Machine differences? Specs, reliability, etc?

[Gilligan]

L or M is dependent on the machine... not really a choice.

Same for needles I believe.

[cbjamel]

SWF is L bobbins, Std 75/11 needles, Maderai Gold boobons are great and good price. Thread we use Ackermann or Amann now. Maderia is good. plyester is best doesn't bleed color when dry clean like rayon will.

Shane

[IntegrityShirts]

Thanks guys.  Where you do get your supplies?  Is spydercord any good?  Or is that a generic thread that is relabeled by Axiom?  What about these fancy teflon coated needles that are a whopping penny more than regulars?  I'm looking at Organ needles btw.

[Mr Tees!!]

..."boobons"....

(I dare anyone to say that phoenetically out loud and not laugh.)

[ScreenPrinter123]

We were looking for a used 6 head Barudan that was the model currently being made and eventually gave up and got a Tajima as finding a used Barudan with not many years on it was taking too long.  The Tajima has been great though I now wish we had a single head for all of the customers who come in wanting names and the like.  Oiling six heads and only using one of them for certain jobs when other jobs are waiting can get frustrating.  We get all of our supplies from http://www.embstore.com/

We use the KingStar polyester thread and have had no problems with it.  Being new to embroidery (will make a year this December) I would recommend the magna-glide bobbins as bobbin tension becomes much less of a problem in our experience and though it is more expensive, the pennies you are talking about are worth less than the saved frustration in my estimation.

Good luck!

[mk162]

I hate poly thread.  We got a ton more loops from it than rayon.  I thought maybe it was our machine(SWF), but I checked with 2 friends that run Tajimas and they said the same thing.  They sew mainly rayon as it sews better.  Unless they have a job that needs poly, which is rare.

[bimmridder]

..."boobons"....

(I dare anyone to say that phoenetically out loud and not laugh.)

Makes me want to get back in to embroidery

[bj]

I personally don't like poly and stick with Rayon unless it is fisherman jackets etc... that will get a lot of wear and tear.  I think it runs better and has more shine to it where the poly looks more dull.

[Audifox]

Update! Picked up a t-e1501c to get me going. Anybody have a manual for this thing? I where do you get your thread? Which bobbin size do I order the M or L? Needles? What's good?

Sews ok but thread is really old and brittle and breaks unexpectedly. Going to try new thread then a service if that doesn't work!

Single head I know, but snagged it for 3k so not a bad deal.

The majority of machines use L style bobbins. M style bobbins are for the larger bobbin case, like on the Brother 423.

Needles - the organ needles are good. The ceramic coated needles are designed for higher running speed.
The marority of use  will be 75/11 sharp. It would be good to have 75/11 ball on hand as well.

Old thread will dry out and become more brittle.Either poly or rayon. I still prefer rayon, but it comes down to cost. For poly I pay $8.60 to 11.60 depending on the make. Rayon is 15.75 ea.

Keep asking questions, and we'll try to help as much as we can.

[IntegrityShirts]

Update! Picked up a t-e1501c to get me going. Anybody have a manual for this thing? I where do you get your thread? Which bobbin size do I order the M or L? Needles? What's good?

Sews ok but thread is really old and brittle and breaks unexpectedly. Going to try new thread then a service if that doesn't work!

Single head I know, but snagged it for 3k so not a bad deal.

The majority of machines use L style bobbins. M style bobbins are for the larger bobbin case, like on the Brother 423.

Needles - the organ needles are good. The ceramic coated needles are designed for higher running speed.
The marority of use  will be 75/11 sharp. It would be good to have 75/11 ball on hand as well.

Old thread will dry out and become more brittle.Either poly or rayon. I still prefer rayon, but it comes down to cost. For poly I pay $8.60 to 11.60 depending on the make. Rayon is 15.75 ea.

Keep asking questions, and we'll try to help as much as we can.

Awesome thanks!  What type of backing do most people run?  Machine came with a bundle of cut away that the previous owner suggested double stacking for thin materials.  I ordered some tear-away backing that should be in today.

I ordered organ ball nose needles because I saw some chart somewhere online that said loose weave sport shirts should use ball.  I will order some sharps as well.  I'm really hoping the culprit is the old thread, as no amount of tension adjustments seem to make it run consistently.  Most of the thread is rayon and the only bobbin thread I have is poly.  I did get one needle going pretty well with a basic design.  Seems like the more intricate the stitch the more likely the thread breaks.

Playing with Stitch Era Universal and trying to figure all the settings out.  What density is "normal" for sport shirts?  Default is this program is 5 lines per mm.

[mk162]

Umm, avoid doing your own digitizing.  farm it out.  You will waste more time on it that it is worth.

Ask the backing suppliers what they recommend for their backings.  They make them for specific purposes and can better guide you.

[bj]

A lot of suppliers will send you samples too for you to test run on. 
I agree farm out your digitizing, I know of a good one!-sorry had to do it  

[mk162]

bj's work is great!

[IntegrityShirts]

Excellent.  Yeah I don't intend on doing my own digitizing unless it's simple text and I feel confident.  I'm just trying to learn the ins and outs of this machine via some files that exist and settings within this software.

Got new thread, new bobbins, new needles and it's still breaking thread.

So when I get to the shop today I'm going to pull the cover and follow coldesi's hook timing PDF as well as checking for burrs on the hook itself.  Tensions have been played with across the board to no avail, so I think there's something else going on.  It's not breaking the needles just fraying the thread after a few stitches and doesn't catch the bobbin thread consistently.

What speed do you all run your machines?  This one looks to have been run at 850 stitches per minute.  Just wondering what the norm is once it is finely tuned!

[Denis Kolar]

bj.

Which software are you using? Also, PM me you pricing.
Thanks