The Top. The top.
No progress at all --well, I did get the roll bars painted and padded.
So, Sheri started messing with the sewing machine and could not get the needle to pick up, or "hook" into the bobbin thread. I looked it over, as she was "100% certain" she had it set up correctly.
After joining a sewing pattern and machine forum, and getting about 6 "sounds like a timing problem" answers, I tore into the machine to make what should have been a simple adjustment. One member posted a link to this gif image of "how a stitch is formed". This now had me convinced I understood the mechanics of what is going on.
http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w344/Sew-Classic/blog/repair/SewClassici_lockstitch2.gif
from this site
http://blog.sew-classic.com/2008/10...ches-arent-straight--what-to-do-about-it.aspx
The procedure is all over the internet. Right?
I went about adjusting the timing, but it became apparent the needle was a tiny bit to the right of the hook. That made perfect sense as why they were missing the connection. So, me being the idiot I am, pushed the needle rod to the left. This is a big no no see as it slides through 2 precision guides, kind of like a valve push rod with a 2" sleeve at each end. Any bend at all locks it up.
Meanwhile, back on the machine forum someone posts up that on this machine the needle flat should face left."If the needle flat is not to the left the bobbin thread will not hook"
Sheri said un uh no machine is like that. She looked in the manual --sure enough the needle was incorrectly installed with the flat to the rear. Installing it correctly moved the point of the needle perfectly in line with the hook.
So, yeah a tiny correction could have saved me a whole day of head scratching and chasing tiny screws.
Now for the good stuff. New parts are on the way.
I checked around town talking to some experienced seamstre---er persons, and found a nice lady who was willing to give it a whirl. She was rather confident she could handle the job, planning things out, showing me how she was going to miter the corners when her husband came in and insisted she could not take on the job. Her machine couldn't handle it according to him.
She went on to tell him she sews letters onto leather letter jackets for the high school kids. The was 2 times as thick as the straps and cloth doubled.
He got kind of angry and finally let it slip out he didn't like jeeps cause he drives a prius. He wasn't going to allow her to stress out over this one.
I just picked up all the stuff , apologized for runing his day, and came back home. I am going to take her some ice cream for her time because she was actually being very cool til he came along.
Anyway. yeah. the top.
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:rangergreen:
