Folks Of Interest I have freaking had it! A rant about people not following through

There was a time when women were (thought to be?) wary of sewing machines just because it was a machine, and machines was something for men to handle. There are old sewing machine manuals with a section basically telling women there's no reason to be afraid of it. Interesting how times change.

 

That looks great. Looks like it was built that way almost.

 

Did you hear about the guy who fell into an upholstery machine?
He's completely recovered.

 

Even worse, when they won't assume responsibility for not following through..............................

That may be the 'thread killer' right there! (Must admit, did laugh......)

 

I always kinda looked forward to sending my cars out for upholstery, they come back all nice and comfy inside and while they’re gone I have more room to work on my other project cars or to clean the shop. If I try to do it myself I’ll need more shop space and the other cars’ progress will suffer.


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Different but the same, I got to work today to find a pair of coil spring compressors on my bench , one of the blokes said the boss wanted to know if I wanted them, as he didn’t know where they came from, sounds great aye!
But they were mine anyway that I had lent to him awhile ago and forgot who I had lent them to.
Even worse they are fucked now as the tabs are broken off them!
I asked the boss when he came in and told him they were mine anyway, and that they are fucked now.
His answer was “at least you’ve got them back now”, wrong answer I said.
No good to me now, I said and he states I had better ask his son about them, wrong answer again!
Never again . These are the actions of a thoughtless wanker!!

 

No, it wasn't this guy's shop.

 

Sounds like time for a couple of new spring compressors, and definately time for a new boss.
Lending stuff is a 'no win' situation. If you do lend, it's broken when you get it back (if you get it back at all). If you don't lend, you are apparently an asshole. I choose asshole, and I wear it well.......................

 

I hear ya, but I’ll choose to be a selective arsehole, I won’t be fucked over twice by the real arsehole.

 

I'm not going suggest a course of action, but fuck me, I'd be fuming. I guess you probably were/are too.

BTW I'm the same with books. Don't lend, don't borrow.

A couple of years back a mate insisted on loaning me a power tool. When he left I put it straight in the cupboard until I saw him next. No way was I going to use it. You know what happens, Murphy's Law etc.

 

No need to suggest a course of action, I’m like an elephant regarding not forgetting shit like this!
And with books, I honestly have to be careful there, I’m guilty of forgetting who the book sometimes belongs to I’m reading sometimes ,hence I do loan them out to good friends but always put my name inside the cover as a reminder.
I once borrowed one that had “Stolen from ,,,,,, “ as a reminder, it worked well!

On tools, I will borrow special tools needed for a certain job but, always return them on the test ride or drive.
I won’t let the odd arsehole curb my habits, helping out people is a pleasure not a chore.

 

Just to add, the special tool mate, borrowed a car rotisserie off me and said it would be back in a month or so, I laughed and said I see when you’re done. 2 yrs later and absolutely no dramas I got it back. He wanted to pay me for it and I refused saying mates are mates.
He built a Harley motor for me and donated alot of the parts needed.
Like I said,mates are mates!

 

Ok
Fellas here we go. Picked this up 30 minutes ago. Got it for $650. What could possibly go wrong? Someone go ahead and dial 9-1-......

 

Best thing I can suggest is to get a pro over to give it a once over.
Just like talking to a lawyer can save you a lot of grief later, having a sewing machine repair guy tune it up and walk you thru the setup will pay off over and above that first call cost.
My ex had 3 different machines and after years of adjusting things, replacing needles and changing the oil, having the guy come out every couple years until she learned all the nuances saved time and money and prevented damage in one case on her serger.
Maybe you can youtube this, it's a popular machine but a pro will be able to check condition and adjust it properly pretty quick.
Grab some cheap material to learn on too. Again, youtube can help.
You will want a pair of "the good scissors", a seam ripper, cloth tape measure, and marking chalk.

 

Excellent buy! I have a friend who has an upholstery shop and that's what he has.

 

Already researching it. Great advice.

Thanks to @stanlow69 for answering all my stupid questions. He has held my hand while I have been looking for a machine. He has been grading my potential buys.

 

The foot on those machines are bigger than others. Look at pic`s of singers. You might want to file it down a bit. I first learned to sew on one of those in trade school. You take a piece of vinyl, double it over and draw some straight lines on it. Then practice by trying to sew a strait line. I was falling behind, couldn`t sew strait. Switched to a Consew and my lines got strait. Should of told you that earlier. Still a good deal. When you can move the needle a quarter of a revolution with your foot, you know you have it mastered. Or you can sew with one hand on the wheel and use it as a break. The year of 2021 will be Learn How To Sew Via The HAMB. Happy New Year.

 

My industrial sewing machine advice is, owning a handful, for your own sanity and SIGNIFICANTLY lowering the learning curve is to buy a servo motor for it. I got mine for a couple hundred bucks and you won’t have to struggle learning to feather the clutch to control what you are doing. In my mind it was easy money. I got a Quietsew on amazon and it bolted right up in place of the massive clutch motor on my Juki and Chandler.

 

Or you could just put a smaller belt pulley on it.

 

The plan was to buy it cheap enough so I could buy a servo motor for it.

 

My only advice with sewing ( might be relevant) is what my grandmother taught me as I played on her peddle foot Singer. She made me wear those thimble s on all my fingers. As a kid, probably saved me lots a needle punches

 

On the other hand, after putting a needle straight through your finger once or twice you WOULD have learned where not to put your fingers.

 

...but those thimbles might wreck a perfectly good needle. You know how expensive they are?

 

I'm sure they have certain skills you don't, however.

 

Best advice here. I put a Sewquiet servo motor on my Juki.
Really good unit and makes it a lot easier.

 

Yeah that’s the one I used. sewquiet. I was SO close. Haha.


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Nice buy!

When I first bought my Juki I couldnt believe how fast it sewed. I thought I'd never get used to the speed. But with enough practice, the machine starts to slow down a little. You'll be able to control the speed and muscle memory will start to take over. Kinda like TIG welding.
I still use a clutch motor, just got used to it. Also good advice on going thru by a pro, I sent mine out to a local mechanic and had it cleaned, retimed, just a general once over. Was the best 40 bux I ever spent!

I used up a lotta old blue jeans i had laying around learning to lock stitches and sew straight lines. Making small projects around the house before jumping into an interior.

 

@Roothawg

Too bad you're so far away. There's a local dude (an authentic Tijuana native) that works cheap and lighting fast. A few years ago he did my kick panels, package tray, rear seat tonneau cover and installed a carpet kit that I previously bought, all for $400. Dropped it off on Monday at noon, picked it up Tuesday at 4pm.

 

It can be done. That's the frustrating part. People only want to do the big money jobs anymore.

 

Well, my frustration is starting to finally subside and we finished our first piece for the roadster. In the long run, this guy pissing me off may have driven me into learning a new craft.

I’ll try and knock a couple out tomorrow after church. Mama has a baby shower to put on…