A single drink holder. Twenty-four ounces of fun.
I'm still thinking of a good name for the single bike coozie, so if you've got any lemme know. I'm leaning towards The Shotgun...as in "riding shotgun." Thanks, Bill.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Drink Pod Action Shot
A single drink holder. Twenty-four ounces of fun.
I'm still thinking of a good name for the single bike coozie, so if you've got any lemme know. I'm leaning towards The Shotgun...as in "riding shotgun." Thanks, Bill.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Boone Dawdle Bag
Well, looks like I haven't forgot how to make a bag...
This 19incher is a raffle prize for the True/False Film Fest's summer event, the Boone Dawdle...which happens tomorrow.
I think the bag turned out pretty nice.
Goldberg reel + chain ring.
Photos from the Dawdle:
Rails to Trails.
Burr.
Busk.
It was a fun-filled fifteen-mile ride out to Missouri wine country. There was a nice light rain most of the time, which magically cleared for a screening of Last Days Here, a Sundance doc about the ups & downs of doom-metal rocker Bobby Liebling. Lights passed silently behind the screen from Interstate 70, cell phone towers did what they do, the engorged Missouri River flowed east, we ate corn on sticks and drank beer, and we all laughed when Bobby lost a crack rock in his parents' couch.
Good times.
This 19incher is a raffle prize for the True/False Film Fest's summer event, the Boone Dawdle...which happens tomorrow.
I think the bag turned out pretty nice.
Goldberg reel + chain ring.
Photos from the Dawdle:
Rails to Trails.
Burr.
Busk.
It was a fun-filled fifteen-mile ride out to Missouri wine country. There was a nice light rain most of the time, which magically cleared for a screening of Last Days Here, a Sundance doc about the ups & downs of doom-metal rocker Bobby Liebling. Lights passed silently behind the screen from Interstate 70, cell phone towers did what they do, the engorged Missouri River flowed east, we ate corn on sticks and drank beer, and we all laughed when Bobby lost a crack rock in his parents' couch.
Good times.
PFAFF 335
...and then there was Pfaff...
I can't even remember when I bought this thing it's been so long. It was cold, I know that. Probably the winter...definitely the winter. Anyway, I've been busy with things, and there have been complications with this machine and so on. But! I have built a table for it and I am using it now...so that's a step in the right direction, as they say.
So let me show you what I've got...
This is what is known as a narrow-arm cylinder-bed sewing machine. Cylinder bed (aka cylinder arm) sewing machines are good for sewing hard-to-reach or difficult-to-sew things like hats, bags, golf bags, what have you--anything that's a real bitch or impossible to sew on a flat bed machine. [See also post-bed sewing machines.]
It is my understanding (which is limited) that there are two varieties of bottom feeding on cylinder machines: horizontal and elliptical (they might be called something else in the industry...). Horizontal is what you find on narrow arm machines like the 335. The feed dogs are attached to an arm that goes forward and backwards and that's all. Elliptical (and its fancier square variety) go forward, up, back and down. This is what you see in all (or most) flat bed machines. Unfortunately, you can't fit this mechanism in an arm this skinny...at least I don't think so.
I guess then there are patching machines, which are like super skinny arm machines, and those only have top feed. But that's a machine by itself as far as I'm concerned...
Back to the 335. It has horizontal feed on the bottom and compound feed on the top: needle feed with a walking foot, which makes it feed pretty well. It's not a champion climber like my compound feed flat-bed machines, since it's feed dog doesn't go down and can get stuck on stuff, but it does alright.
This variety of 335 has a synchronized binding arm, which you can attach a binding attachment to. This binding attachment moves with the walking foot to make a real nice binding. I'm still working out this aspect of the machine, unfortunately.
You can see the two bolts just to the right of the feet...that's where the folder attaches. Farther down the binder plate are rods to thread the binding in.
Special feet and needle plate to accommodate the folder/binder. My binder doesn't fit right in there (it's too fat), so I've been working on grinding down the needle plate. Pfaff parts are hella expensive, but fortunately this machine is pretty popular so there are generic parts available for it. I'm grinding down those.
The 335 has horizontal-axis hook. Other popular cylinder-bed machines like the Consew 227 and Juki 341 have a vertical-axis hook. FYI.
Here're some of the off-the-shelf binders I have. I've had good results with them off the machine, I just need to get them in the right place on the machine so they can do their job.
I still haven't felt like ponying up the 400 dollars for a custom-made binder. And I don't think I've spent that much money on eBay binders yet...but I think it's getting close. Ha.
The rub is: I bought one when I bought this machine and it didn't fit. Ain't that a mother...
The 335 uses these fancy aluminum G bobbins. In the middle (with the holes) are M bobbins, which my other upholstery machines use. Maybe I should've got a Consew 277RBFS so all my bobbins could be the same size. Ha. Next time.
The feed dog on this machine came with a surprisingly small needle hole for a machine that's been touted (on some sites) as a leather machine (light weight leather...it's an upholstery-weight machine). I was having trouble with my T90 thread getting caught in the thread slot (not pictured). Or at least that's what I thought was happening. I was having trouble getting proper top tension...as in the knot wasn't being pulled into the fabric. The test piece of faux leather that came with the machine looked perfect, but I couldn't replicate the stitches. Weird. I must be doing something dumb. I got a generic feed dog for it though, with a larger needle hole, and it's been working a lot better.
QR code on the hook. Pretty cute.
Right now what I've been using this machine for is sewing the top stitch around the edge of my bike coozies...something that's really aggravating to do with a flat bed...and will never look as nice. I've also been using it to sew parts of my bags that are a real pain to sew flat.
Yeah.
Other things about this machine:
These machines are made in China. Pfaff's been producing machines in the East for a good nine years now. I believe they're running their own factory there and are not just contracting another company to make them. The build quality is excellent...so far. Some sellers will try to tell you these are still made in Germany. Not true. The users manual is all in German, though. I believe Pfaff still makes machines in Germany, but I have a feeling they're of the high-tech variety.
I chose this particular model because a lot of the smaller sewing machine companies have copied this machine almost exactly. I hope this means that parts and information will be readily available forever. Companies like Juki, Seiko, Consew and Adler all have similar machines.
I had to build a table to sit on another table because I'm nearly out of floor space in my workshop. Pretty crazy. One day I might buy another machine and that'll probably be a Juki 441 clone...but we'll see.
I have a servo motor with a 2" pulley. It goes nice 'n' slow, the way I like it.
I'll try to put some better photos up some time. This post'll be a work in progress till I get the binding issue sorted out, so if there's anything you'd like to see in detail let me know and I'll put it up.
Happy trails.
I can't even remember when I bought this thing it's been so long. It was cold, I know that. Probably the winter...definitely the winter. Anyway, I've been busy with things, and there have been complications with this machine and so on. But! I have built a table for it and I am using it now...so that's a step in the right direction, as they say.
So let me show you what I've got...
This is what is known as a narrow-arm cylinder-bed sewing machine. Cylinder bed (aka cylinder arm) sewing machines are good for sewing hard-to-reach or difficult-to-sew things like hats, bags, golf bags, what have you--anything that's a real bitch or impossible to sew on a flat bed machine. [See also post-bed sewing machines.]
It is my understanding (which is limited) that there are two varieties of bottom feeding on cylinder machines: horizontal and elliptical (they might be called something else in the industry...). Horizontal is what you find on narrow arm machines like the 335. The feed dogs are attached to an arm that goes forward and backwards and that's all. Elliptical (and its fancier square variety) go forward, up, back and down. This is what you see in all (or most) flat bed machines. Unfortunately, you can't fit this mechanism in an arm this skinny...at least I don't think so.
I guess then there are patching machines, which are like super skinny arm machines, and those only have top feed. But that's a machine by itself as far as I'm concerned...
Back to the 335. It has horizontal feed on the bottom and compound feed on the top: needle feed with a walking foot, which makes it feed pretty well. It's not a champion climber like my compound feed flat-bed machines, since it's feed dog doesn't go down and can get stuck on stuff, but it does alright.
This variety of 335 has a synchronized binding arm, which you can attach a binding attachment to. This binding attachment moves with the walking foot to make a real nice binding. I'm still working out this aspect of the machine, unfortunately.
You can see the two bolts just to the right of the feet...that's where the folder attaches. Farther down the binder plate are rods to thread the binding in.
Special feet and needle plate to accommodate the folder/binder. My binder doesn't fit right in there (it's too fat), so I've been working on grinding down the needle plate. Pfaff parts are hella expensive, but fortunately this machine is pretty popular so there are generic parts available for it. I'm grinding down those.
The 335 has horizontal-axis hook. Other popular cylinder-bed machines like the Consew 227 and Juki 341 have a vertical-axis hook. FYI.
Here're some of the off-the-shelf binders I have. I've had good results with them off the machine, I just need to get them in the right place on the machine so they can do their job.
I still haven't felt like ponying up the 400 dollars for a custom-made binder. And I don't think I've spent that much money on eBay binders yet...but I think it's getting close. Ha.
The rub is: I bought one when I bought this machine and it didn't fit. Ain't that a mother...
The 335 uses these fancy aluminum G bobbins. In the middle (with the holes) are M bobbins, which my other upholstery machines use. Maybe I should've got a Consew 277RBFS so all my bobbins could be the same size. Ha. Next time.
The feed dog on this machine came with a surprisingly small needle hole for a machine that's been touted (on some sites) as a leather machine (light weight leather...it's an upholstery-weight machine). I was having trouble with my T90 thread getting caught in the thread slot (not pictured). Or at least that's what I thought was happening. I was having trouble getting proper top tension...as in the knot wasn't being pulled into the fabric. The test piece of faux leather that came with the machine looked perfect, but I couldn't replicate the stitches. Weird. I must be doing something dumb. I got a generic feed dog for it though, with a larger needle hole, and it's been working a lot better.
QR code on the hook. Pretty cute.
Right now what I've been using this machine for is sewing the top stitch around the edge of my bike coozies...something that's really aggravating to do with a flat bed...and will never look as nice. I've also been using it to sew parts of my bags that are a real pain to sew flat.
Yeah.
Other things about this machine:
These machines are made in China. Pfaff's been producing machines in the East for a good nine years now. I believe they're running their own factory there and are not just contracting another company to make them. The build quality is excellent...so far. Some sellers will try to tell you these are still made in Germany. Not true. The users manual is all in German, though. I believe Pfaff still makes machines in Germany, but I have a feeling they're of the high-tech variety.
I chose this particular model because a lot of the smaller sewing machine companies have copied this machine almost exactly. I hope this means that parts and information will be readily available forever. Companies like Juki, Seiko, Consew and Adler all have similar machines.
I had to build a table to sit on another table because I'm nearly out of floor space in my workshop. Pretty crazy. One day I might buy another machine and that'll probably be a Juki 441 clone...but we'll see.
I have a servo motor with a 2" pulley. It goes nice 'n' slow, the way I like it.
I'll try to put some better photos up some time. This post'll be a work in progress till I get the binding issue sorted out, so if there's anything you'd like to see in detail let me know and I'll put it up.
Happy trails.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Bicycle Seat Covers
I've had a couple people ask me about seat covers recently so I thought I'd sit down and smash out a real nice design. This is what I've got so far: No Velcro, no elastic, no top seams, no coming off and no water getting in.
It's made from two pieces of Gore-Tex-like fabric*, where the water-resistant laminate is facing inwards to reduce wear. So it's ready for all day in the rain.
[*It's really nice fabric, but I bought it off eBay, so it could be Gore-Tex, or it could be a generic. I've been using my seat cover for a few years and it's going strong.]
Real simple cord-and-grommets tightening action. You can wrap that cord back under the seat to keep it outta the way.
I'm still working on how best to reinforce the grommets since this fabric is kinda slippery and stretchy and I don't want the grommets popping off. I've been sandwiching stiffer material in between the fabric and that's been working pretty well. Though, it doubles the sewing time. So I'm still working on the construction logistics.
If you're interested in one, you can send me an email for updates: coryleif@gmail.com
This was built around a Brooks B17 leather saddle. It fits smaller saddles just fine and will fit wider ones like the B18 Lady, but the nose might not fit that snug...but you'll get full coverage.
If you're looking for something a bit fancier than this, jump on over to Randi Jo Fabrications. Their seat covers are pretty sharp.
Woo-hoo!
Leif Labs: Where you sit.
It's made from two pieces of Gore-Tex-like fabric*, where the water-resistant laminate is facing inwards to reduce wear. So it's ready for all day in the rain.
[*It's really nice fabric, but I bought it off eBay, so it could be Gore-Tex, or it could be a generic. I've been using my seat cover for a few years and it's going strong.]
Real simple cord-and-grommets tightening action. You can wrap that cord back under the seat to keep it outta the way.
I'm still working on how best to reinforce the grommets since this fabric is kinda slippery and stretchy and I don't want the grommets popping off. I've been sandwiching stiffer material in between the fabric and that's been working pretty well. Though, it doubles the sewing time. So I'm still working on the construction logistics.
If you're interested in one, you can send me an email for updates: coryleif@gmail.com
This was built around a Brooks B17 leather saddle. It fits smaller saddles just fine and will fit wider ones like the B18 Lady, but the nose might not fit that snug...but you'll get full coverage.
If you're looking for something a bit fancier than this, jump on over to Randi Jo Fabrications. Their seat covers are pretty sharp.
Woo-hoo!
Leif Labs: Where you sit.
Drink Holder Installation Guide
These're pretty easy to install, so you'll be on the road to carrying whatever you want in no time.
If you have a single drink holder your instructions are here.
The trickiest part of this is attaching the strap that loops under the down tube--the chin strap of the rig, if you will. I've used a tri-glide (or double-back) buckle here for its simplicity, low profile, and relative theft-resistance compared to Velcro or any other standard buckle. I have full confidence that you will be able to install this without a problem.
First let's go through buckling it off the bike:
Doublin' back.
After you tighten the chin strap, wrap the other two straps like so. The red dot in the middle is where the head tube will be.
Okay, now here it is on the bike.
I know in the picture below it has the straps going into the cam buckles, but they should be loose...I forgot to take that picture. But that's where you put it--right up against the head tube (the tube the fork goes through).
The webbing goes up.
And then goes down.
Here's how the other webbing wraps around the front.
Into the cam buckles.
And you can tuck the loose webbing into the side there.
Happy trails.
If you have a single drink holder your instructions are here.
The trickiest part of this is attaching the strap that loops under the down tube--the chin strap of the rig, if you will. I've used a tri-glide (or double-back) buckle here for its simplicity, low profile, and relative theft-resistance compared to Velcro or any other standard buckle. I have full confidence that you will be able to install this without a problem.First let's go through buckling it off the bike:
Doublin' back.
After you tighten the chin strap, wrap the other two straps like so. The red dot in the middle is where the head tube will be.Okay, now here it is on the bike.
I know in the picture below it has the straps going into the cam buckles, but they should be loose...I forgot to take that picture. But that's where you put it--right up against the head tube (the tube the fork goes through).
The webbing goes up.
And then goes down.
Here's how the other webbing wraps around the front.
Into the cam buckles.
And you can tuck the loose webbing into the side there.Happy trails.
Bicycle Drink Holders
AKA Double Troubles.
Maybe you'd like to hold more water bottles, or just have your beverage in easy reach. If so, the Double Trouble is right for you. Ha.
Anyway...1000d CORDURA® shell, nylon packcloth liner, quarter-inch foam for rigidity & insulation, cam buckles for perfect adjustability.
The top. Round construction.
Cam buckles from ITW Nexus.
Front.
Bottom.
Throw me an email for quotes, availability, or questions. Singles coming soon.
coryleif@gmail.com
Maybe you'd like to hold more water bottles, or just have your beverage in easy reach. If so, the Double Trouble is right for you. Ha.Anyway...1000d CORDURA® shell, nylon packcloth liner, quarter-inch foam for rigidity & insulation, cam buckles for perfect adjustability.
The top. Round construction.
Cam buckles from ITW Nexus.
Front.
Bottom.Throw me an email for quotes, availability, or questions. Singles coming soon.
coryleif@gmail.com
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Singer 15-90
I've been lusting after an old Singer for quite a while--just to have one. It's not like I need any more sewing machines. But I saw this on eBay for a decent price and swooped in and bought it.
It's a 15-90. The fun thing about old Singers is that you can look up the serial number and see when and where it was made. This one was born June 6, 1946, in Jersey, exactly two years after D-Day. It's a Baby Boomer machine!
This is what sold me on it: the scrollwork faceplate. So cool.
Sister machines to the 15-90 are the 15-88 and the 15-91. The 15-91 has a "potted" motor and is gear driven. You see this model the most on eBay. I've read that the gears are fairly fragile, so beware if you plan on sewing thick denim, I guess. The 15-88 is for treadle-use only.
And the 15-90, as you can see, is belt driven. You can also use it as a treadle or handcrank machine.
This has a vertical oscillating hook. It's my understanding that this kind of hook is less finicky about thread size so you can run heavier threads no probs. I still need to clean and oil this machine before I really see what this can do. Though it does make stitches. I tested that. And it makes a very nice reverse stitch, which is always nice.
This machine is pretty similar to the Singer 99 (another ubiquitous eBay machine), but the 99 has a horizontal rotary hook and different bobbin. And the 99's tension knob is on the front, not the side.
It's also kinda like the 221 featherweight (the machine I learned on), but the 221 has a rotary hook and smaller bobbin...and is portable.
If you're in the market for one of these you can usually get one for under a hundred bucks, unless it's a rare one or something. But they made like a trillion of these so they should be pretty cheap. This one was from a batch of 250,000. I think they pop up on eBay in waves...probably depending on garage sale season.
People do sell these on eBay for $200+ as industrial strength leather machines, which is sorta a scam. They will sew soft apparel leather and they are really tough little machines, but in no way are they true leather machines. If you're in the market for a leather machine, take a peek at Leatherworkers.net and see what's out there...or just buy a Juki 441 clone and call it a day.
Other old Singers that I haven't mentioned that would make good beginner/general-use machines: the 201 and the 66 (the full-size 99), and probably a handful of others that I don't know about.
Woo!
I just remembered that Sailrite used to offer a basic canvas machine years ago...
Looks a lot like the 15-90.
It's a 15-90. The fun thing about old Singers is that you can look up the serial number and see when and where it was made. This one was born June 6, 1946, in Jersey, exactly two years after D-Day. It's a Baby Boomer machine!
This is what sold me on it: the scrollwork faceplate. So cool.
Sister machines to the 15-90 are the 15-88 and the 15-91. The 15-91 has a "potted" motor and is gear driven. You see this model the most on eBay. I've read that the gears are fairly fragile, so beware if you plan on sewing thick denim, I guess. The 15-88 is for treadle-use only.And the 15-90, as you can see, is belt driven. You can also use it as a treadle or handcrank machine.
This has a vertical oscillating hook. It's my understanding that this kind of hook is less finicky about thread size so you can run heavier threads no probs. I still need to clean and oil this machine before I really see what this can do. Though it does make stitches. I tested that. And it makes a very nice reverse stitch, which is always nice.This machine is pretty similar to the Singer 99 (another ubiquitous eBay machine), but the 99 has a horizontal rotary hook and different bobbin. And the 99's tension knob is on the front, not the side.
It's also kinda like the 221 featherweight (the machine I learned on), but the 221 has a rotary hook and smaller bobbin...and is portable.
If you're in the market for one of these you can usually get one for under a hundred bucks, unless it's a rare one or something. But they made like a trillion of these so they should be pretty cheap. This one was from a batch of 250,000. I think they pop up on eBay in waves...probably depending on garage sale season.
People do sell these on eBay for $200+ as industrial strength leather machines, which is sorta a scam. They will sew soft apparel leather and they are really tough little machines, but in no way are they true leather machines. If you're in the market for a leather machine, take a peek at Leatherworkers.net and see what's out there...or just buy a Juki 441 clone and call it a day.
Other old Singers that I haven't mentioned that would make good beginner/general-use machines: the 201 and the 66 (the full-size 99), and probably a handful of others that I don't know about.
Woo!
I just remembered that Sailrite used to offer a basic canvas machine years ago...
Looks a lot like the 15-90.
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