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Stockie said..
Jolene,
what model Sailrite did you get?
i need some motivation to get my Blue one pressed into service so please update us on your sewing endeavours
cheers Richard

Bought a blue Z one too.
All sorts of projects for the machine from repairing horse rugs to sail boat canvas covers, sails etc
With 4 sailboats in my immediate family, I'm sure there will be no shortage of of the gang wanting to make use of it.

You can buy a walking foot attachment for a domestic sewing machine for about $25

What is the power of the motor on the sailrite?

The reason for asking is because a few years back I bought the cheaper Taiwanese copy called Strongarm and it has been working fine. I had it serviced once and the mechanic was at first critical of the small motor but after servicing and testing it he commented on how well it worked. The only problem I found was the handle getting in the way of the bobbin winding. So I removed the handle. I noted the Sailrite machines in their videos did not have handles on the top. The sewing did get me in and I now also own a Janome and an overlocker. Took the sewing classes at Sydney Community College.

I have found the 1950s Japanese sewing machines to be well up to the task of getting through 6 layers of umbrella. They use a class 15 mechanism with zig zag capability and are machined to a higher standard than Singers. Other great machines are Pfaff 130, Necchi BU Mirra, and Meister 101. I have a Sailrite but find the throat a too restrictive for repairs to the centre of large sails. I use my Meister 101 for this as it has an 8 x 5.5 inch throat.

Good info TKNick. I'll keep a note. What would a Meister 101 cost and are there any second hand ones around. I found when looking for an ex commercial machine that they all seemed very pricey, even the older ones.

.

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TKNick said..
I have found the 1950s Japanese sewing machines to be well up to the task of getting through 6 layers of umbrella. They use a class 15 mechanism with zig zag capability and are machined to a higher standard than Singers. Other great machines are Pfaff 130, Necchi BU Mirra, and Meister 101. I have a Sailrite but find the throat a too restrictive for repairs to the centre of large sails. I use my Meister 101 for this as it has an 8 x 5.5 inch throat.

The Pfaff 130's always get rave reviews. But which one? They were made for about 50 years. The Bernina's are highly rated for sail work as well.
I always check out the machines at the local Salvation Army op shop for the quality units.

The Meister 101 is German made and sold in Australia as the Sewmaster; like the Pfaff 130 it does straight and zig zag stitches. I bought mine off Gumtree for $50 and it came with a nice walnut bentwood base and case. There is an excellent YouTube review by a blogger named the 'Sergeant'. Better in my opinion than the Pfaff 130 as it has an all metal class 15 drive mechanism and industrial feed dogs and high shank feet; something the pfaff doesn't have. The Pfaff 130 is quite expensive second hand $400 - $500 and uses a nylon fibre cleated drive belt that once deteriorated and broken (too much oil) will cost you $200 plus to replace if you are lucky to even find a belt.
Note the difference in throat space between the Sailrite LSZ-1 and the Meister.
The Sailrite was bought off Gumtree for $550 and came with a many spools of V92 poly and tenara thread.

Another good option is a Singer 319K. Lots of them come up for sale on Gumtree so easier to find than a Meister 101. They have Zig Zag, straight stitch and will sew 110 different decorative stitches using cams and leavers. Same huge throat space as the Meister. For work on boats it will need slight modification by changing the balance wheel to a Chinese made HA1 (3 x the weight of the standard Singer) - cost about $20. I also fitted a .9amp motor that's much more powerful than the .3 amp Singer motor - $30 off Ebay. You would also need to change the bobbin spool case to use standard 15x1 needles - $20 off ebay. I bought the machine pictured for $60 so for a total investment of $130 it is a very good sewing machine for sail and canvas work. It does have a cleated nylon drive belt but unlike the pfaff 130 replacements are cheaper and easier to find.

For Fishmonkey;
Pics of .9 amp motor fitted to Singer 319K. The pad of cloth between the machine head and motor helps push the motor pulley into alignment with the balance wheel.

ta, that makes sense!

i was wondering if you had somehow retrofitted the guts of the new motor into the old motor casing, as your previous photo shows the original green machine motor...

I swap the .9 amp motor between the Sewmaster and the 319k. I will soon hardwire the 319k light to the .9 amp motor an buy a second motor.
I like my Sailrite LSZ1 but find the throat size restrictive. My other machines are nearly as capable but more practicable with bulky sewing jobs with their 8 x 5.5 inch throat.

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Toph said..
I consider myself fairly good with my hands, and I have enough sewing jobs to do that it may be worth learning this new skill, but have a few questions (at this stage)
1. Is it really as easy as the sailrite videos make it out to be (I will assume not)
2. What machine is just as capable of the job without spending 2k on an industrial machine (or even 1k for that matter)
3. Anyone in WA got a machine and willing to show me the way over a few beers (obviously I will get the materials)

1. yes, once you know what you're doing.
2. My favorite is the Singer 319k as its has the zigzag as well as 4 step zigzag.
3. sure, may not be straight away but send me your email and I'm sure we can work something out.

A couple of years ago I acquired a Pfaff 30 to do some boat cushions. I was told it had metal gears and would punch through thick stuff.
But after spending a couple of hours not being able to sew properly, I gave up. I thought maybe I didn't get the bobbin tension, or maybe the main thread tension, right. Not sure.

This discussion has now spurred me to try again, but like Toph, I feel it would help if someone with sewing machine know-how could show me how it's done. If anyone in Sydney is prepared to do so, let me know via PM (or post here). The machine is at a place in Lane Cove.
I have a good range of needles, I have V92 uv-resistant thread, some Sunbrella-like scrap fabric and beer and lunch. And you can borrow the machine to do your own stuff.

aah, boys and their sewing machines.

4 step zig zag would be good.

My only wish, is a larger bobbin size.
Sewing V92 for a boom bag, I am lucky to get one pass without the bobbin running out.
To make sure it looks like a Prada bag, I put a fresh bobbin in each time, as I know we'll run out virtually anyhow.

If someone has invented a 'high capacity' bobbin, fed from a spool like the upper thread, life would be complete.
(but I figure of course it would be difficult to perform the actual stitch.)

Now someones going to say it exists already....?

I wanted a sewing machine too !! but now i want a HOT ROD sewing machine, like you guys !!!!

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TKNick said..
I will soon hardwire the 319k light to the .9 amp motor

using one of these of course,
www.ebay.com.au/itm/BA15D-B15-LED-bulb-72-4014SMD-White-Warm-220-240V-4W-Light-Silicone-Crystal-Lamp/173249191027

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Karsten said..
A couple of years ago I acquired a Pfaff 30 to do some boat cushions. I was told it had metal gears and would punch through thick stuff.
But after spending a couple of hours not being able to sew properly, I gave up. I thought maybe I didn't get the bobbin tension, or maybe the main thread tension, right. Not sure.

This discussion has now spurred me to try again, but like Toph, I feel it would help if someone with sewing machine know-how could show me how it's done. If anyone in Sydney is prepared to do so, let me know via PM (or post here). The machine is at a place in Lane Cove.
I have a good range of needles, I have V92 uv-resistant thread, some Sunbrella-like scrap fabric and beer and lunch. And you can borrow the machine to do your own stuff.

It's all about bobbin tension. Get that right and the upper tension just needs some adjustment to match. Look up adjusting bobbin tension on Youtube. Find one similar to yours and you will be surprised what a difference this makes.

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Karsten said..y
A couple of years ago I acquired a Pfaff 30 to do some boat cushions. I was told it had metal gears and would punch through thick stuff.
But after spending a couple of hours not being able to sew properly, I gave up. I thought maybe I didn't get the bobbin tension, or maybe the main thread tension, right. Not sure.

I have found that when a machine starts playing up (skipping stitches, loops, tangles and breaking thread etc) Its usually because the needle, for various reasons, has struck the mechanism below the needle plate and created a burr that is catching the thread and stopping a smooth feed. Often these burrs can be hard to spot and require close inspection of hard to see parts,,,but can be easily rectified with the use of a file and wet & dry. I have wasted hours trying to get a machine to work properly only to find a tiny burr causing the problem.

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Karsten said..

I have a good range of needles, I have V92 uv-resistant thread,

To date I still haven't found any domestic needles brand that I'm happy with when it comes to sewing through a few layers of thick dacron or canvas with V92 or v138. Now I cut the shank of Schmetz 135x5 industrial needles and grind the flat side, a bit of extra work but I think is worth it and since I started using them I had no more issues with needle striking the plate or bobbin , bending needles or snapping them around the eye section.

Thanks Ramona and Jolene for the tips on bobbin tension and needle burrs (never thought of burrs). Maybe I should summon up courage to have another go.

My attached photo shows the needles I accumulated for the Pfaff. You can see there are sizes 90, 100, 110, 140 and 200.

Also a photo of my thread - V92 poly.

Any opinions on which of the needles in the photo would best suit the thread, or does needle choice depend more on the fabric (Sunbrella type) than the thread?

I'm in Alaska at the moment but home later this week. I bought my needles from a dealer in Tasmania. I used the Sailrite site to select the needles part numbers and bought them local. Lots of good info on the Sailrite site.

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Karsten said..

or does needle choice depend more on the fabric (Sunbrella type) than the thread?






Both. For V92 I use size 19 to 21 depending on material, 19 for sail cloth up to 7oz and size 21 for the heavier cloth and Sunbrella type.
For Sunbrella have a go with the 22 you have in the lower left corner .