Hi All,
I am going to redue my boat seats with vinyl and I was told that if I buy a new sewing machine that it would not sew through vinyl because all new sewing machines have plastic gears in them,is this true? If so what kind of sewing machine wold I need,and where could I get one on line at?
Thanks for your time,Randy
I don't know about the new machines but I use older Singers for that type of work. Get one that is pre-plastic gears. I have several in my house because I am obsessed with old black Singer machines....grin.
About 5 years ago, I bought a New Home machine that had all metal gears. It cost me about $500. at that time. I look forward to reading the replies that come from your question. It is always fun to learn about sewing machines. Good luck.
Kind of.
Many newer machines *do* have plastic gears.
Many newer machines don't have the power to sew vinyl.
Having said that, it's *not* the plastic gears that make the newer sewing machines unable to sew vinyl. The motors themselves are what make the newer (plastic geared) sewing machines unable to sew vinyl. The mfrs use plastic gears because the motors don't put out enough power to burn them out, and plastic gears are less expensive to design and purchase than metal gears.
And not all machines with 'plastic' gears are wimps. There are some that have really high quality poly gears and are quite able to sew vinyl in the amounts and weight you'll need for sewing your boat seat covers. They are fairly expensive though.
As for machine recommendations, go to your local sewing machine repair shop, and see if they have any older used machines. (The last time i went into my local repair shop, they had half a dozen machines from the 50's and 60's; all in working condition, and priced well below new machines.) You might also want to check out large rummage sales (churches, schools, benefit, scout) which tend to draw from a larger pool of 'stuff'. You'll probably want to take the machine into your local shop for a tune-up before you start sewing.
jenn
-- Jenn Ridley snipped-for-privacy@chartermi.net
read up on industrial vs home machines on my tips page. It's about power and feed.
Penny s tips:
On Fri, 17 Oct 2003 16:15:10 -0400, Jenn Ridley wrote:
I have been making vinyl winter weather tops for sailboats for a couple of years now. I use a Pfaff 7570 to do them because l like the walking foot. I put doctors table paper between the vinyl and the machine bed to keep it from sticking and use a pure teflon foot, not one with teflon tape on it. I think I got the foot from Nancy's notions. The plastic versus metal rages on but remember that metal fatigues and shears under stress just the same as plastic. Actually the plastic is really I high density Nylon or some other composites that is used in many other domestic applications where light weight strength and precision engineering make the difference. . Motors on all domestic machines whether vintage or new are the same power, current rating should be at least 1 amp (115 watts). I have found a few home machines lately from Korea with 140-watt motors, they will find special homes. , But it is not the size of the motor that makes a machine more powerful it is the ratio of the diameter of the motor pulley to the balance wheel pulley and the engineering of the machine. If all the parts fit together well, the machine will turn easily, lose less power to friction, and more of the motor's power will be transmitted to the needle. This is called Piercing Power and sometimes nylon or other composite gears will create a better running machine. To multiply the strength of the motor, the motor pulley is reduced in size so that the motor spins roughly 6 times for every revolution of the balance wheel. This allows the motor to spin faster and send more power to the sewing mechanism. Most home machine motor pulleys are roughly the same size but balance wheel pulleys can vary by up to an inch, maybe more. You can sometimes change the balance wheel on a weak machine to make it stronger, cannibalizing one from a different make or model. So the type of gears a machines has, have little to do with the power it has during sewing. As long as the machine you choose is running well you will have no problems with the vinyl. If you are in the market for another machine, check the ratios of pulley to pulley, take your vinyl with you and test drive the machines. The newer ones may surprise you with their needle piercing power. .
.InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.