (the bells are red).

yes, 20 years. and yes, it has the red & green stitches. i thought it was odd at first, but now i like that setup. i haven't had lessons because the shop didn't have them at a time when i could possibly get there. they were at 3 in the afternoon, right when i have to pick Boo up at school. none in the evening or weekends when Tom could babysit. however, i found the manual to be very clear, so that helps. i should go back & see if the dealer has any better class times now that school's started again. lee

Kate Dicey wrote in news:44fc935c$0$3615$ snipped-for-privacy@ptn-nntp-reader04.plus.net:

i bet i need one of those too. don't think one came with the machine... lee

Radar the Goat. Imagine that. I can hardly wait to see him in his new duds! Goats are just so cool! [...]

Oh dear, well hopefully they will offer the lessons at another time. If they know their machines, the lessons can be very illuminating. You probably know these but just in case, the most important things to remember on a Bernina are (1) to oil it regularly... just that single drop of oil as indicated in the manual (never, ever use anything but Bernina oil); (2) change needles often... for every to every other garment; (3) never use canned air to clean it--- mini-vac is ok; (4) be sure to thread the bobbin case finger for buttonholes and satin stitching; (5) have it serviced annually without fail; (6) use an excellent quality thread; (7) learn about the different feet as they are all excellent and time-saving.

If the dealer did not show you how to remove the hook to oil it, have them at least do that. Have fun; you have a superb machine. :)

I doubt she'll need one for that.

What is the difference between "Bernina oil" and Singer oil or any other reputable sewing machine oil?

I find Polartec behaves better with the walking foot, especially when stitching slippery nylon webbing to it.

Probably costs more.

Maybe not much but there's a big difference between Bernina oil and 3/1 or regular machine oil which maybe people have mistakenly used and messed up their machines. I've heard that different sewing machine manufacturers use oils of varying viscosity. If that is accurate, then it would seem wise to use the oil recommended by that manufacturer.

No difference between all the different brands of straight forward sewing machine oil except price, according to my OSMG. The oil used in industrial machines tends to be more viscous because they run faster and hotter.

OK, am I the only person in the room who wonders why goats need coats? I thought when one fed goats groats they grew their own coats? Please enlighten or I mihten writen again. Cea

That is incorrect. Sewing machine oils can vary considerably. Some are high viscosity, some medium, some low, some have additives like silicone or teflon, and some have been sitting on shelves for a very long time. They come in different grades as well. It is only prudent, for warranty purposes alone, to use the kind recommended by your machine manufacturer--- especially with so many inferior products coming out of China right now. I would never advise anyone new to sewing to deviate from the manufacturer's instruction on oil. The amount of oil needed in a year is an insignificant cost, regardless of manufacturer, even for those of us who sew nearly every single day.

Do you have the material data sheets to support that position?

White Goat, Brown Goat Field Goat, House Goat?

"cea" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

Radar is an Angora. he gets sheared twice a year, in April & October. that means he's going into winter with no hair. even though he's a huge pain in the backside, i don't want to freeze him & all goats are suseptible to pnumonia. Pima is elderly. he doesn't really need a coat unless it's wet and cold or subzero (he's very prone to respritory infections. has been since i got him). Heidi & Liesl will be pregnant (if all goes as planned), but again, they should only need coats as protection from wet or extreme cold. i don't have a barn, only 3 sided sheds. lee

"Ron Anderson" wrote in news:JxmLg.15609$% snipped-for-privacy@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net:

one goat, two goat brown goat, blue goat

heck, I'd like to see them too!

Just Google. The information is widely available and easy to find. If you can document that it is imprudent to use a manufacturer's recommended oil or type of oil for some reason, or that all sewing machine oil is the same, by all means do so.