Brand new servo motor and the needle positioner is broken!

[Henry Hall]

Honestly! I received the package yesterday and took the needle syncro out and the housing just crumbled off in my hands! It's very irritating because I hoped to have the machine back up and running by next week.

I have a really good Efka needle syncro, but the connection is different and only fits into the clutch motor I originally had on the machine.

I'm tired of the shoddy manufacturing of so much stuff. It's only a few years back that I bought a gravity iron trumpeting itself as 'Made In Italy'. I thought then: "okay, maybe this is a better buy than cheaper Chinese-made stuff", but 3 months in it packed up. Took me ages to get them to refund me as well.

[Schneiderfrei]

Very frustrating.

[Henry Hall]

Schneiderfrei I am envious of your machine's success. It feels like someone is doing voodoo on me, I've had no end of bother with machinery lately.

[Schneiderfrei]

What I am about to tell you is very secret, Don't tell anyone.

When I posted my above, I had indeed completed the reconstruction of the mechanical parts of the machine. What I then found was that I could not get the machine to make a proper stitch.

YET.

One thing I possess is determination.  I will get back after the holidays.

And, will fess up as to my success.

[Henry Hall]

I won't betray your secret to the others here.....oh wait!

This morning the shop got back to me and confirmed that after opening several boxes the same problem is evident. So it looks like I will be in luck in gaining redress!

[hutch--]

Its a funny distinction but where once many countries made good things, over time they fell away as they could not compete with the flood of cheaper Chinese things and the range is truly massive. A few companies that held on or dealers that hold older spare parts often don't have the means to fix things. Recently a friend of mine who is making specialised hats that have netting all around them was having problems with any of her shears digging into the netting when she was cutting between layers so I bought 2 pairs of 10 inch shears made in Pakistan for AU $20.00 a pair.

For the pair she needed I ground the ends off and then radiused the two ends so that they were far less prone to dig in and sent them down to her. The other pair I pulled apart, sharpened them properly, packed the joint with grease and put them together again and they worked OK. They have a spring loaded hinge which keeps the blades together but they have a noticeable drag when opening and closing them.

In comparison I have a pair of 10 inch Heinisch dressmakers shears on my computer table (not cutting table) that I use for general purpose chomping through anything I need and after giving them a resharpen after about 5 years, they are glass smooth effortless things to use. The sad fact is cheaper is cheaper. 

Humour was I bought a pair of 14 inch Wiss shears from this guy in Chicago and he wanted to sell me the Heinisch shears as well so I though, Ohhhh OK so he burgled me for 40 bucks on top of what I payed him for the Wiss shears. 

[Henry Hall]

Quite so. There will come a time when there are very few good and proper tools left. The shears I use are, like many here, old. People generally comment upon them when they see them and say something along the lines of: "I haven't seen a pair of scissors like those in ages.." The massive iron is another object eliciting similar responses.

Fixing things has been going downhill for ages now. In the Netherlands it is often difficult to just get someone to fix a fault on an industrial sewing machine. There are a few companies, but they appear much more eager to sell machines than to fix them, despite insisting that they do so and have x-years experience. One I was referred to said this: "What make is it?" I said it ought not to matter if they had wide experience of straight-stitch machines. Then he asked: "What's wrong with it?". I said: If I knew that I wouldn't need to phone you!"

Getting proper parts is a damned nuisance. E.g. buying a good, solid V-belt is near impossible. Often they have them on their websites, but you can't just order one, they want you to fill-in a form and 'enquire' about the price. I don't have time for that sort of nonsense just for a simple belt. Furthermore, the belts often turn out to be too thin or they are round rubber belts! The name 'v-belt' ought to be a clue that it isn't round.

That's my rant (part of it anyway).

[posaune]

I just want to rant with you. Not only equipment - Fabric too vanishes from the market. My husband wanted a  pyjama: he has difficulties to turn in bed (Parkinson) so I thought of Kettsatin. This is pur cotton fabric with a very shiny right side and a roughed warm underside. (In my youth before central heating we had underwear from that kind (knitted -  Oh i hated it). I sewed a lot of it for street carneval. It was availlable in all main colors and vivid prints. Last time for about 4 years. I searched  and searched. There are only a few meters here and there and only the vivd prints. Nothing for the burgundy model with eggshell Paspel I dreamt of. The plastic garbage you'll find everywhere.
So he gets now a pyjama made of knitted silk with modal to christmas and I should sew instead writing here.
Good wishes for Christmas and a happy New Year - sharp scissors and a quick needle. May your machine run without trouble and always wonderfull fabric to work with.
lg
posaune

[Henry Hall]

Is that Kettsatin the same as 'Barchent' (which Peterle mentioned in the sleeve lining thread)? I actually have a roll of this, as I mentioned in that thread. I used it to make a robe - first try, not spectacular work

After Peterle said that it was used for winter pyjamas I'm now on the lookout for a more sober colour. Like you said they are all the vivid prints and flashy stripes. I'd like blue or Bordeaux or something like that.

[posaune]

https://s-w-stoffe.com/kettsatin-druck.html

here you see the last cotton kett satin - hah this are lively pattern.  No I do not think it is Barchent. Barchent is woven from cotton and linen. This Kettsatin is made from Viscose (which is in the kette) and is very shiny. The cotton is used for Schuß (kette and schuß is maybe called warp and weft???)
In the 2. link you see the colors it has had - but it is now with 65 % polyester  bäääh. But it may be fine for a robe?
https://www.stoff4you.de/Stoffe/Satin/Uni/Kettsatin.html
lg
posaune

[pfaff260]

I used https://s-w-stoffe.com/kettsatin-druck.html for Karnaval clothes. It's nice to work with but i wouldn't use it in daily live.
A robe out of this would be very clourfull! They started making this after strickter regulations where introduced.
Before that they used cheaper stuff that would burn quite easy.

[peterle]

Yes, I´m sure it is the same. probably the Bavarians call it differentely. "Kettsatin" just says "satin where the warp threads form the shiny side". and Barchent is a Kettsatin with a brushed backside.
a bolt of vintage Barchent:




A less shinier version is also used for winter Dirndl dresses here in the alps. The same name was originally used for half linnen fabrics with a shinier and a roughed side