Shivon 0 #1 October 14, 2003 I was looking in Poynter's Vol II for recommended specs for rigging sewing machines. Riggers - can you give a min / max needle and thread sizes you use to do your work? I am assuming that whatever the machine, it has to be a 'walking foot' at a minimum. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #2 October 14, 2003 Different sewing machines do different tasks. You need a bartacker to do line sets (Or run a close ziz-zag), a binding tape machine is used to attaching the binding tape, a harness machine is used to do the sewing through the main webbing and stuff. What type of rigging are you looking to do should determine what sewing machine you should look at.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkwing 4 #3 October 14, 2003 First and foremost you must be able to use E thread, for which I use #18 or #20 needles. I use B thread for some suspension line work, and a smaller needed is fine for that. For lots of casual rigging a sturdy household sewing machine, straight stitch, zig-zag and forward/reverse is fine. My next level of desire would be for a 308 stitch (double-throw zig-zag). A good industrial-strength straight stitch machine with a walking foot is nice too, but if I have only one machine, I still prefer the versatile household model. -- Jeff My Skydiving History Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 558 #4 October 14, 2003 It really depends upon what you want to sew. I have five different sewing machines in my loft (zig-zag, bar-tack, harness machine and two binders) and next year will bug my boss to buy a couple more. I started rigging with a Pfaff 230. The Pfaff 230 may be on the upper end of strength for a home-maker, but it is the lightest you should bother with for rigging. I sewed up two canopies and replaced an awful lot of Velcro using my Pfaff 230 pulling E-thread and size 18 needles. It was also good at sewing all the patches I needed to earn my FAA Senior Rigger rating. However, the Pfaff 230 struggled to patch thick jumpsuits or the cuffs on blue jeans. The next step is an industrial-strength single-needle machine, ideally one that will also do a single-throw zig-zag. Something like a Singer 20U will do all the canopy repairs and simple container repairs. You will need needles in 22 gauge or thicker. For thick container repairs you need a a heavy-duty, single-needle machine with compound feed: feed dogs, walking presser foot and needle feed. For complex container repairs you will also need a 308 (double-throw) zig-zag. Class 7 harness are just big single-needle machines, but to pull 5-cord through multiple layers of webbing, they need to be really BIG. Most of the class 7 machines I have used were built before I was born. Those old cast-iron monsters thump along forever on a diet of oil and needles. I also have a pair of double needle machines for installing binding tape. The lighter weight Singer is great for replacing binding tape on leg pads, building log book cover, etc. but it breaks needles when I sew through container stiffeners, so we are now in the process of fine-tuning a heavy-duty Consew binder. The next step is spending $300 to $600 on a folders for binding thick items. Finally the better lofts have bartack machines. To do the most recent Service Bulletin on Raven-M reserves, you need a 42 stitch bar-tacker. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shivon 0 #5 October 14, 2003 Thanks for the replies so far - very good. I think that 90% of my jobs are going to be in canopy patch jobs, velcro replacement, pad replacement (eg; torn leg pads), cypress fittings, line set replacements. I guess that I am on the 'lighter' side of what is required. I have two machines. The first is a regular sewing machine your girlfriend buys (no - really), and the second is a DY-340, a 'semi-industrial' single needle walking foot. It's old (as in older than me), cast iron, and nearly killed me trying to move it last night (I can lift the head itself - 'just' - and I am not small). The US and Australia are on different measurement systems, but it akes size 50 (big) to size 20 (small) cotton, and size 14 (small) to size 24 (big) needles. Any thoughts? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 558 #6 October 15, 2003 Nylon "E" thread is also referred to as "69." Size 18 needles will do for canopy patches, as long as you are not sewing through too many reinforcement tapes. For container repairs, lean towards size 22 or 24 needles. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
